, Minister for
Education: Today, we are publishing the new
curriculum and assessment materials for feedback.
This is an important moment in our reform journey, as
set out in Education in
Wales: Our National Mission. These
documents are the product of three years of extensive
co-development with the education profession through pioneer
schools, in partnership with regional consortia, Estyn,
Qualifications Wales and a range of other stakeholders and
experts. I would like to thank the network of professionals
who have been involved in the development for their expertise and
dedication. This collective effort has truly represented
what the national mission – working together for the good of
Wales – can be.
The documents being published today consist of: a Guide
to Curriculum for Wales 2022; six draft Area of Learning and
Experience (AoLE) guidance documents andAssessment
proposals to inform the development of statutory guidance . These
can be found at: https://hwb.gov.wales/.
For the first time, Wales will have a curriculum that is
based on four purposes that articulate what we want our young
people to be at 16: ambitious and capable; enterprising and
creative; ethical and informed and healthy and
confident.
The teachers and other practitioners and experts who have
been working on the draft AoLE documents have built them on the
basis of what they think really matters for learners – the
knowledge, skills and experiences that form a well-rounded, high
standard of education and prepare learners for employment in a
fast-changing world.
Curriculum for Wales 2022 is designed as a
national framework for learners age 3 to 16 to support
professionals to develop their school level curricula: allowing
them with flexibility to provide teaching and learning which
meets the specific needs of their learners in their contexts and
communities.
Today signals a new phase of co-construction in the
development of the new curriculum.
I am calling for the widest possible range of views on this
draft framework, from universities and colleges to industry; from
youth organisations to businesses and employers from across the
public, private and third sectors.
This will be essential as the refinement of the AoLE
guidance documents will be based on this feedback. The
refined Curriculum for Wales 2022 will then be made available in
January 2020 for use in September 2022 by primary schools and for
year 7. The new curriculum will then be rolled out on year by
year basis in secondary schools.
The feedback phase follows on from our consultation on the
Our National
Mission: A Transformational Curriculum Proposals for a new
legislative framework. That consultation
closed on 25 March and I am grateful to all of those who
responded. The consultation generated over 2000 responses,
including campaign responses, which I am currently
considering.
I will be reflecting carefully on the feedback from the
consultation to inform decisions on the legislative framework for
the curriculum and in relation to the more specific issues we
consulted on. However, based on the feedback, I am minded
to provide some additional clarity in the legislation about
national expectations in relation to the scope of school level
curriculum and progression.
I will publish a full summary of the consultation responses
and confirmation of proposed policy approach in due course.
