To receive and consider the report of the Portfolio Holder for Education and Property, County Councillor Phyl Davies.
Minutes:
· Report by Sally Llewellyn, Service Manager for Curriculum for Wales and Professional Learning.
Issues Discussed:
· For Primary schools – roll out will commence from September 2022. Secondary schools and others settings can choose to roll out the curriculum to Year 7 and encouraged to do so by Welsh Government but it is not mandatory until 2023 when they would be expected to roll out to years 7 and 8 together.
· The Curriculum for Wales is a purpose led curriculum which is different from the content led curriculum of the past. This is no longer about what we teach but how we teach and why the contexts and concepts are selected for learning.
· The Curriculum framework is vast and still growing and being updated. There are 27 mandatory statements of what matters i.e. the statutory obligations of the Curriculum, across 6 areas of learning and experience (Languages, Literacy and Communication; Mathematics and Numeracy; Science and Technology; Expressive Arts; Health and Well-Being; Humanities). The learners will need to develop a growing and deepening understanding against those 27 statements of what matters.
· There are five principles of progression within the areas of learning and experience except for Mathematics and Numeracy which has interdependent proficiencies.
· In addition, there are three fundamental cross curricular skills which are also mandatory (Literacy, Numeracy and Digital Competence). There are four integral skills and six cross cutting themes of the curriculum.
· There is a vast amount of information for schools to read through and digest to deliver what is a 3 to 16 continuum of learning. Schools have to design their own curriculum and assessments structure. Schools are grappling with what disciplinary progression looks like.
· The Curriculum and Professional Learning Team is assisting schools with professional learning and assisting teachers have a deeper understanding of the curriculum framework. This is an exciting as well as daunting time for schools with multiple changes occurring in the education system as part of achieving the national mission e.g. ALN, accountability measures, self evaluation processes.
· The pandemic over the last two years has prevented schools making the progress they would have liked with the curriculum due to other priorities.
· All schools are piloting, designing and trialling and trying to evaluate the impact of the changes being introduced in schools. Most schools are engaging positively with the Curriculum for Wales and grateful for the professional learning offer which is available from the authority.
· The Curriculum team will be visiting schools with improvement advisers in the Spring Term to ask questions about the Curriculum for Wales and to see how things are operating in practice and preparedness for the roll out.
· The Team is also ensuring that practitioners are accessing the learning resources and updating these resources. Time for professional learning for practitioners is a challenge for schools and funding has been provided by Welsh Government to support professional learning.
· Peer to peer collaboration and support for practitioners is being provided through nineteen pedagogy leads drawn from a variety schools to develop their knowledge of the curriculum focussing on one area of learning experience. The leads are supporting clusters at a peer level to develop the curriculum. Following feedback adjustments have been made to the pedagogy leads programme.
· The Education Minister at the headteacher conference recently said that September was the next leg of the journey, and no one is expecting schools to be ready by September and completely in place as some of the guidance is still being developed. As the piloting and trialling continues there will be continuous improvements and adjustments as the curriculum is implemented.
3.24 p.m. Cllr Sandra Davies left the meeting.
· Questions:
Question |
Response |
Various schools that the Committee has been involved with made claims as to where they are in developing the curriculum and that much work is ongoing at the cluster level. With regard to the development of the curriculum, is the work happening largely in individual schools or schools in a cluster working together. |
It is a bit of both. Each individual practitioner has to take responsibility for their delivery of the curriculum. Each school has to have a clear vision for their school and how the areas of learning and experience are going to be delivered in that school. There also needs to be discussion with secondary schools as this is a progression over the three to sixteen continuum.
Some projects are currently running at a cluster level, and the ethos is around cluster working, but it is not consistent currently. |
In relation to the teaching of languages other than Welsh and English. Are we in a position to give further help to those schools who want to work together and use their resources to teach other world languages. |
The Curriculum for Wales has moved away from modern foreign languages to a broader definition of international languages. Therefore, schools can harness the experience and knowledge in the local context for delivery within schools. There is funding coming from Welsh Government for international languages due to the concern about the drop off in international languages at GCSE and beyond.
Powys is funding clusters to work together so that a secondary school with expertise in a particular language can work with cluster primary schools to look at what progress would look like if the language is delivered in a primary school, by comparison to being taught at secondary level only. Schools would work together to develop resources across the cluster so learners in primary schools are having experiences of international languages at an earlier stage in their education. |
Considering how schools will be developing their own curriculum. Although schools will work with their cluster the delivery style will be individual to that school. How will this impact on children who move schools especially if they move mid key stage. Is this going to add an extra challenge for them. The authority is making changes to clusters. Will pupils remain in the school where they start even if the cluster changes in future. |
That is the case with the current curriculum. Although there is a national curriculum for content, how this is enacted in the context of learning is different in schools currently. The guiding principles in the Curriculum for Wales are the four purposes and beneath those are thirty three characteristics, so this should lead to a commonality in the curriculum. Beneath the characteristics are the twenty seven statements which are statutory.
It is a misrepresentation to think that the Curriculum is open to interpretation, as there are clear guiding mechanisms in the curriculum as to what, why and how things should be taught. There are twelve pedagogical principles that set out the styles for pedagogy so although there is freedom to look at local contexts, underpinning that are a number of non-negotiable elements set out in the curriculum, guidance and framework which will ensure consistency for those moving between schools. |
Was going to ask if you are content that we are on track for September and what are the key challenges. However it would appear that teacher time is the current issue and once this is in place its not about more teachers, but teacher time at this point. Is it this issue where we are going to stumble. |
Additional teachers would not help, but there is a need for meaningful engagement with professional learning for the existing teachers as they do not have time to engage, even though they want to engage. Teachers do feel pressured by the September 2022 implementation date, but have been reassured by the Minister's statement.
Whilst the professional learning required is vast, the Team is trying to streamline and focus guidance as much as possible for the profession and provide bite sized opportunities for professional learning. The authority is also providing opportunities for practitioners to come together to discuss matters such as curriculum design and progression and assessment. It is accepted that this is a long term change which will need ongoing support and continuing professional learning. There is also a need for schools to build in professional learning time within the school week. |
The Chair commented that the Committee had received an assurance around the central support being provided. It will be the visits to schools over next few months which will be critical to see how the support is translating into practice in the classroom. The Committee will wish to see assurances regarding the implementation of the curriculum in the new Council term.
15.56 p.m. Cllr Jake Berriman left the meeting.
Outcomes:
· Noted.
Supporting documents: