BERA Bites 15

EDUCATING FOR ALL

Reimagining the curriculum: A call for decolonial & values-driven education

REECE SOHDI UNIVERSITY OF SUNDERLAND

Curriculum is often seen as a fixed ‘course of study’ – a neutral list of topics to be taught and assessed. 1 Yet, it is anything but neutral (Apple, 2004). Pinar (2019) argues that curriculum is a sociopolitical construction embedded with assumptions about power, identity and the future. Every decision on what is included – or excluded – reflects contested values and worldviews (Young, 2007). The UK is undergoing significant curriculum reform 2 from key stage 1 to key stage 5. Although education policy is devolved – resulting in different national curricula and reform trajectories in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – these systems continue to bear the imprint of colonial legacies. For example, in the English literature curriculum 3 for schools in England, Shakespeare continues to dominate reading lists, while literature from the Global South or works by Black and Indigenous authors are often relegated to optional units or absent entirely. The curriculum is also increasingly shaped by market-driven logics that frame education around performance metrics, competition and the production of economically ‘useful’ learners (Ball, 2003). We should consider reimagining the curriculum through a decolonial lens. ‘We should consider reimagining the curriculum through a decolonial lens.’ 1 Original blog post, published 24 October 2025: https:// www.bera.ac.uk/blog/reimagining-the-curriculum-a-call-for- decolonial-and-values-driven-education 2 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government- launches-curriculum-and-assessment-review 3 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ media/5a7eb05740f0b6230268ae6b/A_level_English_literature_ content.pdf

Colonial foundations of the curriculum In England, key stage 3 history 4 emphasises topics such as the Tudors, World Wars and the British Empire, centring White British narratives while often overlooking critical views on colonisation and resistance. Science 5 and maths 6 are presented as culturally neutral, excluding significant contributions from Islamic, Chinese and African scholars (Tikly, 2019). Further and higher education both prioritise ‘employability’, reflecting a colonial-capitalist focus on workforce preparation rather than ethical or civic development (Mbembe, 2016; Gopal, 2021). This narrows education’s purpose to economic utility, marginalising humanistic goals such as democratic participation, ethical reflection and social justice, evident in the decline of critical pedagogy and the arts (Biesta, 2021). Accountability systems – Ofsted inspections, GCSE exams and university league tables – reinforce a performance-driven model, reducing learning to measurable outcomes and checklists. Despite reforms in Wales, 7 Scotland 8 and Northern Ireland, 9 UK educators still face pressure to meet standardised targets, often sacrificing deeper learning and critical engagement (Lingard, 2011). 4 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ media/5a7c66d740f0b626628abcdd/SECONDARY_national_ curriculum_-_History.pdf 5 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ media/5a7efc65ed915d74e33f3ac9/Science_KS4_PoS_7_ November_2014.pdf 6 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/ media/5a7c1408e5274a1f5cc75a68/SECONDARY_national_ curriculum_-_Mathematics.pdf 7 https://www.gov.wales/education-changing 8 https://www.gov.scot/groups/education-reform/ 9 https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/news/givan-welcomes- independent-review-northern-ireland-curriculum

BERA BITES 15 | EDUCATING FOR ALL