Are schools ready for changes ahead?

WALES is on the cusp of transforming its education system with the longawaited new curriculum.

After years of discussion the person in charge of education standards in Wales says schools must now put reform at the top of the agenda and ensure standards don’t slip during the changes. These things are easier said than done. Schools cannot do this alone. They need support from local education authorities, school improvement consortia and Welsh Government.

Come 2022 when the new curriculum is rolled out schools must have in place their own tailormade, individual plans for learning and teaching. This should create scope for creativity and ensuring pupils learn topics relevant to the 21st century, on the other hand it could be a nervous time for schools already grappling with slashed budgets and repeated changes to qualifications.

Meilyr Rowlands, chief inspector of education and training, lays out some of the work done and some of the challenges ahead in his annual report today. He says some secondary schools continue to cause concern, there is a persistent attainment gap between pupils eligible for free school meals and their better-off peers, and ongoing recruitment and funding problems.

There have been improvements in Pisa scores, inspection outcomes and GCSE results in recent years, but more still needs to be done, not least to improve literacy and reading, especially among boys.

Schools having problems now are likely to face problems creating their new curriculum. These schools must get all the support they require.

Funding is an issue, but money alone doesn’t guarantee improvement.

Wales needs to make teaching an attractive profession to be in and stay in. It needs to retain the best people and those who are experts in their field. It must keep them on board throughout the changes.

Worryingly, some teachers recently went on strike at one school complaining that heads of departments are being lost as a result of the reforms. Let’s hope the problems at Caerleon Comprehensive are not indicative of wider plans to use the new curriculum to make savings.

Reform is a time to be bold and fearless. Schools need adequate funds, enthusiasm and expertise to make it work. None is enough on its own.