January 2020

Darllenwch y dudalen hon yn Gymraeg

The new curriculum, introduced below by Education Minister Kirsty Williams A.M, is available on Hwb now. It will be used in all schools from 2022 in primary and Year 7, and will roll out year by year until it includes Year 11 by 2026.

In response to feedback received on the draft, the Guidance is now shorter and clearer, with content included about how to design curriculum at school level.

It also incorporates an updated Literacy and Numeracy Framework and Digital Competence Framework.

To help teaching practitioners bring the new curriculum to life, free professional learning programmes and resources will be provided. Details will follow in the Spring.

Darllenwch y dudalen hon yn Gymraeg

Q: What does the National Academy for Educational Leadership (NAEL) do?

A: Its mission is ‘Inspiring Leaders: Enriching Lives’, but essentially it’s there to help Wales achieve its ambitions for learners by supporting and developing leaders in Wales. Their website covers it in detail.

Q: So what is an Associate?

A: Associates enable the Academy to deliver on its aims by doing things like helping other leaders develop their capability at school, cluster or consortia level, endorsing leadership provision (or not!), supporting design of provision, and research. Two cohorts are in place, and the next is recruiting now – it’s a real opportunity for colleagues. 

Q: When did you become an Associate – and why? Read more

Darllenwch y dudalen hon yn Gymraeg

Routes for Learning materials help practitioners assess the early communication and cognitive skills of learners with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD).

As part of the wider reform of curriculum and assessment arrangements, and to reflect the latest research in the field, the materials are now being updated. On 28^th January, revised materials will be made available for feedback. In February, practitioners are invited to join events to discuss the developments and offer feedback in person.

The materials currently in use were published in their original form in 2006 and are well regarded across the UK and internationally. They have been translated into various European languages and used as far afield as Nigeria. The suite of materials includes: Read more

Darllenwch y dudalen hon yn Gymraeg

The Curriculum for Wales is an opportunity to think differently about education. With the launch of Qualifications Wales’ first public consultation on qualifications to support the curriculum, Chief Executive Philip Blaker says tomorrow’s 16-year-olds need the right offer.

Testing the future

As Wales’ ambitious new curriculum moves closer to becoming reality, it’s inevitable that questions will arise about how the curriculum will be enacted.

As the independent regulator of qualifications, we know the change in approach intended by the curriculum offers the opportunity to re-think how we expect 16-year-olds to demonstrate their attainment. Without doubt, we have skin in the game.

How do we measure success in learning? What do we want our young people to know by the time they leave school? What should they be able to do? How can we give Wales’ learners their best chance of success? Qualifications can’t answer all these questions. Indeed, we shouldn’t ask them to – qualifications can only be part of someone’s educational experience and shouldn’t be seen as a substitute for a rounded curriculum and broad educational experience. Read more