Express & Star

Wolverhampton MP and ex-teacher welcomes reform of national curriculum.

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For the first time, children will be taught how to spot fake news and online disinformation, alongside financial literacy and civic education, preparing them for life in a fast-changing world.

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The Government will also guarantee that every child has access to sport and the arts. 

It follows a review led by Prof Becky Francis, which will form the basis of an overhaul of the curriculum with the aim of focusing on reading, writing, maths and speech, particularly in primary school and the 'lost years' at the start of secondary school.

Sureena Brackenridge, Labour MP for Wolverhampton North East, said the changes would equip every child with the knowledge and skills they needed to thrive in modern Britain.

Mrs Brackenridge, a former teacher and member of the education select committee, said the existing curriculum meant youngsters were leaving school without the essential qualifications or the skills needed to get on in life.

She said: "Across 14 long years, the Tories left young people unsupported without the essential qualifications or the skills needed to get on in life. 

"This Labour government is putting that right, raising standards, broadening opportunity, and preparing every child for the world as it is, not as it was.

"Labour is ensuring young people are equipped with the skills needed to thrive in the future - from mastering reading and writing to developing wider life skills.

“I am proud to back these reforms which will ensure every child in Wolverhampton and across the UK, has the chance the succeed in life, irrespective of their background.”

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said it had been more than a decade since the national curriculum was updated, and it was more crucial than ever that young people were equipped to face the challenges of today.

"The path to our country's renewal runs through our schools: they must be an epicentre of the strongest possible foundations of knowledge, and the skills to excel in the modern world," she said.

“From the fundamentals of reading to the present danger of spotting fake news, as part of our Plan for Change, these landmark reforms will help young people step boldly into the future, with the knowledge to achieve and the skills to thrive as the world around us continues to rapidly evolve.”