Agenda item

To consider a report by the Head of Education (copy enclosed) on the Independent Review of curriculum and assessment Arrangements in Wales by Professor Graham Donaldson.

                                                                                      9.35 a.m. – 10.10 a.m.

A copy of a report by the Head of Education (HE) had been circulated with the papers for the meeting.

In March 2014 the Minister for Education commissioned Professor Graham Donaldson to conduct a independent review of Curriculum and Assessment arrangements in Wales from foundation Phase to Key Stage 4.  The review’s findings were included in Appendix 1 to the report - Successful Futures, Independent Review of Curriculum and Assessment Arrangements in Wales.  The report detailed scope of the Review, and considered the implications for education and education related services in Denbighshire if the recommendations emanating from the review were adopted by the Welsh Government (WG).

The report identified the shortcomings of current curriculum arrangements and made a series of recommendations to address these and improve how children in Wales were taught and assessed.  The proposals were radical and wide-ranging, and the main areas of focus had been outlined in the report, with the recommendations being listed in Appendix 2.

It was explained that the review, currently out for consultation, would introduce radical changes to the way education was delivered in Wales.  It would be the biggest change since the introduction of the national curriculum, and would see education delivered through six areas of learning and experience - expressive arts; health and wellbeing; humanities; languages, literacy and communication; maths and numeracy; and science and technology.

The review would introduce three cross-curriculum responsibilities of literacy, numeracy and digital competence, for which all teachers would be responsible, and would be more focused on the outcomes for learners, to equip and skill them for the 21st Century work market.  The assessment process would be less bureaucratic than for the current curriculum and there would be greater autonomy with the curriculum's delivery.

Confirmation was provided that if the vision outlined in the report was adopted either in its entirety, or elements of it, there would be challenges in maintaining and delivering the current curriculum while planning and implementing the introduction of the new curriculum.

The Head of Education (HE) was in favour of the proposed changes and was keen for them to be adopted in their entirety, not a hybrid version of the current model and new model.  In response to Members' questions she:-

· agreed to enquire why no primary headteacher had been part of the Review's external advisers team and how many industry, business and private sector advisers had been involved with the development of the Review's conclusions;

· emphasised that the report presented to Members outlined the vision for the future education curriculum in Wales.  Details of financial support and how it would be implemented would follow once the WG had agreed on the final policy;

· confirmed that there were no plans to do away with the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests, as they were an internationally recognised measure.  However, if introduced the new curriculum should prepare students to perform better in the PISA tests;

· plans on how to train and upskill teachers ready for the new curriculum would be drawn up once the final policy had been agreed.  Teaching unions etc. would be consulted on this and all other aspects of the policy's implementation at that time;

· confirmed, in response to written observations submitted by Co-opted Member Dr Dawn Marjoram who was unable to be present, that she had spoken to WG officials twice about special schools and they had confirmed  that practices in special schools would be taken forward as part of the implementation plan for the Donaldson report.

Officers advised that there was a need to progress the continual development of Welsh Language skills between school based education and the workplace through improving community based use of the language.  A debate needed to take place nationally on the economic definition and benefits of language skills, options for fast-tracking talented Welsh speakers, and the matter of the current rankings of Welsh universities and the potential loss of home grown talent to universities outside Wales.

Members asked that the Review report be circulated to all County Councillors emphasising its importance and seeking their input into it.  The Committee agreed that it would also be useful if a session on it could be presented at a future meeting of Council Briefing.

The Lead Member for Education (LME) advised that the proposed model had been based on the current tried and tested Scottish model, and the Head of Education confirmed that models from elsewhere across the world had also been examined by the Review Team. 

Following an in-depth discussion it was:-

RESOLVED – that Performance Scrutiny Committee:-

(a) receive the report and recommends that the Council makes representations to the Welsh Government's consultation on the Donaldson Report, emphasising the need and importance of adopting the recommendations in their entirety in order to influence the future education agenda in Wales,

(b) requests that the report be circulated to all County Councillors emphasising its importance in a bid to improve pupil outcomes, seeking them to engage with the consultation, and that a Council Briefing session be arranged for all County Councillors on the report's contents; and

(c) agrees that scrutiny should monitor the progress and implementation of the Review's recommendations in due course once the Welsh Government had approved its final policy.