11th March 2015 5:00
By Blue Tutors
Radical proposals to overhaul the curriculum in Wales are currently under consideration. 26 years after the national curriculum was introduced, the welsh government are considering plans to introduce an all new curriculum which would scrap key stages and promote the development of IT skills. The architect of the plans Professor Graham Donaldson has said that schools should have a more modern curriculum and more flexibility in teaching around it. Welsh education minister Huw Lewis called the plans “compelling and exciting”, and announced that the government will take forward discussions on the new curriculum.
Professor Donaldson who was previously a chief inspector of schools has proposed that the new curriculum be comprised of six areas of learning combining core and non-core subjects. The key stages which form the base of the national curriculum would be replaced with a more ‘seamless’ curriculum in which literacy, numeracy and IT skills would be woven into every lesson. Under the plans, ‘digital competency’ would be considered a key area, and students would learn programming and coding. The six new learning areas proposed are expressive arts, health and well-being, humanities, maths and numeracy, science and technology, and languages, literacy and communication.
The idea behind the new learning areas is to help students make connections between subjects, and learn in a more holistic way. The proposed changes not only involve a total overhaul of the curriculum, but a fundamental shift in thinking about the education process. Supporters of the plans have said that the new curriculum would raise standards and enrich students’ education. As part of the initial consultation, the plans have been discussed with students, parents and teachers and have so far been broadly welcomed.