Extra inset days for new curriculum
THERE will be an extra inset day every summer in Wales for the next three years.
The extra inset day, announced by the Welsh Government, will take place each summer term specifically to give teachers more time for professional training to prepare for the new curriculum being rolled out from 2022.
The extra day is likely to cause problems for working parents – but teaching unions and headteachers’ representatives said one day is not enough.
Wales’ largest teaching union NASUWT Cymru criticised it as “woefully inadequate”, while the National Association of Head Teachers Cymru said it was unlikely to be sufficient and the National Education Union Cymru said it would only go “some way” to help.
NASUWT Cymru national official Neil Butler said: “One day for each of the next three years is woefully inadequate.
“A Welsh Government official described the teaching requirements for the new curriculum as a ‘paradigm shift’ from current practice.
“That, combined with the new and complex requirements of the assessment system described in the Welsh Government’s new proposals, will need a good deal more than one day to prepare teachers in Wales.”
Rob Williams, NAHT Cymru director, said schools are warning the current level of inset days is already “overstretched” before the changes.
“Given the overall scale of change and reform currently under way and planned over the coming years, one additional inset day per year for three years is unlikely to be sufficient.
“The additional inset day and professional learning grants are welcome first steps, but schools will require significantly more if the new curriculum is to be implemented successfully.”
NEU Cymru Secretary David Evans said his union had lobbied for more inset time to help teachers prepare for reforms: “We are hugely pleased to see an extra inset day to help education professionals plan for the new curriculum.
“We have been asking for extra time for teachers and support staff to help them plan for the changes.
“The principles of the new curriculum are welcome, but we need to make sure we have the resources available to support its implementation.
“An extra inset for the next three years will go some way towards giving our members time to make the necessary changes in their school.”
Announcing the move, the Welsh Government said the extra day for professional learning is part of a package of support to help schools prepare for the radical changes in the new curriculum.
Education Secretary Kirsty Williams will write to schools this week to highlight how valuable the extra time is.
She will tell them the extra day must be used effectively, and with parents’ interests in mind, to prepare for the reforms.
She said: “We want the best possible education for our pupils and to achieve this we need to make sure teachers are well-prepared to do what they do best.
“This additional inset day, alongside the unprecedented investment we’ve made in our teachers, shows how serious we are about giving them the time and support they need to teach the new curriculum.”
With just a few days left to respond to the consultation on the draft curriculum, she urged everyone to have their say before Friday, July 19.
Over the past few months more than 100 events have been run by the school improvement consortia with teachers to discuss the changes.
The Education Secretary has also met current and future teachers, headteachers, classroom support staff, school governors, parents, children and young people, to get their views.
The Welsh Government recently pumped £24m into the National Approach to Professional Learning (NAPL) – the single biggest investment in teachers’ professional learning since devolution.