Today we published Professor Donaldson's report on curriculum and assessment arrangements.
Over the past year Professor Donaldson has gathered evidence from across Wales, the UK and wider to inform his thinking.
Professor Donaldson has identified very real strengths in Wales, the Foundation Phase and the commitment to the Welsh language and culture on which we can build. His report also identifies the shortcomings of the current curriculum arrangements, which essentially remain as devised in 1988, a world before the World Wide Web and the advances in technology and globalisation that affect the way we live and work today. His report argues that the curriculum has become overloaded, complicated and, in parts, outdated.
The report identifies 4 purposes for the curriculum. It recommends that the entirety of the school curriculum should be designed to help all children and young people to become:
- ambitious, capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives
- enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work
- ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world , ready to be citizens of Wales and the world
- healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.
Professor Donaldson’s recommendations mark a radical departure from the curriculum of the last century. They provide us with the opportunity to build a new curriculum for Wales which is fit for the 21st Century and beyond.
The Minister has talked of the critical role that people across Wales have to play in engaging with and debating education in our schools and settings following the publication of this report. Further information on how you can get involved will be made available over the coming weeks.