The New Curriculum
"Our national mission in Wales is to raise standards, raise the attainment of all children and ensure we have an education system that is a source of national pride and public confidence."
What is Changing?
Our Curriculum is changing. The biggest change is a new curriculum for schools in Wales from September 2022. It will affect all schools other than Independent schools. The curriculum has been made in Wales but shaped by the best ideas from around the world.
There will also be changes to improve how we assess pupils, teacher training and school accountability. These improvements will complement the new curriculum.
Why must we make these changes?
Evidence from international surveys, and evaluations from Estyn (the education and training inspectorate for Wales), suggest levels of achievement are not as high as they could be.
The national curriculum was first introduced in 1988 before on-line shopping, Google and the Cloud. Now, work is different, technology is different, society is changing. The curriculum must prepare young people to thrive in a future where digital skills, adaptability and creativity - alongside knowledge - are crucial.
The Four Purposes
The four purposes will be at the heart of our new curriculum. They are the starting point for all decisions on the content and experiences developed as part of the curriculum. More than that, they are designed to influence how practitioners plan, teach and assess.
The 4 purposes will be at the heart of our new curriculum. They will be the starting point for all decisions on the content and experiences developed as part of the curriculum to support our children and young people to be:
The new curriculum will include:
The curriculum will be organised into 6 Areas of Learning and Experience:
Underpinning the new curriculum are the four purposes which will be at the heart of all learning.
Everything that is taught and learnt at school will have these 4 purposes as starting points when staff plan for the enriched learning experiences that pupils will receive.