New curriculum must be top of schools’ agenda says Chief Inspector

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In his Annual Report published today, Meilyr Rowlands reflects on key developments in education over the last three years, and commends the progress in reforming education:

We’re in the middle of significant, historical change in Welsh education. Momentum has increased recently, bringing better cooperation between national, regional and local education organisations.

Now that the new Curriculum for Wales is published, all schools must think seriously about what this new curriculum means for their school community and how they can improve teaching and learning.

The report highlights Bishop Hedley High School in Merthyr where they’ve already tried out some interesting approaches to the curriculum. An innovative enrichment programme is helping their pupils to build stronger life skills and has opened up new opportunities for them to learn in different ways. Case studies throughout the report share effective practice to help schools improve.

The Chief Inspector continues,

Some longstanding challenges remain. Too many secondary schools are still causing concern and the ‘poverty gap’ between disadvantaged learners and their peers has not closed over recent years.

Schools can’t do all this alone. The rest of the system must work together and support our education workforce in transforming education in Wales. That’s why Estyn is taking time out from inspections from September to visit schools and build a national picture of what’s working well in preparing for the curriculum and identify any challenges.

More findings from the 2018-19 Annual Report:

  • Standards are good or better in around eight-in-ten non-maintained settings.  In these settings our youngest learners make strong progress, developing literacy, numeracy, physical and personal and social skills effectively. 
  • Standards are good or better in around eight-in-ten primary schools and the proportion with excellent standards has continued to increase with one-in-ten receiving the highest judgement.
  • Standards are good or better in nearly half of secondary schools inspected in 2018-19 and the proportion of these schools causing concern remains a challenge.
  • There have been improvements in the independent special schools and pupil referral units we inspected, with examples of excellence for the first time for many years. Estyn has also identified more effective practice in all-age schools.
  • Reform in the post-16 sector will potentially make young people’s experiences in different stages of their education more seamless. However, too many school leavers currently do not always progress into the learning opportunities that best relate to their ambitions, interests and abilities.