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The Curriculum and Assessment Review is a positive move toward a fairer, more inclusive education system. However, genuine inclusion needs more than just curriculum reform. It requires a fundamental shift in how we teach, support, and assess learning. Here at the National Extension College (NEC), we see proof every day that giving learners flexibility, accessibility, and agency is the key to truly inclusive education.
Why the Curriculum and Assessment Review is a Welcome Step Towards Inclusive Progress
The recently published Curriculum and Assessment Review is a huge, important moment for education here in England. Finally, the Review acknowledges what many of us have known for years: the current system just isn’t working for every student, especially those with SEND or who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. It’s making a powerful call for a fairer approach, one built on social justice and inclusion.
At the National Extension College (NEC), we couldn’t agree more with the Review’s core idea: inclusion can’t just be an afterthought. It has to be baked into the design of the entire system. For over sixty years, we’ve championed flexible inclusive education for all; no matter a person’s age or situation.
The Review’s proposals to remove the EBacc performance measure, expand curriculum flexibility, and introduce new post-16 “V Levels” show a commitment to diverse learner pathways. This is an approach that NEC has long advocated.
Inclusion Beyond the Curriculum: Design, Delivery and Assessment
Whilst the Review sets a positive direction, its conception of inclusion remains focused on what is taught, not how learning happens. Technology, for example, is discussed as curriculum content rather than as a tool for participation and access.
At NEC, our experience shows that inclusion is achieved not only through the content of education, but through its design, delivery, and assessment. Flexible, asynchronous, and personalised online learning allows students to overcome barriers whether geographical, medical, or social, which might prevent them from engaging in education at all.
Case Study 1 – Estrella:
How Flexible Online Learning Helped Rebuild Confidence
For Estrella, traditional schooling hadn’t provided the support she needed. When she joined NEC, she was determined to rebuild her confidence and continue studying in a way that worked for her.
Through flexible online learning, Estrella studied A levels in Psychology, Sociology and Philosophy, developing both academic skills and self-belief.
“My previous school did not offer me the support or resources I needed during my learning. The NEC was very accommodating, patient and helpful with me,” she says.
Balancing her studies with part-time work, Estrella found that NEC’s tutor support and flexibility enabled her to succeed where a traditional environment had not. She is now progressing to university to study Psychology which is a testament to her resilience and the impact that personalised, inclusive learning design can have on a student’s life.
Case Study 2 – Jill:
Rediscovering Education Later in Life Through Online Learning
For some learners, inclusion means a second chance at education. Jill, from Northern Ireland, returned to study after a long career outside academia. At 53, she enrolled with NEC to study A level History of Art, something she had always wanted to do but never had the opportunity to pursue.
“It was exactly what I wish I’d done the first time around,” Jill recalls. “I loved every single moment of it.”
The course reignited her confidence, equipped her with academic and digital skills, and enabled her to progress to the University of Leeds. She now works in the rare books and manuscripts sector which is a complete career transformation driven by access to flexible, high-quality online education.
Jill’s story demonstrates how inclusive pathways empower adult learners to retrain, rediscover, and achieve their ambitions.
Missed Opportunities in the Curriculum and Assessment Review
While the Review outlines positive steps, it misses key opportunities to redefine accessibility for modern learners.
- Technology as transformation: The Review treats digital tools as curriculum topics, not as enablers of equitable access to learning and assessment.
- Assessment innovation: Retaining high-stakes exams as the “fairest” system overlooks adaptive, modular, and authentic assessment methods that could better support learners with SEND, mental health needs, or anxiety.
- By focusing only on compulsory education, the Review fails to address the crucial element of lifelong inclusion and the specific needs of adult and returning learners who require GCSEs and A levels to participate fully in the UK’s education system.
A Solution-Focused Approach: What NEC Believes Inclusive Education Should Look Like
If inclusion is to be more than a principle, it will need to be embedded in the systems that shape how learners experience education. NEC’s work across online and alternative provision highlights several priorities for the next phase of reform:
- Digital delivery as a mainstream pathway therefore ensuring online and distance learning are recognised as legitimate, high-quality routes to qualifications.
- Inclusive assessment models such as modular progression, credit accumulation, and adaptive assessment to reflect individual learning journeys.
- Universal design for learning, when accessibility is embedded into every aspect of course and assessment design.
- Learner agency and ownership that empower students to take control of their pace, place, and pathway.
A Call to Action: What Needs to Happen Next to Achieve True Inclusion in Education
The Curriculum and Assessment Review has set the tone for a more equitable system. But its success will depend on how it is interpreted and implemented by those with the power to shape practice such as exam boards, awarding organisations, and Ofqual.
These bodies now have a unique opportunity to lead the transformation from policy vision to inclusive reality. Their decisions in the coming months will determine whether inclusion is amplified or watered down.
We call on awarding organisations and regulators to:
- Prioritise accessibility in every reform decision, ensuring that inclusion is not confined to curriculum statements but reflected in assessment frameworks, marking practices, and qualification design.
- Recognise digital learning contexts, including online and blended study, within access arrangements and evidence of “normal way of working.”
- Champion innovation in assessment, piloting digital, modular, and authentic approaches that reflect the diversity of modern learners.
- Collaborate with inclusive providers like NEC and others working with SEND, adult, and distance learners, to ensure policy translates into fair practice.
Conclusion: We Have Always Believed Inclusive Education Should be Available to Everyone
If inclusion is to sit at the heart of education reform, it must be designed into assessment, supported by regulation, and championed by those who certify achievement.
We at NEC welcome the opportunity to work alongside regulators, awarding organisations, and sector partners to turn the Curriculum and Assessment Review’s ambitions into reality, building an education system defined by flexibility, accessibility, and belonging.
At NEC, we’ve seen how flexible online learning has transformed the lives of our students – from school-age learners to adults returning to study.
To find out more about our courses and how online learning works, visit www.nec.ac.uk/courses or contact our course advisors today.