Cwestiwn ysgrifenedig WQ84563

I am committed to supporting every school and setting to make the Curriculum for Wales a success. The Curriculum provides a national approach which helps secure consistency across the country. In addition to the flexibilities I am offering secondary providers regarding September 2023, on 17 February at an event with Headteachers from across Wales I set out a programme of enhanced support for curriculum reform, including for those who have furthest to travel. That means ensuring schools have the right tools to do the job; making sure the system is working with them; and promoting the collaborative spirit we need to see each other through. At that event, I also provided all schools with materials tailored to help them to take the next steps, to identify what information, guidance and resources they need to find and where they are.

In my regular discussions with schools since becoming Minister for Education and Welsh Language, as well as in feedback reports, it has been clear that a key area where greater support is required is around progression and assessment. That is why we are working on a new programme of national support in this area including “assessing for the future”. This is a series of professional development workshops being led by Camau (a Higher Education collaboration with expertise in this field) to help deepen understanding of assessment, develop assessment practice within the classroom and to help practitioners turn curriculum assessment guidance into reality for their learners. As part of this programme we are working with schools to develop resources, underpinned by academic research. These will be made easily accessible via Hwb to any teacher and will start to become available from the summer term.

On 17 February, I launched “Camau I’r Dyfodol – Steps into the Future” as a long-term project being carried out by the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and the University of Glasgow, to support the understanding and application of learning progression in the new curriculum. Camau I’r Dyfodol will bring together the expertise and experiences of practitioners and education partners to co-develop a shared understating of progression for all learners that is meaningful, manageable and sustainable. It will be delivered through the National Network and all schools will have the opportunity to build on their current experience of learning progression, and contribute to a shared, national understanding of what is important.

What this means in practice is that schools, practitioners and education partners will contribute to a growing body of evidence, supporting materials, and activities that will be available to feed directly back into the system and support the development of progression-based curricula at the local level. It will also bring to bear expertise from our universities, as well as international evidence.

I want to ensure that practitioners continue to have a voice in the direction of the curriculum as we move through implementation. National Network conversations are, therefore, open to all schools and settings in Wales to participate, with funding to support this, allowing practitioners to gather and share understanding, collaborate on approaches to curriculum issues, and participate in national co-construction. This is a critical to our approach: ensuring practitioners are empowered to be part of national decisions.