Prime Minister Andy Burnham has unveiled a major overhaul of England's school curriculum aimed at tackling youth unemployment and cutting the education system's traditional bias towards university study. Schools will be told to adapt their offerings to match local employers' needs through new technical education routes, which Burnham said will finally give "hard hat" careers the same respect as academic ones. It marks the biggest change to English schooling since the academies and free schools reforms of 2011, and reflects the new government's wider push towards devolving decisions to mayors and local leaders.

From age 14 (Year 10), pupils will be able to combine core subjects such as English, maths and science with technical training linked to jobs in their area, including work placements with employers. The approach builds on Burnham's Manchester Baccalaureate scheme, which offers seven employer-designed "gateways" including construction, technology and health. Funding will come from an existing £570 million college places investment alongside a £4.7 billion schools funding boost by 2028-2029, with the changes expected to roll out from September 2028; Ofsted inspections will also be adjusted to assess technical provision.