The 2028 Curriculum Changes - and Why You Should Act in 2026

The 2028 curriculum is coming. Here’s what businesses selling to schools should do now to get ahead.

Author

John Smith

Published: 2^nd April 2026

The government recently confirmed that a new national curriculum will be introduced from 2028, designed to better equip young people with the skills they need for life and work.

At first glance, September 2028 might feel comfortably far away. Two years is plenty of time to think about how your product or service fits into the new direction of education. Right? …Right?!

Well, not really. September 2028 is when the new curriculum will be implemented in full for the first year of teaching, but the draft curriculum will be published for consultation this spring, and the government aims to publish the final revised changes by spring 2027. That’s only a year away, and it’s likely that, based on what’ll be published this year, schools will have a pretty solid idea of what’s coming, and will be spending time this year planning to get ahead.

Schools are filled with some of the most organised humans on earth, and they don’t wait until a reform officially arrives before exploring how they’ll respond. Teachers start researching ideas, headteachers talk to colleagues, and schools gradually discover the organisations that might help them adapt.

By the time a policy change finally lands, many schools have accurately worked out most of the changes, and have quietly made plans to continue working with the suppliers they trust, and seek out any new ones to fit the changes. If the new changes will require some pricier products or services, conversations about choosing products and suppliers will happen well in advance - potentially even a year before they intend to make their purchase. And so: with the draft curriculum due to be published this spring, the final confirmation due next spring, and teachers needing time to research and chat through potential purchases and suppliers they might want to chat to nearer the time, those early conversations will be starting to happen… right now.

So… what does this mean for you?

Whenever the curriculum evolves, schools inevitably begin looking for ways to deliver the new expectations without adding even more pressure on teachers.

That’s where you step in.

These new changes will leave schools looking for, amongst other things:

Teaching resources that support new subject priorities.
Workshops and enrichment programmes that bring topics to life.
Digital platforms that help deliver new skills.
Training that helps teachers adapt quickly.

In other words, when schools are asked to teach something new, they often look for tools that make it easier to do it well.

You can see how this plays out with almost any curriculum shift.

If writing assessment becomes more prominent, schools begin exploring literacy resources.

If digital understanding becomes more important, technology platforms are prioritised.

If the focus shifts towards life skills, schools may explore workshops or programmes that help pupils develop those abilities.

As the curriculum continues to evolve through 2029 and beyond, education businesses will have the opportunity to support schools not only as the policy itself changes, but through the next five years and beyond.

Don’t wait until 2028

Here’s the mistake many organisations make when they first start selling to schools.

They assume demand appears suddenly when a policy change officially takes effect, whereas in reality, the education sector moves much more gradually than that.

When a reform is announced, schools often start asking questions long before the deadline arrives:

How will this affect what we teach? Do we need new resources? Are there programmes that could help us deliver this? What are other schools doing about it?

Teachers might read an article about a new idea. A headteacher might hear about a programme from another school. A department lead might see a resource shared on social media.

None of these moments trigger an immediate purchase, but they do create awareness - hugely important when selling to schools.

If a department head has already had a few emails from you, and those emails were well-crafted and stood out, they’ll remember you in three, six, or twelve months’ time when they start to actively look for solutions.

That’s why the period between now and 2028 is potentially valuable for education businesses: it’s the phase when schools are gradually discovering the organisations they might work with later.

What you can (and should) be doing today

If you’re selling to schools, the next few years are integral for positioning your organisation in the right place as schools start exploring ideas.

Here are a few practical ways education businesses are already doing that.

Reframe your offer around outcomes schools care about

Many businesses will fall into the habit - or trap - of describing their products in terms of features. But schools care far more about outcomes.

Instead of focusing only on what your product does, think about how it connects to the themes emerging in the curriculum.

Let’s say you’re an edtech company selling a digital learning platform. You might say that your platform includes interactive quizzes, AI marking, and automated feedback tools. That’s all true - and of interest - but it doesn’t get to the crux of the problem fast enough for a busy teacher. Instead, you could say your quizzes move students up an exam grade in an average of six weeks, or save up to 90 minutes a week in marking time. Suddenly, the product feels less like another piece of software and more like a solution to real classroom challenges. Relate them specifically to the challenges faced as a result of the curriculum reform, and you’ll be onto a winner.

Schools are far more likely to pay attention when they can immediately see how something supports their priorities. So, even if your product hasn’t changed, how you position it might need to.

Create content that helps schools think about the future

Teachers are naturally curious - but crucially also hesitant - about changes that affect their classrooms. That’s why articles, guides, and practical ideas can work so well when marketing to schools.

Rather than simply promoting your product, consider sharing insights such as:

Ideas for teaching life skills in schools.
Examples of real-world learning activities.
Practical ways schools can develop communication skills.
Emerging trends in education.

This kind of content does a few things at once. It helps teachers, which will help build your reputation as a genuine, helpful business who understands what teachers are facing. They’ll then know your product and service has been built with that understanding in mind, so it’ll better meet their needs. Crucially, it also introduces your organisation to schools long before they’re actively looking to buy something.

Make sure the right people know you exist

One of the biggest challenges for businesses selling to schools is simply reaching the right people. A lot of staff will have a role to play: senior leadership may make the final purchasing decision, but teachers have a huge influence over recommendations. Then there’s the question of whether you email academies, or the central trust - or both?

It’s important to make sure you’re contacting the right people, through the right channels, at the right time. That’s not always the easiest thing to navigate, which is why many education businesses rely on Sprint Education to craft the perfect message, build the right sendlists, and manage the launch in a way that won’t overload heaving school inboxes - and will send your email to the top of their reading list.

Consistent, well-thought-out communication with the right people (done in a way that doesn’t leave you sat in spam or even blacklisted) helps ensure your organisation becomes familiar to schools over time - for the right reasons.

Stay visible, not just loud

Another common mistake when marketing to schools is thinking one email is enough to make a name for yourself, and watch a consistent stream of leads roll in.

In reality, you’ll need to send out regular, consistent communication.

It’s frequently stated that it takes an average of seven or eight touchpoints to make a sale - although in reality, the number can wildly vary. The point still stands, however, that most consumers will need to hear from you (or of you) multiple times before they buy from you.

Schools might notice your organisation through an article one month, an email the next, and a recommendation from another school later on. Each of those touchpoints adds a little more recognition. By the time they’re actively exploring solutions, your organisation already feels familiar.

Of course, it’s a fine balance between sending enough without overwhelming teachers, but that’s where Sprint Education can help too.

We need more help!

For many organisations, the biggest challenge isn’t creating something valuable for schools, but knowing how to market it, and getting in front of the right educators.

Schools are busy, inboxes are crowded, and reaching decision-makers can be difficult without the right tools and data.

That’s where Sprint Education comes in.

Through our education database and marketing services, we help businesses connect directly with teachers, senior leaders, and decision-makers across thousands of schools, colleges, and education organisations. Our platform holds data on more than one million educators and over 40,000 institutions, allowing organisations to target the audiences most relevant to them when marketing to schools.

Combined with specialist email campaigns and sector expertise, this helps education businesses build awareness with schools long before major sector changes arrive.

2026: your moment to act

The new curriculum may not fully arrive until 2028, but the decisions that shape how schools respond to it are starting right now.

Schools are already beginning to think about how they’ll deliver stronger writing outcomes, digital skills, life skills, enrichment, and communication. And as they do, they’ll gradually discover the organisations that can help them make it happen.

For education businesses, that means the opportunities don’t start when the curriculum is just about to launch, but right now, while schools are exploring what comes next.

If you’d like help turning these upcoming changes into an opportunity for your organisation, our team can help.

Book a call with one of our education strategists, and we’ll talk through the upcoming changes, how your product or service can address them, and how you can position your organisation in front of the right audience before demand peaks.