What’s Changing for Citizenship, RSHE and PSHE in UK Secondary Schools

In November 2025, the Government released the Curriculum and Assessment Review final report, an independent review, chaired by Professor Becky Francis (CEO of the Education Endowment Foundation) alongside its official response from the Department of Education. Together, these set out the biggest refresh of the curriculum for England in over a decade.  

The changes aim to make learning broader, more inclusive, and representative of pupils’ diverse experiences, while tackling socio-economic and SEND inequalities. This is a big moment for schools and for subjects like Citizenship, RSHE/RSE, and PSHE, which sit at the heart of preparing young people for life. 

Our key takeaways: 

So what does this mean for RSHE/RSE, PSHE, and Citizenship? 

Citizenship 

 ‘It is important that the reformed curriculum provides a clear framework to ensure that pupils acquire the essential skills and knowledge they need to be active, informed and responsible citizens, and that this needs to start from an early age.’*

One of the biggest recommendations in the report is to make Citizenship mandatory for Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Currently this is a non-statutory subject, with a Programmes of Study, that has not been updated since 2001. This has led to gaps and inconsistencies in learning outcomes, with topics like Active Citizenship and Law and Justice not always taught to all students. In recent research by the University of Kent, they found ‘that children experiencing greater socio-economic disadvantage have fewer opportunities to develop civic skills and are less likely to be prepared for civic life’.*

Adding Citizenship as a statutory subject will be a very positive step in younger children’s learning and empower them with skills much earlier in their school life. 

'For the first time, primary- aged children will gain vital skills like how to spot fake news and identify misinformation and disinformation, helping them develop the critical thinking needed to challenge what they see and protect them from online harms.'*  

According to the report, the key topics to focus on were: 

Other aspects of this subject to be included are climate and sustainability, equality duties, and challenging discrimination.  

The DfE have confirmed they will go ahead with these suggestions, and want to update the secondary Programmes of Study so that it ties into the primary learning, and improves the progression to GCSE Citizenship Studies.  

RSHE/RSE and PSHE 

As the RSE curriculum has recently been through a review of its own – (see report here / and see our blog post on it here), no new recommendations were made. It does however highlight that there needs to be greater clarity between the 3 subjects – RSHE/RSE, PSHE, and Citizenship. The review additionally recommends clarifying the PSHE guidance, so that there is no overlap in Key Stage 3 and 4. 

The Review and response emphasise keeping RSE statutory, quality-assured, and evidence-led, with improved guidance for SEND and a stronger whole-school strategy that integrates oracy, reading, and writing across subjects. Crucially, the refreshed curriculum will embed media, digital, and financial literacy, online safety, and emotional resilience, ensuring PSHE and RSHE aren’t siloed but tightly connected to the wider curriculum. 

Alongside this is the recommendation of changing the status of Religious Education (RE) to a national curriculum statutory subject from it’s previous status of basic curriculum. This change recognises the importance of learning about the range and diversity of faiths and beliefs, and to provide ‘a space for pupils to learn about human mutuality and reciprocity, that it develops their capacity to understand one another, and that it supports strong, secure, and confident communities with good relationships.’* 

The DfE have agreed that this process needs to be done carefully and sensitively and will put together a draft RE curriculum once it has consulted with all interested parties. 

Enhancing Life Skills 

The Government is also committed to improving life skills by equipping ‘young people with vital skills for life and work’ *, bridging the gap between education and life beyond. They plan to expand enrichment entitlement for every pupil, spanning civic engagement, arts and culture, nature/outdoor learning, sport, and wider life skills. Schools will be expected to offer structured opportunities during and beyond the school day. This aligns closely with RSHE/PSHE aims of developing resilience, agency, voice, and belonging, while offering tangible pathways for youth social action, student leadership, and community partnerships.  

Digital and Media Literacy 

The report highlights the need to modernise computing, bringing it up to date with the latest technology and AI advancements, a hugely important aspect, particularly when we consider just how much technology has changed in the last 10 years, as well as the influence it has on modern life.  

The Government will replace computer science GCSE with a GCSE in computing. They are also considering a new level 3 qualification in data science and AI, to allow students the opportunity develop skills in the this ever-evolving subject.