How do schools build a curriculum fit for the future?
As professions and industries constantly evolve and shift, how can schools equip young people with the knowledge, skills and insights that they need to make a difference?
In 2025, how do schools build and deliver a curriculum that is fit for the future and where teaching and learning prepares young adults for the realities of university, work or an apprenticeship?
The World Government Summit 2023 report — The Skills Revolution and the Future of Learning and Earning tried to answer this question by asking experts for their insights into the learning that needs to happen from early childhood and beyond.
‘Demand will grow for social and emotional skills, higher-level cognitive skills, and both basic and advanced digital skills...In addition to skills of the future, foundational skills including basic literacy and numeracy will be essential,’ states the report.
Further adding to the debate about how best to future proof today’s students, the OECD Learning Compass 2030 is an ‘evolving framework’ that sets out a vision for the future of education. It helps countries navigate how best to adapt their education systems while keeping in mind the 21st century knowledge, skills, attitudes and values students need to succeed.
Specifically related to curriculum, the OECD says schools must ‘aspire to operate with a curriculum that recognises the need for interdependence and broadens the goals of education to include education for citizenship.’ It adds that a curriculum must recognise the differences between individual students, and acknowledge that each student has different prior knowledge and skills, different attitudes and values and that students can learn in different ways.
‘Thus, curricula will have to be dynamic rather than static. They will have to allow for non-linear learning paths, rather than expect all students to follow linear progressions along a single, standardised path. They will have to be more flexible and personalised to ensure that each student’s unique talents are developed, so that all students can realise their full potential,’ reports the OECD.
Anna Sever, Haileybury Deputy Principal (Teaching & Learning), believes that a ‘future fit’ curriculum is focused on preparing students with the necessary skills, knowledge and mindset to thrive in an ever-evolving world.
“It involves equipping students with critical thinking, adaptability and lifelong learning skills to navigate future challenges. It is not just about the acquisition of knowledge – it is about the ways in which education is delivered to prepare students to be successful post-school.”Anna Sever, Deputy Principal (Teaching & Learning)
“A ‘future fit’ curriculum nurtures skills including digital literacy, critical thinking, media literacy, problem-solving, emotional intelligence and collaboration. It also equips students with qualities like adaptability, resilience and a growth mindset, so young people leave school with the confidence to critically analyse the world around them.”
Specifically, Anna lists the key elements of a future fit curriculum as including:
- the core acquisition of knowledge in numeracy and literacy
- subjects where students are encouraged to take risks and fail, such as entrepreneurship
- content which challenges ideals and that allows students to build empathy and critically analyse the ‘noise’ around them eg news and social media
- technology integration and the ability to access subjects online
- an emphasis on learning behaviours like being curious, respectful behaviours, encouraging feedback, perseverance, courage, communication and teamwork
- a focus on global awareness and cultural competence.
“These elements ensure students are not only knowledgeable, but also capable of applying their learning in real-world contexts, to critically analyse the world around them, and to be able to make informed decisions. They foster adaptability and innovation, preparing students to meet future demands and opportunities,” says Anna.
Key to building an effective future fit curriculum is an emphasis on students first acquiring foundational skills in numeracy and literacy that they can then build on and this includes the explicit instruction of phonics and early numeracy.
In Victoria, since the start of 2025, all students from Prep to Grade 2 learn to read using a systematic synthetic phonics approach that clearly teaches students the relationship between sounds and letters. The reading program also includes the explicit teaching of oral language, vocabulary, reading fluency and comprehension.
Haileybury has delivered evidence-based literacy and numeracy programs, including phonics and explicit instruction, for over 18 years with an explicit teaching model based in ‘I Do, We Do, You Do.’ The explicit teaching of phonics is vital, helping younger students to connect letters and sounds and ‘crack the code’.
“The future fit curriculum also needs to incorporate programs that emphasise media literacy, entrepreneurship, STEM, digital literacy, global citizenship as well as experiential learning opportunities where students engage with real-world challenges outside the classroom,” says Anna.
“For Year 8 students, Haileybury made the controversial decision to take away a period from science and from humanities to create a two-period per week Entrepreneurship subject. We are one of few schools in Australia where entrepreneurship is a compulsory subject,” says Anna.
“That’s not because we necessarily want students to go on to start their own businesses, but they could go into other businesses and solve problems because they’ve learned a different way of thinking and strategising.”
Anna also believes that to build a future fit curriculum, schools need to remain ‘restless’ and to constantly scan the horizon for opportunities to evolve and improve. Remaining on top of new research and developments in education, networking, and supporting the ongoing professional development of teachers are key.
“If schools fail to prepare students for the future, they may struggle to adapt at university or to the workforce, face limited career opportunities, and be unable to contribute effectively to society,” says Anna.
“This can lead to increased unemployment and a skills gap in the economy. It is fundamental that schools get the basics right and then challenge students to think critically about society and their role in shaping the future.”
