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In March 2025, the Department for Education (DfE) published its Curriculum and Assessment Review: Interim Report, the first major review of the education framework in more than a decade. Its aim is to ensure the curriculum remains “fit for purpose,” equipping learners with the skills and knowledge they need for the future.
The government has since responded, reaffirming ambitions for a curriculum that is rich, inclusive and aspirational. Literacy remains central, with strong foundations in reading, writing and comprehension highlighted as essential for lifelong learning.
While the response provides direction, many of the practical challenges, such as delivering the curriculum effectively in busy classrooms and supporting pupils with diverse needs, will still fall on schools to address.
Key Stage 1: Strengthening the foundations
At Key Stage 1, the Review reinforces the importance of phonics as the cornerstone of early reading. The phonics screening check remains statutory and early decoding skills continue to be critical. However, the report recognises that a crowded curriculum can sometimes prevent pupils from achieving true depth before progressing.
What this could mean for schools:
- Maintain a systematic phonics programme with emphasis on fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary.
- Review sequencing to ensure pupils master core reading concepts before moving on.
- Provide early intervention for pupils who do not meet phonics benchmarks.
- Promote reading for pleasure from the very start of education.
Government response:
The DfE has set an ambitious target that 90% of Year 1 pupils meet the phonics screening benchmark. Schools are expected to adopt systematic synthetic phonics programmes, supported by up-to-date training and resources. For pupils at risk of falling behind, the government highlights early identification and intervention, alongside the expansion of the “Reading Ambition for All” professional development programme.
While promising, these measures may still require schools to adapt resources to ensure every child, including those with SEND, achieves mastery.
In practice:
Lexia Core5 Reading helps schools translate these priorities into classroom impact. Its sequenced, adaptive pathways guide pupils from phonics through to fluent reading, reinforcing comprehension, vocabulary and automaticity.
For pupils needing extra support, Lexia delivers targeted, personalised practice, allowing early intervention. Teachers receive real-time data to track progress, pinpoint gaps and plan instruction efficiently, ensuring government priorities are realised.
Key Stage 2: Depth, writing, and transition
At Key Stage 2, literacy challenges persist. In 2024, only 61% of pupils achieved the expected standard in reading, writing, and maths combined. Assessment approaches may not fully capture the breadth of literacy skills, particularly in writing.
What this could mean for schools:
- Balance reading and writing instruction to develop comprehension and composition equally.
- Adjust writing assessments to encourage authentic, creative expression alongside technical accuracy.
- Emphasise comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking.
- Prepare pupils for the literacy demands of secondary school.
Government response:
The DfE acknowledges that mastering literacy foundations is essential. They desire greater clarity and specificity in English, particularly in speaking, listening and drama. Furthermore, a new oracy framework will be introduced. Grammar teaching will be reviewed to ensure it is taught in context rather than in isolation, and some complex concepts may be moved into KS3 to allow more time for mastery at primary level.
In practice:
Lexia Core5 helps upper-primary pupils develop deeper comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking, while reinforcing grammar and composition skills in context. Its sequenced pathways support secondary transition, closing literacy gaps before Year 6 ends. Teachers benefit from real-time insights for personalised instruction, ensuring pupils achieve both fluency and depth regardless of curriculum change.
SEND and inclusion: Literacy for every learner
The Review emphasises that the system is “not working for all pupils”, with persistent gaps for disadvantaged learners and those with SEND.
- Embed accessibility and inclusion into literacy teaching.
- Identify reading difficulties early, with tailored interventions.
- Use multisensory and scaffolded approaches for pupils with dyslexia, speech and language needs or other learning differences.
- Provide additional phonics, fluency and comprehension support for older pupils who continue to struggle.
Government response:
The government supports inclusion and highlights the need for a rich, sequenced curriculum for all pupils, alongside resources and professional development. However, much of the responsibility remains with schools, and additional support may not reach every setting, particularly for pupils with more complex needs.
In practice:
Lexia Core5 ensures all learners, including those with SEND, work at the right level through personalised, adaptive pathways. Pupils build confidence and literacy skills, while teachers receive actionable data to target support, bridging gaps even where broader system support is limited.
Implications for teachers, SENDCOs, and literacy leaders
The Review and government response emphasise the importance of professional development focused on mastery, progression and inclusion. Schools may want to:
- Strengthen coherence between KS1 and KS2 literacy planning.
- Use formative assessment and data to track reading depth and attainment.
- Encourage collaboration between literacy leads and SENDCOs.
- Reflect on how literacy teaching prepares pupils for KS3.
While the government sets the strategic direction, schools will need strong leadership, strategic planning and effective tools to deliver these outcomes.
Moving forward: Building confident, fluent readers
The Curriculum and Assessment Review and government response provide a clear vision for literacy, but schools remain central to making it work in practice.
By prioritising mastery, comprehension, and reading for pleasure, schools can ensure pupils develop confidence, fluency, and lifelong reading habits. Lexia Core5 offers the structure, adaptive practice, and insights to help schools deliver this vision effectively, supporting teachers and learners every step of the way.
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