Non-maintained settings, nursery and primary schools should:
R1 ensure that poverty and disadvantage are not barriers to learners developing secure language and literacy skills
R2 develop a culture of reading that encourages and enthuses all learners, including boys and those from disadvantaged backgrounds, to read for pleasure and provide opportunities to listen to adults reading aloud
R3 develop explicitly learners’ vocabulary knowledge so that it supports the development of their speaking, reading and writing skills
Primary schools should:
R4 develop a clear strategy to support the effective teaching of reading, including addressing learners’ decoding skills, vocabulary development and advanced reading skills
R5 provide appropriately challenging and relevant opportunities to support the progressive development of learners’ listening and speaking skills, particularly in key stage 2
R6 support the development of learners’ writing skills through the explicit teaching of sentence construction, punctuation and spelling, relevant opportunities to write and precise feedback to guide further improvement
Local authorities and regional consortia should:
R7 provide high-quality professional learning that meets the individual needs of settings and schools, to ensure that all learners, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, improve their language and literacy skills
The Welsh Government should:
R8 evaluate settings’ and schools’ use of targeted funding, such as the early years pupil development grant and the pupil development grant, to improve eligible learners’ language and literacy skills
Non-maintained settings, nursery and primary schools should:
R1 plan carefully for continuity and progression in the skill development of learners from all linguistic backgrounds as they acquire the Welsh language
R2 provide regular listening and speaking activities to develop learners’ vocabulary and syntactic patterns, and encourage them to apply these new skills in formal and less formal activities
R3 track rigorously the progress, vocabulary development and language acquisition of specific groups of learners, including the more able
Primary schools should:
R4 provide opportunities for learners to listen to, read and appreciate Welsh literature and poetry by Welsh authors, particularly in key stage 2
R5 ensure regular opportunities for learners to write freely and independently
Local authorities and regional consortia should:
R6 provide training to deepen practitioners’ understanding of how learners acquire the Welsh language, and in effective language immersion methodology
The Welsh Government should:
R7 develop national guidelines on language immersion in order to support teaching and learning in Welsh language acquisition
R1 Ensure strong partnership working to develop collaborative provision with other providers where this helps to improve quality or expand choice
R2 Ensure that post-16 provision delivered in partnership with other providers is underpinned by written agreements of responsibilities, and is included fully within improvement planning processes
R3 Ensure that advice and guidance to learners is impartial, focused on learners’ needs, and informed by the provision, standards and support available at all local post-16 education and training providers
R4 Share information to support the transition of learners to other providers in line with Welsh Government guidance
R5 Submit accurate information about the programmes learners undertake, including the provider of each learning activity, as part of their annual data submissions to the Welsh Government
Local authorities and regional consortia should:
R6 Ensure that strategic planning involves the wider community of local schools and colleges
R7 Work together with colleges on joint professional learning activities where appropriate
R8 Work with colleges to ensure that a suitable range of post-16 provision is available locally through the medium of Welsh
The Welsh Government should:
R9 Review and consolidate legislation, policy and guidance for 16-19 provision to ensure consistency and clarity of expectations in a way that builds on the developments of Curriculum for Wales
R10 Apply a consistent approach to the oversight and quality monitoring of post-16 provision, including planning and funding considerations
R11 Provide prospective learners and their parents with clear information about learner progress and outcomes for school sixth forms and further education colleges in Wales
R12 Ensure that any future Commission for Tertiary Education and Research addresses the findings and recommendations of this thematic review
Recommendations for the Welsh Government to work with regional consortia, local authorities, and other partners and providers to:
R1 Urgently address barriers to learning at home, particularly where this is due to a lack of access to suitable computers or adequate connectivity
R2 Improve the quality of the distance and blended learning experiences for pupils by supporting more effective teaching across and within schools and PRUs
R3 Develop a coherent approach to improve progress in literacy, numeracy and personal and social skills of vulnerable pupils disproportionally affected by the pandemic, for example pupils eligible for free school meals
R4 Establish strategies to monitor and address the long-term impact of the pandemic on the physical and mental health of pupils
R5 Create opportunities to take stock and evaluate the impact of policies and practices developed since the start of the pandemic to inform future ways of working and curriculum design
R1 Continue to work with all partners in the youth work sector to support the development of youth work and youth work training, including leadership capacity
R2 Continue to work with the EWC and ETS to update and improve the registration arrangements for youth workers to ensure that youth work is treated in the same way as other education professions
R3 Commission a full skills audit for the sector, to include skills needed by employers and the existing skills of both youth workers and youth support workers registered with the EWC and those who carry out youth work and are not registered
R4 Investigate the provision of formal apprenticeship routes for the training of youth workers and youth support workers
R5 Work with the providers of youth work training and other relevant organisations to increase the use of the Welsh language in youth work training.
Providers of youth work training should:
R6 Make sure that youth workers and students from other professions working with young people have opportunities to train together
R7 Improve the availability, variety and quality of work placements
Local authorities should:
R8 Encourage schools to recognise the specialist skills and professional knowledge youth workers bring to supporting the development of the new curriculum
R9 Support and contribute to the development of courses for the training of statutory and voluntary youth workers, including those in non-education settings
Regional consortia should:
R10 Explore ways to include youth workers alongside teachers in professional learning and educational leadership training opportunities
