A New Curriculum for Wales

This is an exciting time for the young people of Wales. A new Curriculum for Wales is coming that will enthuse learners from 3 to 16, giving them the foundations they need to succeed in a changing world.

A new curriculum for Wales will be developed with education professionals across Wales with the aim of it being available to settings and schools by April 2019 for feedback.

Schools will have some flexibility in determining how and when they begin first teaching of the new curriculum. By 2021 all settings and schools will be using the new curriculum to underpin teaching and learning for children and young people aged 3-16. A New Deal for the Education Workforce will equip education professionals to deliver the new curriculum.

The 4 Purposes

The 4 purposes will be at the heart of our new curriculum. They will be the starting point for all decisions on the content and experiences developed as part of the curriculum to support our children and young people to be:

• ambitious, capable learners ready to learn throughout their lives
• enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work
• ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world
• healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.

Key Elements

The new curriculum will include:

• 6 Areas of Learning and Experience from 3 to 16
• 3 cross curriculum responsibilities: literacy, numeracy and digital competence
• progression reference points at ages 5, 8, 11, 14 and 16
• achievement outcomes which describe expected achievements at each progression reference point.

The curriculum will be organised into 6 Areas of Learning and Experience:

• Expressive arts
• Health and well-being
• Humanities (including RE which should remain compulsory to age 16)
• Languages, literacy and communication (including Welsh, which should remain compulsory to age 16, and modern foreign languages)
• Mathematics and numeracy
• Science and technology (including computer science).

Timeline

Work on developing the new curriculum is well underway, but this is not a process that will be rushed. The key milestones on the journey are set out below.

January 2020: Final curriculum and assessment arrangements available
 

April 2020: Full Implementation of National Approach to Professional Learning 

September 2022: All maintained schools and settings using the new curriculum and assessment arrangements

The first teaching of all year groups from primary school to Year 7 will begin in September 2022 and the new curriculum will roll out year-on-year from this point.

A plan for designing and developing the new curriculum and assessment framework has also been developed in collaboration with Pioneer Schools and key stakeholders.