THE BIGGEST shake-up of Wales’ curriculum since the 1980s took another step forward on Monday (Jan 28) as the Welsh Government launched a consultation on transformative new legislation.
Education Minister, Kirsty Williams, unveiled a White Paper that lays the legal foundations of a curriculum that is currently being designed by Wales’ teachers.
Breaking down traditional subject boundaries and empowering teachers to be more innovative, we will be introducing Areas of Learning and Experience (AoLEs) that cover the Humanities; Health and Wellbeing; Science and Technology; Languages, Literacy and Communications; Expressive Arts; and Maths.
English and Welsh will remain statutory, as will Religious Studies and Relationships and Sexuality Education. Alongside this, the Cross-Curriculum Responsibilities of literacy, numeracy and digital competence will be statutory up to 16 years old.
Key stages will be removed. Instead, there will be Progression Steps relating to expectations for learners ages 5, 8, 11, 14 and 16. These will allow teachers to understand each learner’s development – taking into account their individual abilities, experiences and rates of learning and understanding.
The changes will ensure that schools can move away from the days of a narrow curriculum and instead give teachers the flexibility to be creative in their teaching. By using this approach practitioners will be able to use their professionalism and expert knowledge to create and design lessons that stretch learners’ abilities and horizons.
Kirsty Williams commented: “Wales started on this journey of reform because of a drive to improve standards – we want our young people to develop higher standards of literacy and numeracy, become more digitally and bilingually competent, and grow to be enterprising, creative and critical thinkers.
“I am absolutely clear that to raise standards and extend opportunities, we need to empower schools and teachers by moving away from a narrow, inflexible and crowded curriculum.
“This is an exciting time for education in Wales. Not only are we developing a curriculum that ensures our learners are equipped to meet the needs of the future, but we are developing a curriculum through genuine collaboration with our schools and key stakeholders.
“I am asking people across Wales to contribute to this debate over the coming weeks and months. The White Paper is ambitious and far-reaching. But we will only reach those high standards through a genuine national mission and conversation.”
David Evans, NEU Cymru’s Wales’ Secretary welcomed the consultation on the new Curriculum.
“We’re pleased the Welsh Government are consulting on the new Curriculum and Assessment arrangements. We have always been supportive of the new Curriculum in principle.
“It’s four years since Professor Donaldson created ‘Successful Futures’, with a vision of the new Curriculum for Wales. For our members not in a Pioneer school (who have been working on the curriculum), this consultation provides the first real look at the new Curriculum.
“We know that now is a critical point for the education sector in Wales. Schools are already having to be very creative with budgets as austerity is hitting the education sector hard. We know that cuts have been passed down from Westminster, but the Welsh Government needs to be careful with its expectations on the education workforce at a time when funding and staff wellbeing are at such critical levels.
“We are disappointed this is only an 8-week consultation – as that is a very short time for the education profession to have a thorough look at what is proposed. With that in mind, we will, of course, be highlighting the need to keep workload under review for education professionals as the new Curriculum is brought in.”