Concerns have been raised by a Senedd committee about how the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Bill will ensure all school children in Wales receive the same opportunities and experiences from their education.
Under the Bill, the Welsh Government is proposing a new 'Curriculum for Wales' for 3 to 16 year olds, replacing the existing national curriculum which has been in place since 1988 in England and Wales.
It would follow a purpose-led approach, organised around broad areas rather than narrow subjects, and would give schools and other education settings the flexibility to develop their own curriculum, based on the needs of their children and young people, but within a national framework set by the government.
The approach has been endorsed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
While the Children, Young People and Education Committee supports the general principles of the Bill, it is concerned that this flexibility carries considerable risk if safeguards are not put in place to ensure children and young people in all parts of Wales receive a sufficiently consistent education.
The Committee has published a report here
In particular, the Committee wants to know how the Welsh Government intends to ensure that all settings and all learners will thrive under the new curriculum and that existing inequalities are not exacerbated. Members have asked for assurances about how this will be monitored.
The Committee points to the importance of professional learning and development to prepare teachers to deliver the new curriculum. The Welsh Government estimates it will spend around £15 million per year until 2025-26, over and above existing professional development funding.
But the Committee asks whether the Coronavirus pandemic has squeezed the number of opportunities for teachers to undertake the necessary learning and development in time for the roll-out of the new curriculum, currently scheduled to begin on a phased basis from September 2022.
"We agree with the Welsh Government that the current curriculum is not fit for a modern Wales. The opportunity this Bill presents for schools to shape their own curriculum, based on pupils' needs, is bold and ambitious, and has the potential to make a significant difference if implemented successfully.
"Our concerns are around the practicalities of how this curriculum will be rolled out effectively; whether there is enough time to train staff to effectively deliver it; and how the Welsh Government will ensure it contributes to raising standards as well as providing pupils with the same opportunities and experiences from their education.
"This is the biggest change to our education system since the dawn of devolution. We need to ensure that the right balance is struck between local flexibility and national consistency, not least to avoid any risk of existing inequalities getting worse rather than better.
"We recognise that the new curriculum will not be uniform across all schools but it must be consistent." - Chair of the Committee, Lynne Neagle MS
The Committee makes 66 recommendations in its report, across a wide range of issues. These include, among others, recommendations in relation to:
- English and Welsh languages;
- relationships and sexuality education (RSE);
- religion, values and ethics (RVE);
- arrangements for progression, assessment and qualifications;
- the legislation's implementation; and
- the financial implications of the Bill.
The Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Bill will be debated by the Senedd on Tuesday, 15 December before a vote to decide whether it should move to the next stage of the Senedd's law-making process.