WELSH ASSEMBLY Education Minister, Huw Lewis, announced this week what he has labelled a ‘New Deal’ for teachers. It comes after the recent Donaldson report that suggested far reaching changes for a new Welsh Curriculum, and from last week’s Furlong report that was heavily critical of current teacher training.
Speaking about the New Deal, Mr. Lewis said: “The New Deal is both an offer of support for the professional, but also an expectation that professionals will continually update their skills. It’s about building capacity so our teachers and support staff are given structured learning opportunities throughout their careers, so they can keep developing their practice and ultimately, so they continue to be equipped to deliver for learners and can meet the challenges ahead.”
The Welsh Government released details of what would be in the New Deal and what it would mean :
A Professional learning passport for practitioners, developed by the Education Workforce Council for September 2015, that will enable teachers to identify and record appropriate learning opportunities and encourage them to develop their practice throughout their career
Revised professional standards for the education workforce that set out the professional skills and knowledge required of practitioners to deliver a future curriculum and embed initial qualification standards in a career long framework
Welsh Government guidance and support to ensure professional development is a central aspect of new School Development Plans, highlighting individual and collective learning priorities for all staff.
Support for teachers to study the new Masters in education practice to ensure the latest academic research on effective teaching practice reaches the heart of the Welsh classroom.
Early next term the Welsh Government will be working with practitioners to exemplify a range of career development pathways and to identify the support they would value to support their progression through these pathways.
Support for teachers to access high quality learning opportunities through quality assured professional development.
A focus on leadership with the Welsh Government working in partnership with Consortia to develop new and innovative approaches to leadership development
Commenting on the announcement was Owen Hathway, NUT Cymru Policy Officer, who said: “We know that access to professional development for teachers has been a significant problem for some time in the education sector. Key reviews into the system have continually highlighted this as a deficiency in our approach and so it is very welcome that the Welsh Government are seeking to address this concern. It is positive to see training being placed on the agenda and that the Education Minister recognises that he has to get this right if we are to see long-term and sustainable improvements. However, while this is a step in the right direction, the reality is that for professional development to really get to the level it needs to be at in supporting teachers there does have to be a financial investment. At present it is unclear exactly how, if at all, that is going to happen through the New Deal project.”
Angela Burns AM, Shadow Minister for Education, said of the New Deal: “Welsh Conservatives support any actions to improve the professional development of teachers, but should be accompanied by moves to cut teacher paperwork and direct more money to the classroom. However well-meaning these passports may be, unless they are backed up by measures to give teachers the time and resources to undertake more training, they will not make a practical difference. We would directly fund schools to end the annual scandal where a fifth of the Welsh Government’s £2.5billion schools budget never reaches the classroom. We cannot expect teachers to be able to nurture talent and inspire their students to strive, if we don’t allow teachers to do the same by developing their careers. Continuous learning is a rewarding activity, which can help everyone, regardless of their profession, to develop skills to benefit themselves, their families and our society.”
Mid and West AM, Plaid Cymru Shadow Minister for Education, Simon Thomas said: “We have had Labour Education Ministers since 1997 responsible for the education of our children and the First Minister himself has admitted they took their eyes off the ball. We (Plaid) will give our teachers and classroom assistants the time to teach so that they can focus on ensuring the development of core skills in schools. By working with teaching unions and staff, Plaid Cymru will reduce red tape and bureaucracy so that head teachers can lead their schools and more time is spent teaching children, rather than completing paperwork. The best way to spread good teaching practice is between schools, peer to peer. Teaching should become a Masters level profession with a focus on classroom techniques. We will develop one professional-led body to deal with Continuous Professional Development to take politics out of education. Plaid believes through excellent teaching and strong leadership from head teachers we can raise standards in the classroom. The high level of bureaucracy and micro-management faced by teachers’ means there is little time to innovate in the classroom and head teachers cannot take the lead in raising standards in our schools. A Plaid Cymru Welsh Government would set the learning outcomes to be achieved by schools but would allow schools to determine how to achieve those outcomes. There would be on-the-spot Estyn inspections for schools that have not yet achieved the learning outcomes set by the Government. This would achieve a more even playing field.”
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