29 June 2026
Consultation opens on new Northern Ireland Curriculum
Education Minister Paul Givan has launched a 16-week public consultation on a new statutory Northern Ireland Curriculum, a major milestone in the TransformED education reform programme. The consultation opened on 16 June 2026 and runs until 30 September 2026, with responses invited from teachers, parents, pupils and stakeholders.
The proposed Northern Ireland Curriculum 2028 sets out what children should learn and when, from Year 1 in Foundation Stage to Year 10 in Key Stage 3. It is described as a knowledge-rich framework designed to improve clarity, coherence and progression, and to ensure every child has access to the same entitlement regardless of where they go to school. The current curriculum is nearly 20 years old and a 2025 strategic review found it too high-level, leading to inconsistency between schools.
Alongside subject content, the framework includes a Capabilities element setting out the wider qualities and competencies pupils are expected to develop. Responses to the consultation will inform the final curriculum ahead of phased implementation from September 2028.
For the careers profession, curriculum reform matters because what is taught, and how capabilities and progression are framed, shapes the foundation on which careers learning is built. How career-related concepts, skills and decision-making sit within the new curriculum will influence careers education for years to come.
Careers leaders, advisers and CPD providers may wish to engage with the consultation while it is open, and to consider how the profession can ensure that career development is visibly reflected in the next phase of NI education reform. The Capabilities framework in particular may be a useful place to make the case for employability and career-management skills.
Read more about the new Northern Ireland Curriculum.
The proposed Northern Ireland Curriculum 2028 sets out what children should learn and when, from Year 1 in Foundation Stage to Year 10 in Key Stage 3. It is described as a knowledge-rich framework designed to improve clarity, coherence and progression, and to ensure every child has access to the same entitlement regardless of where they go to school. The current curriculum is nearly 20 years old and a 2025 strategic review found it too high-level, leading to inconsistency between schools.
Alongside subject content, the framework includes a Capabilities element setting out the wider qualities and competencies pupils are expected to develop. Responses to the consultation will inform the final curriculum ahead of phased implementation from September 2028.
For the careers profession, curriculum reform matters because what is taught, and how capabilities and progression are framed, shapes the foundation on which careers learning is built. How career-related concepts, skills and decision-making sit within the new curriculum will influence careers education for years to come.
Careers leaders, advisers and CPD providers may wish to engage with the consultation while it is open, and to consider how the profession can ensure that career development is visibly reflected in the next phase of NI education reform. The Capabilities framework in particular may be a useful place to make the case for employability and career-management skills.
Read more about the new Northern Ireland Curriculum.
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