The new Curriculum for Wales: What is it?
You may have heard about the new Curriculum for Wales or you may have been asked for your opinions or tried some lessons out for teachers. You may know all about it if your school has adopted the principles already (in which case skip to q3)
The New Curriculum groups subjects into 6 key areas (Health and Wellbeing; Expressive Art;, Science and Technology; Mathematics and Numeracy; Humanities; Languages Literacy and Communication). The aims of the new Curriculum are to nurture:
1) healthy, confident individuals,
2) ambitious, capable learners,
3) enterprising, creative contributors and
4) ethical informed citizens.
These are called the 4 Purposes of the New Curriculum for Wales.
As well as this there is a requirement for digital competence, literacy and numeracy as well as the requirement for Relationship and Sexual Education to be taught to every pupil 3-16. This intends to inform you as young people about healthy and an unhealthy relationships as well as providing inclusive education about LGBTQ+ issues.
How does the Welsh Youth Parliament fit in?
The work of the Welsh Youth Parliament fits the section on ethical informed citizens as this will require you to engage with contemporary issues, commit to planet sustainability and so on. There is also an emphasis in the new curriculum on pupils’ voice. The Welsh Youth Parliament prides itself on giving a platform to young people to have their voices heard.
There are also references to democracy, rights and sustainability that fit in with the remit of the WYP and also its current chosen topics of climate and the environment, education and the school curriculum and emotional and mental health. The WYP doesn’t fit with all areas of learning such as science and Mathematics (unless you get a task to count previous voting trends in WYP elections) but there are certain links when it comes to references to democracy and ethical informed citizens.
Will it affect me?
It depends on your age. Secondary schools are legally obliged to introduce the New Curriculum for Wales in September 2023 for years 7 and 8 and it will be rolled out to older year groups year by year until it reaches Year 11 in September 2026. If you’re older than that, it might not directly affect you but you may be taught in a different way with more emphasis on the areas of learning and topics above.
What do I need to do?
You don’t need to do anything but be ready to share your opinions with your teachers. Your school council or Senedd will also be asked for their opinions so you may want to consider getting involved in order to have your say.
So did the Welsh Youth Parliament create the New Curriculum for Wales?
No. As a result of a new law (Curriculum and Assessments law (Wales) 2021), the Welsh Government and the Senedd created the new Curriculum for Wales. The Welsh Government are responsible for education in Wales, and the Senedd can make suggestions that will possibly lead to change in this area. When this requires a change in law, as is true of the new curriculum, the Senedd decides if this change should be made. The Welsh Youth Parliament hold the government to account on behalf of the young people of Wales.
Want to know more about the Welsh Youth Parliament?
If you are interested in the work of the Welsh Youth Parliament please feel free to browse the website:
https://youthparliament.senedd.wales/
You can also follow us on social media:
Twitter:@WelshYouthParl
instagram: welshyouthparliament
facebook: welshyouthparliament
Good luck and enjoy!