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Jubilee Park is a new school and our staff relish a challenge. We are not a Pioneer school, but we see this as a new exciting chapter in education and an opportunity to tailor our curriculum to the needs of our learners in Wales. So we have been creating a curriculum based on recommendations from Successful Futures, which has been a great challenge, but a rewarding one.

Our curriculum is more than a series of lessons or a scheme of work, to us it is everything in our school – it is what we are about. Our Thrive Curriculum was borne out of research and ideas shared from pioneer schools. It is informed by the ‘Schools as a Learning Organisation’ OECD report and curriculum reform documentation. We have also had many discussions and debates with colleagues! Continue reading →

Darllenwch y dudalen hon yn Gymraeg

In line with ‘Successful Futures’, the Curriculum and its assessment arrangements will be built on progression, so each Area of Learning and Experience will include progression steps. In this way learning and progression go hand in hand.

Our new animation explains how this will happen.

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In the absence of an index we hope you find this list useful for finding items you might want to read.

It includes links to the posts for Curriculum and Assessment, Professional Learning, Digital Competence and wider Education Reform.

If you find it helpful we’ll do this each term – please let us know. Continue reading →

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A bold, committed approach to curriculum development still needs thorough evaluation of the process to inform improvements as it goes along. The latest report from independent researchers does just that, and is a very accessible read.

It celebrates the approach being taken but suggests that schools outside the Pioneer network need more awareness of progress: Continue reading →

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How well are schools preparing for the Digital Competence Framework? Kirsty Williams, Education Secretary, asked Estyn to report and highlight good practice that schools could learn from.

Their insightful findings look at leadership, the role of digital leads, and professional learning. Recommendations are offered to schools, consortia and Welsh Government.

The ‘Effective approaches to preparing’ section digs into the detail and gives useful pointers on topics from vision and planning through to resources and curriculum mapping. ‘Common characteristics of successful realisation of the DCF’ gives a checklist and even a tabulated chart for moving from ‘starting the journey’ to ‘sustaining progress’.

The report is clear that different schools may well take different approaches, but offers a wealth of good practice for all schools, showcased by multiple case studies.

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While Pioneers are designing and developing the new curriculum and identifying the professional support the workforce needs, primary and secondary heads have been working with Government, experts and partners on co-constructing a new model of schools accountability.

In the new model every learner will count, which presents significant opportunities in terms of focussing on the progress of our vulnerable learners. However reducing the attainment gap between groups of learners is important right now, so action is underway to improve life chances for our pupils in many of our schools today; that work will be supported by our programme of education reform in Wales. Continue reading →

Darllenwch y dudalen hon yn Gymraeg

Your update on Education in Wales: our national mission – issue 3 – the latest on Wales’ education reforms.