MS, Cabinet Secretary for
Education: This September marks a significant milestone as the
first cohort of Curriculum for Wales pupils begin Year 10,
starting work towards new qualifications.
As we reach this milestone, I am pleased to report significant
progress across Welsh schools. This transformative curriculum,
now used in all primary and secondary schools, as well as in
other educational settings, is supporting our children to be
ready to learn, ready for work, and ready to lead fulfilling
lives.
We have invested comprehensively in this vision, with a £44 million support
package that includes £20 million specifically directed to
literacy and numeracy over the next 3 years - the essential
foundations for all learning. This is in addition to an extra
£2.5 million this year to aid local authorities to support these
crucial gateway skills.
In speaking to schools throughout this year, they have been clear
that what the profession wants most is practical support and
professional learning. This consistent, once for Wales support
that we are providing for literacy and numeracy includes granular
detail to support schools to develop and embed these vital skills
and will start coming online in the coming months. To give
schools time and space to use that support, I am extending the
review period of the Literacy and Numeracy Framework. This also
ensures that changes to the Framework can build on that learning.
As the new Professional Learning and Leadership body is formally
established, I expect it to become responsible for overseeing
this national grant-funded support for literacy and numeracy.
Our national-level data from personalised assessments, shows
encouraging progress in attainment in reading and numeracy, with
English Reading in particular showing higher attainment levels
compared to 2022/23 across all year groups, with improvements
also evident in Welsh Reading and Procedural Numeracy.
Our Strategic Partnership Agreement with local authorities
reaffirms our joint commitment to literacy, numeracy, attendance,
and learner wellbeing. Our newly established Education
Improvement Team is working directly with every local authority,
in particular, ensuring literacy is a system-wide priority.
Those schools implementing the curriculum effectively are raising
the bar for learners. Over 200 schools engaged with
our Curriculum Design
Programme this year, reporting greater clarity and increased
confidence in their approach as a result. This will expand next
year and the learning from this programme is available to all
with Hwb now hosting essential planning
tools.
Our monitoring of learning and the curriculum will also ensure we
have clarity about what is working through multiple approaches:
- A comprehensive formative evaluation gathering feedback from
teachers, leaders, pupils and their families.
-
Personalised
assessments showing improvements in reading and numeracy
skills
- International assessment through PISA, and the introduction
of TIMSS and PIRLS to
measure our progress globally
- Our ongoing work with the system including the Education
Improvement Team that works closely with local authorities, and
our Curriculum Policy group which gives teaching professionals an
important voice in setting direction.
This approach isn't about testing schools but about evaluating
our reforms at system level.
This comprehensive base of evidence also puts us in a strong
position to review and refine the curriculum over time.
Together, we are creating a future where every learner thrives –
where Wales stands as a beacon of educational excellence.
