Is Wales ready for new Curriculum?

Are secondary schools ready for Curriculum for Wales? Estyn’s not so sure and neither is education consultant and former headteacher Finola Wilson

DESPITE the setbacks and challenges of the last year, education minister Kirsty Williams has made it clear that Wales’ curriculum reform journey will go ahead as planned.

The target is that Curriculum for Wales will be fully implemented in all schools in Wales in September 2022. The big question is whether or not schools will be ready for such a significant step-change in the way they work, especially after the major disruption they have faced in 2020.

New evidence from schools inspectorate Estyn suggests, at secondary level at least, the outlook is not good. Between September 2019 and March this year, Estyn inspectors visited 29 secondary, all age and special schools to see how they were preparing for Curriculum for Wales.

Anyone who has watched Wales’ curriculum development journey, or that of Curriculum for Excellence in Scotland, will know designing a world-class education is a much bigger task for secondary than primary schools.

The report highlights much excellent work that is taking place in Wales’ schools, but what we and many others were looking for was the signs of the progress that will lead to September 2022 and ultimately the success of our education system. Signs that our secondary schools are ready for the change and ready to provide the education of the future.

Unfortunately, Estyn’s report highlights that even before the additional pressures of Covid-19, there was evidence Wales’ secondary schools would not all be ready.

The report raises three key themes. The first two will come as no surprise - time and professional learning. The report states “leaders feel that the time they have may not be enough to address the professional learning and curriculum planning required.”

It also says that in 90% or more of schools visited “staff have not yet had the professional learning opportunities necessary for them to understand whole-school curriculum design process”, and that there has been “insufficient professional learning in the area of vision. As a result, these schools tend to plan changes and activities in a piecemeal way, without developing a clear purpose or considering the impact on pupils’ progression across the curriculum.”

This comment has been generated from visits to 29 schools, 17 of which have been pioneer schools and a significant number of which are highly engaged schools with very focused leadership. So if this is the case in our most engaged schools, how ready are the others not blessed with the same extra time and forward-thinking leadership?

Leadership, the report repeats throughout, has a real and lasting impact on the strength of preparation. Being a headteacher of a secondary school is a difficult and demanding job, especially now. Estyn states a lack of clear vision at senior leadership level means staff are less likely to ‘buy in’ and effects “the ability of the curriculum to serve pupils’ needs”. Creating a clear vision with limited time and professional learning support must be near impossible. Is 18 months enough time to fix the gaps identified and develop leadership support that has the required impact?

Estyn has long recognised that improving the variation in the quality of teaching and learning between and within schools, especially at secondary level, is a top priority.

One line is particularly concerning: “A few schools have important weaknesses in the quality of teaching, and their curriculum journey is likely to take longer and be more limited until the quality of teaching is improved.”

It is an enormous expectation to demand that teachers improve their own practice while at the same time designing a world class curriculum and managing the pressures and disruption of educating during a global pandemic.

Details of assessment and accountability will not be finalised until after Kirsty Williams steps down next May. It is not surprising, therefore, that in 90% or more of schools visited there was a “reluctance to plan new wholeschool curriculum and assessment arrangements while still delivering a curriculum that meets the needs of current public examinations.”

Secondary schools need to know what measure will be used to evaluate the quality of their curriculum and when the detail of that measure will be shared with them.

If accountability is to be entirely uncoupled from assessment, which seems unlikely, schools deserve to know how the impact of new curriculum arrangements on pupils’ learning will be evaluated by the Welsh Government.

The redesign of our children’s education is too important to rush. Estyn recognises that. We hope the Welsh Government does too.

Finola Wilson is a former teacher and the director of Impact Wales, a Caerphillybased educational company that works with schools and teachers across the UK.