‘Quality, not timing, key forWales’ new curriculum’ – Kirsty
KIRSTY Williams says she wants to get Wales’ new curriculum right rather than stick to a rigid timetable.
Her predecessor, former Education Minister Huw Lewis, announced in October 2015 that it would be “realistic and achievable” to have the new curriculum developed by the end of 2017 and available to schools by September 2018, with full implementation by 2021.
Although she insists the plans are on track, Ms Williams told the Assembly’s Education Committee she was committed to getting the document right, even if that meant delayed publication.
She admitted that communication between schools pioneering the new curriculum and those that are not is not as good as it could be.
Action is being taken to address this through the four school improvement consortia around Wales, which are due to report back shortly.
“I want to make sure we get it right,” said Ms Williams.
“This is such an important piece of work we don’t want to risk it for the sake of sticking to a timetable if that’s for the benefit of six months or a year if we could do it better.
“We are moving forward at a pace that is right and quality is right.”
The Welsh Government’s director of education, Steve Davies, told AMs he did not want to rush out a document.
“We are reflecting now on the next phase. This is the outline, it’s not like we have finished the curriculum content.
“It’s the outline and more detailed work will be done and is planned in the autumn.”
Asked by Plaid Cymru Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education Llyr Gruffydd when the new curriculum would be published, the Education Secretary told the committee: “Until we have got something hard and fast to give to people, these ongoing concerns about what this is all about are going to be difficult and I am aware of that.
“But we are not in a position at this moment to be sharing a detailed published document.
“I know people are anxious to have something, but we want to give them something more robust and more like the finished article.”
Dr Philip Dixon, a leading education expert and former director of ATL Cymru, said: “It would be no bad thing to slow down the process of implementing the new curriculum.
“The Cabinet Secretary should not be pressured into rushing into something which has obviously become far more complex than was originally thought.
“There are no prizes for getting this reform done quickly, there are immense prizes for getting it done well.”