The introduction of the new national curriculum should be phased to allow for piloting and 鈥渓essons learned鈥� alongside a continuing professional development (CPD) strategy, a report has said. The Teaching Commission, chaired by former National Education Union joint leader and Labour peer Mary Bousted, also called for 鈥渂etter alignment鈥� between the proposed changes to the curriculum and the government鈥檚 ambition to make mainstream schools more inclusive. Ministers鈥� response to the curriculum and assessment review, chaired by Becky Francis, set out plans for the new curriculum to be taught from 2028. Final programmes of study are due to be published next spring. The timeline has led to concerns about school preparedness for the changes. The , which will be launched at the Festival of Education today, recommended a 鈥減hased introduction, allowing for piloting and 鈥榣essons learned鈥欌��. A CPD strategy should be “put in place incrementally to ensure teacher engagement with the [curriculum] changes in a manageable way that self to ensure quality of teaching and protecting teachers from overload鈥�. The report also called for three extra inset days in 2027 and 2028, which would be focused on the 鈥減reparation for and implementation of the new curriculum鈥�. Government should also have a strategy to recruit more specialist teachers in under-recruited subjects, and funding for schools to increase space and resources for practical lessons. Concerns about SEND alignment This should come alongside 鈥渙pportunities to build teacher capacity in cross-curricular themes and pedagogies, including oracy and citizenship, and to build diversity, equity and inclusion across the curriculum鈥�. The report also concluded the government鈥檚 curriculum reforms are 鈥渘ot sufficiently aligned with its SEND reforms. 鈥淚n particular, the over-reliance on high-stakes exams at GCSE will continue to depress the achievement of pupils with SEND as well as pupils from deprived backgrounds. 鈥淭he attainment gap between these pupils and their peers will remain rather than, as government and teachers hope, narrow.鈥� The report concluded that government should evaluate the new curriculum and its assessment 鈥渢hrough the lens of 鈥榳hat does this look like鈥� for pupils with SEND, low levels of achievement, low levels of certification and poor attendance鈥�. Dr Mary Bousted Government should also review the effectiveness of its assessment reforms 鈥渋n light of evidence that advises against over-reliance on high-stakes end point exams and tests鈥�. Bousted said: 鈥淭here is increasing evidence that children with SEND and deprived pupils are finding the current curriculum and its assessment a barrier rather than a vehicle to develop their potential. 鈥淭he danger is that the curriculum reforms to be implemented in 2028 are too conservative and retain the barriers created by the current over-reliance on high-stakes exams. 鈥淭he new curriculum and its assessment is a once in a decade opportunity to narrow the attainment gap. It should not be stymied by a lack of ambition for all the nation鈥檚 pupils.鈥�