Festival of Education 2026: navigating change in education and assessment

Written by Nina Hinton, Director of Business and Development

Last week, I attended the Festival of Education on behalf of Open Awards to hear from education leaders, researchers, teachers and policymakers discussing the future of education. Across two days, one thing became clear: education isn’t experiencing a single reform, it is navigating several at once.

Alongside rapid advances in AI, the sector is responding to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, proposed SEND reforms, the continued implementation of post-16 qualifications reform and an increasing focus on the skills employers need. Add to that the growing number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), and it’s easy to see why so many conversations centred on one question:

How do we create a system that is both simpler and more accessible, while continuing to meet the needs of every learner?

Simplicity and accessibility aren’t always the same thing

Some of the most thought-provoking discussions centred on post-16 qualifications reform.

Many speakers recognised the ambition behind creating a clearer qualifications landscape that is easier for learners, parents and employers to understand. Greater clarity around progression routes has real value and can help build confidence in the system.

However, there was also recognition that simplification can bring unintended consequences if it reduces flexibility for learners with different needs, aspirations or starting points.

Several speakers questioned how increased reliance on externally assessed qualifications may affect learners who have traditionally thrived through coursework, practical assessment or more flexible vocational pathways. With SEND reform also high on the agenda, accessibility was discussed not simply as a matter of reasonable adjustments, but as something that should be designed into qualifications and assessment from the outset.

Rather than seeing accessibility and rigour as competing priorities, the challenge is ensuring they develop together.

Assessment needs to reflect what matters

Another consistent theme was that assessment should do more than measure what a learner can recall on a particular day.

Across the conference, speakers explored how assessment can better recognise competence, application of knowledge and progression while maintaining public confidence in qualifications. Professional judgement was repeatedly highlighted as something that technology can support but not replace.

As curriculum and qualifications continue to evolve, there will inevitably be debate about the right balance between external assessment, ongoing assessment and different methods of evidencing achievement. Whatever reforms emerge, maintaining trust while meeting the needs of a diverse learner population will remain critical.

AI is changing the conversation

If previous conferences asked whether AI belongs in education, this year’s discussions focused on a different question: where do humans add the most value?

Speakers shared examples of AI supporting lesson planning, resource creation, feedback and administrative tasks, but the emphasis wasn’t on replacing teachers. Instead, the consensus was that AI shifts the role of educators towards what they do best: applying professional judgement, drawing on subject expertise and understanding how individual learners develop.

One example that particularly resonated with me was around feedback. AI can generate feedback quickly and consistently, but it doesn’t understand a learner’s wider context, recognise misconceptions built up over time or judge which intervention is most likely to support meaningful progress. That’s where teachers’ expertise becomes even more valuable.

The same principle was applied to assessment. One speaker used the analogy of elite chess players, who train extensively using powerful computer analysis but play and compete without it.

AI becomes a tool for learning, practising and improving performance, not something relied upon in the final test of competence.

That raises an important question for education.

What is the purpose of assessment?

Is it to produce the best possible piece of work, regardless of how it was created? Or is it to provide a valid snapshot of what a learner knows, understands and can do at a particular point in time?

There isn’t a single answer, and it will depend on the purpose of the qualification. In some contexts, using AI reflects the reality of modern workplaces and should be embraced. In others, particularly where qualifications need to provide confidence that an individual has independently demonstrated knowledge or competence, there will remain a place for controlled or terminal assessment.

Perhaps the biggest takeaway was that the conversation has moved beyond detecting AI use and towards designing assessments that are fit for purpose in an AI-enabled world. Rather than asking “How do we stop learners using AI?”, the more useful question may be “When does AI support learning, and when does assessment need to capture independent performance?”

Skills remain the constant

While policy continues to evolve, one area of broad agreement was that qualifications must continue to prepare learners for life beyond education.

Communication, creativity, critical thinking, collaboration and problem solving were repeatedly identified as capabilities that will become even more valuable as AI becomes part of everyday working life.

Against a backdrop of rising NEET numbers and ongoing skills shortages, ensuring learners can progress confidently into further study or employment remains a shared priority across the sector.

Focusing on what we can influence

The Festival of Education didn’t provide definitive answers, and perhaps that was its greatest strength. It reflected the complexity of the challenges facing education today.

Much of what happens next sits outside the control of individual schools, colleges or awarding organisations. Government policy, funding decisions and national reform will continue to shape the landscape over the coming years.

What we can influence is how we respond.

We can continue to design qualifications and assessments that are fair, accessible and meaningful. We can support centres to navigate change with confidence. We can embrace innovation where it genuinely improves outcomes while ensuring learners remain at the heart of every decision.

For me, that was the strongest message from the two days. The future of education isn’t about choosing between accessibility and standards, technology and human judgement, or simplicity and flexibility. It’s about finding the right balance, and working collaboratively across the sector to ensure every learner has the opportunity to succeed.