Wales is introducing a new National Curriculum from the start of the 2022-23 academic year in primary schools and 2023-24 academic year in secondary schools. This roll-out is expected to be completed by 2026.
The curriculum and its contents were covered in more detail at (the former) Senedd Home as it was being developed. A Bridgend Council scrutiny committee is due to be updated on preparations today (pdf).
In short, the new curriculum:
- Replaces Key Stages with a single stage of learning from ages 3-16.
- Individual subjects are replaced with six broad areas of learning, with schools given a greater degree of flexibility in what they teach and how.
- An increased emphasis on cross-curricular skills such as digital skills, literacy and numeracy.
- Statutory sex education is replaced by Relationship & Sexuality Education (RSE), which will be age-appropriate but compulsory.
- Statutory religious education will be replaced by Religion, Values & Ethics (RVE) based on a locally agreed syllabus.
- English and Welsh will remain compulsory subjects.
The job of preparing teachers and governors for the roll-out of the new curriculum has been largely led by the Central South Consortium – a school improvement body covering schools in Bridgend, Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil.
Specialist training has been taking place throughout 2021 and the process of schools/teachers designing their new lessons has already started (Autumn Term 2021).
During Summer Term 2021, schools were surveyed on their readiness for the new curriculum. However, the survey results for Bridgend haven’t yet been compiled for the committee.
