This blog features quotes from Dr Tej Samani’s piece for FE News.
You might have read the news about a recent curriculum review in the British education system. It’s a welcome step, but more change is needed to actually help students thrive.
What’s this review all about? In response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review led by Professor Becky Francis, the government has announced new plans to ensure every young person leaves school with strong skills in reading, science and maths, as well as practical knowledge they need for life and work.
The Performance Learning promise
Whilst the review is welcome, here at Performance Learning, we’re leading the charge on a bigger revolution. We want to let students take charge of how they learn, so that every week at school gets them one step closer to a thriving adulthood.
Our approach goes beyond policy papers. Through our work with both students and schools, we’re already empowering learners, reshaping classrooms and giving teachers the tools to unlock the inner-potential that standard exams overlook.
For Performance Learning founder Dr Tej Samani, tweaking exams and modernising subjects isn’t enough to fix a system that still teaches youngsters simply how to pass an exam.
What Dr Tej has to say
In an article for FE News, he said: “Here’s the truth: the biggest missing skill in British education is the ability to learn itself. For 15 years, my work with Performance Learning has proven that when educators assess and develop mindset, motivation and learning behaviour, results soar, often doubling or tripling within a year.”
Through our data-led insight, Performance Learning continues to show that teaching students how to learn transforms not only their academic outcomes, but their confidence and wellbeing too.
The solution according to Dr Tej? Stop grading children based on memory, and start nurturing their emotions and inner-potential – particularly through human skills like critical thinking and creativity. These are the skills that make young people adaptable, employable and ready to thrive in our increasingly AI-powered world.
Dr Tej added: “At Performance Learning, we’ve seen the power of student voice first-hand. When young people are invited to express how they feel about learning and what helps them thrive, behaviour, motivation and results all change.
“Recently, I asked 40 students whether cutting 3 hours of exam time would help. All 40 said: ‘Let’s get real.’ They don’t want lighter exams; they want learning that means something. This review is a start, and it deserves recognition for that, but if we stop here, we’ll be reforming around the edges while young people continue to disengage.”
Another major omission from the recent government proposals is student voice. Real change happens when we give children the autonomy to shape how they are taught. That’s exactly what Performance Learning builds into our methodology. We give students ownership of their learning journey and help educators truly listen to what drives progress.
The bottom line on reforming education
“Real reform requires courage to teach students how to learn, to measure mindset and motivation. And to build a system that produces employable, entrepreneurial, adaptable young people ready for an AI-powered world,” said Dr Tej.
And that’s the revolution Performance Learning is already leading – one student, one teacher, one school at a time.
