There will, no doubt, be plenty of brilliant conversations about Becky Francis’s 2025 Curriculum and Assessment Review, but this one certainly sets the standard!

We have two outstanding guests, Rachel McFarlane and Hywel Roberts (whose website is now live), and they really live up to their reputations.

This discussion doesn’t shy away from the big questions, probing major issues in the review and interrogating its fundamental assumptions. It remains positive throughout, recognising the outstanding work of Becky Francis and her team and the review’s promise for education in England. And it’s frequently, and gloriously, entertaining, packed with analogies you’d never expect in a conversation about curriculum and assessment.

Above all, it offers a courageous and perceptive examination of what the review means for teachers and educators.

It goes far beyond “what does this review mean for me and my stage or subject?” and questions whether this sort of systemic approach to change is the right one to take. And it never loses sight of the reality of classrooms or staffrooms.

We think that it will also make you want to return to Rachel and Hywel’s books and those to which they have contributed, so here are the links:

Obstetrics for Schools: https://www.crownhouse.co.uk/obstetrics-for-schools

Powering Up Your School: https://www.crownhouse.co.uk/powering-up-your-school

Oops: https://www.crownhouse.co.uk/oops

Uncharted Territories: https://www.crownhouse.co.uk/uncharted-territories

Botheredness: https://www.crownhouse.co.uk/botheredness