Navigating GCSE and A level reform

Student-centred qualifications. For every future.


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Helping you navigate GCSE and A level reform with confidence

Curriculum reform is creating significant change across GCSEs and A levels. Following the publication of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, schools need clarity on what’s changing, what it means for students and how to plan with confidence. We’re here to help you navigate that change.

Why partner with Pearson during GCSE and A level reform? 

As reform evolves, we’re committed to giving you more than reassurance. We’ll provide clear, practical support you can act on—and qualifications designed to help students progress with confidence. You can expect to have:

  • Confidence – trusted qualifications and assessment that support student progression. 
  • Clarity – straightforward guidance and practical support to help schools plan ahead.
  • Coherence – a joined-up approach from Key Stage 3 through to post-16. 
  • Relevance – qualifications designed around the knowledge, skills and experiences students need for the future.

So you can move forward with confidence, and support every student to succeed, progress and prepare for their future.

Our approach: Student-centred qualifications

At Pearson, we see reform as an opportunity to develop qualifications that are relevant, empowering and fair, helping every student build confidence, make progress and prepare for what comes next. Alongside teachers, we’ve developed these guiding principles to underpin our new, reformed qualifications. 

 

Purple graduation cap resting on a wireframe globe icon, representing global education and learning.

Relevant

Qualifications that connect learning to the real world and reflect the students in your classroom, with inclusive content, meaningful contexts and the right balance of knowledge and skills.

Purple outline of a human head with a brain inside, representing learning and critical thinking.

Empowering

Qualifications that build confidence, deepen understanding and support every student’s potential—helping them grow in capability as well as achievement. 

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Fair

Qualifications that work for all students—and for you—with clear assessment, accessible design and support that helps reduce unnecessary workload. 

What reform means for your subject 

Reform will look different across subject areas. Explore how student-centred design comes to life in each subject: 

Purple protractor icon representing mathematics

Maths

Supporting maths experiences that build understanding, supports lifelong learning and opens doors to future opportunities.
Purple open book icon representing reading and learning.

English

Empowering students with the agency to speak, the empathy to listen, and the critical mind to navigate a complex, media-rich landscape.
Purple DNA double helix icon representing scientific discovery.

Science

Strengthening understanding and application in real-world contexts.
Purple flag icon marking a goal, representing achievement and progress in post-16 English and maths.

Post-16 English and maths

Rethinking how post-16 English and maths students achieve success, ending the requirement to re-sit exactly the same content studied at school.
Purple icon of two trees representing geography, nature, and the environment.

Geography

Making learning more relevant, engaging and connected to comtemporary global issues.
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Creatives

Championing creativity through more authentic and accessible approaches.
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The future of post-16 vocational qualifications at Levels 2 and 3

Qualification reform is also reshaping the post-16 landscape in England. Discover our guide to understand what is changing, when it is happening and what it means for your organisation.

Learn more

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Coming soon

Join our autumn-term webinar series for practical guidance on qualification reform, with Pearson experts sharing sector insight and support to help you plan with confidence.

Topics, dates and registration links will be shared soon.

Latest news

  • Power of Maths Spotlight... Improving accessibility for SEND learners

    Building independence through maths for every student
    By Karen McGuigan

    I was one of these children who just loved maths – even now I see it everywhere in life – but I know that’s not a talent most people have. Maths is so important. It helps us understand money, unpick practical things like our shopping and phone contracts, and make informed decisions.

    Yet the way most schools teach maths, especially to learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) and additional needs, means many children are leaving education without the key maths skills they’ll need to live independently.

    In 2019, after working on maths with my then 7-year-old son who has Downs Syndrome, I started a programme called Maths For Life with the aim of creating a differentiated approach to the current maths curriculum; one that delivers essential maths that all children need for life. I believe what I’ve learned could really improve maths accessibility for every child, whatever their needs and ability.

  • Climate-conscious schools: how can you make a difference?

    Continuing our focus this month on all aspects of sustainability, from menu evaluations to energy-saving initiatives, Clare Cox, Sustainability Lead at Pearson, shares with Education Today some of the steps schools are taking to become more sustainable, and collates key tips and advice from leading voices across the sector.

  • Helping our young people become sustainably minded citizens

    Featuring this month in Education Today is Becki Huth, the Sustainability and Forest School Lead at Cutteslowe Primary School, which is part of the Riverside Learning Trust in Oxford. She tells us about the wide-ranging sustainability initiatives that have been implemented at her school and the surprising impact they have had on both the pupils and the school community.

Next steps

Stay informed as reform progresses. Sign up for updates to receive the latest guidance, key milestones and subject-specific information. If you'd like to discuss what curriculum and assessment reform could mean for your school or college, our team is here to help.

Sign up for updates or talk to us

Pearson. For every future.