A UNIVERSITY VIEW

she personified the collaborative culture she has been at pains to nurture.

Breaking down barriers between policymakers and the people they serve is no mean feat and takes considerable time and effort.

But it is an investment well worth making and it is clear that Ms Williams recognises the value of positive stakeholder engagement.

She cannot reach out to the wider education fraternity by herself, however, and collectively we can do a far better job of communicating our shared “national mission” for education reform.

It has been striking to me in the past nine months how many of the education workforce are at best uninformed and, in some cases, totally disengaged from the Welsh Government’s reform agenda.

I have met headteachers oblivious to Wales’ planned shake-up of ITE and countless others with little or no knowledge of Professor Graham Donaldson’s plans for a new national curriculum.

This lack of understanding of the primary policies set in train could have serious implications and it is unlikely that we will bring about system change with large swathes of the profession sitting on the sidelines.

As George Bernard Shaw once said: “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

The wide variability in what people know and understand is counterproductive – and the entire education community has an important role to play in shaping a positive message.

I would urge those with a stake in Welsh education to visit the Welsh Government’s Curriculum for Wales blog for an update on pioneer progress and a school’s-eye view of the new Areas of Learning and Experience.

Similarly, the University of Wales Trinity Saint David’s Yr Athrofa: Institute of Education’s new website – www.athrofa.cymru – is a useful point of contact and our wide-ranging blog is already attracting a very healthy audience just a few months after launching.

The latest contribution, by Prof Donaldson himself, is well worth a read if you have the chance.

Make no mistake, we are living through a pivotal evolution of Welsh education.

But by flipping the top-down approach of old, we find ourselves on a level footing with a freedom to break from the norm.

The Welsh Government’s collaborative approach to both curriculum and accountability reform is indicative of its willingness to engage meaningfully with the profession.

We owe it to Ms Williams and her team that we have the opportunity to shape our own future.

And it is our responsibility to grasp it with both hands.

Gareth Evans is executive director of education policy at Yr Athrofa (Institute of Education) at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.