5 things you may not know about Wales’s new curriculum
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History was made in Wales this evening (Tuesday, March 9) when the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Bill reached its final stage before being passed into law.
Members of the Senedd voted to pass the final text of the Bill meaning the Curriculum for Wales will now be introduced in 2022.
Education Minister Kirsty Williams said: “This is an historic day for Wales and another significant milestone in our national mission. The new curriculum has been developed to ensure that our children and young people in Wales have the best opportunity and support in life to ensure that they are all able to thrive for the future of Wales.
“I call it a national mission as it has involved everyone working together co-constructively – teachers, parents, academics, businesses, national organisations, and my department of course – to raise standards, tackle the attainment gap and to have an education system for our learners that is a source of pride to us all.
“Diolch yn fawr to everyone who has played their part in this historic journey for education in Wales.”
Following Royal Assent, which is anticipated in April, the Bill will become the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021.
Last year, the Minister published an updated action plan setting out the next steps in Wales’ reform journey, ahead of the introduction of the new Curriculum for Wales.
Alongside the updated Our National Mission action plan, the Welsh Government also published a document setting out shared expectations of what curriculum realisation means for practitioners and schools from 2022. Curriculum for Wales: the journey to 2022 has been created to help schools prepare for designing and implementing their curriculum. In January, the Welsh Government published the Curriculum Implementation Plan which will steer our work with partners to deliver the Curriculum for Wales.
Here are five things you may not have known about the new curriculum:
1. The curriculum has been made in Wales but shaped by the best ideas from around the world
This is the first time ever that schools in Wales will have a national curriculum set in Welsh Law.
The curriculum guidance is already published and is the result of many years work involving teachers, experts, national and community organisations from Wales, the OECD and from as far afield as New Zealand!
2. The curriculum has been co-constructed from the early stages of its conception
The Curriculum for Wales is the result of co-construction – not top-down diktat from Government.
It has been developed by practitioners for practitioners, bringing together educational expertise and wider research and evidence.
The OECD recognised this in a report stating: “The co-construction process succeeded in engaging many and in developing trust, while systemic adjustments in institutions and other policies are helping set in motion a professionally-led education.”
3. The curriculum has been designed around four purposes for learners
The four purposes will be the starting point and aspiration for every schools’ curriculum design. These represent the kind of learners that schools should help develop and the ethos of the entire education system.
Ultimately, the aim of a school’s curriculum will be to support its learners 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
- healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.
4. Named subjects have been replaced by Areas of Learning and Experience
The curriculum framework includes six areas of learning and experience:
- Expressive Arts
- Health and Well-being
- Humanities
- Languages, Literacy and Communication
- Mathematics and Numeracy
- Science and Technology
The six areas encourage strong and meaningful links across different disciplines and this will enable learners to build connections across their learning and combine different experiences, knowledge and skills.
Each area includes What Matters statements – there are 27 of these in the entire framework – these are the ‘big ideas’ and key concepts for the curriculum. This is the national framework and helps ensure the same core learning and consistency of approach in curriculum design across settings and schools
5. Children in Wales will have access to the full curriculum
Schools will teach all learners about religion, values and ethics, and relationships and sexuality education in a consistent and developmentally appropriate way.
This will ensure that all young people are provided with access to information that keeps them safe from harm and that all pupils will learn about issues such as online safety and healthy relationships.
5 peth efallai na wyddoch chi am gwricwlwm newydd Cymru
Gwnaed hanes yng Nghymru heno (dydd Mawrth, 9 Mawrth) pan gyrhaeddodd Bil Cwricwlwm ac Asesu (Cymru) ei gam olaf cyn cael ei basio i fod yn gyfraith.
Pleidleisiodd aelodau’r Senedd i basio testun terfynol y Bil sy’n golygu y bydd Cwricwlwm Cymru yn cael ei gyflwyno yn 2022.
Dywedodd Kirsty Williams, y Gweinidog Addysg: “Mae hwn yn ddiwrnod hanesyddol i Gymru ac yn garreg filltir bwysig arall yng nghenhadaeth ein cenedl. Mae’r cwricwlwm newydd wedi’i ddatblygu i sicrhau bod ein plant a’n pobl ifanc yng Nghymru yn cael y cyfle a’r gefnogaeth orau mewn bywyd i sicrhau bod pob un ohonyn nhw’n gallu ffynnu er budd dyfodol Cymru.
“Rwy’n ei alw’n genhadaeth ein cenedl gan ei bod wedi cynnwys pawb yn gweithio gyda’i gilydd i ddatblygu’r cwricwlwm ar y cyd – athrawon, rhieni, academyddion, busnesau, sefydliadau cenedlaethol, a’m hadran i wrth gwrs – i godi safonau, mynd i’r afael â’r bwlch cyrhaeddiad a chael system addysg i’n dysgwyr sy’n destun balchder i ni i gyd.
“Diolch yn fawr i bawb sydd wedi chwarae eu rhan yn y daith hanesyddol hon i addysg yng Nghymru.”
Yn dilyn cael Cydsyniad Brenhinol, a ragwelir ym mis Ebrill, bydd y Bil yn dod yn Ddeddf Cwricwlwm ac Asesu (Cymru) 2021.
Y llynedd, cyhoeddodd y Gweinidog gynllun gweithredu wedi’i ddiweddaru sy’n nodi’r camau nesaf yn y daith i ddiwygio Cymru, cyn cyflwyno’r Cwricwlwm newydd i Gymru.
Ochr yn ochr â chynllun gweithredu Cenhadaeth ein Cenedl sydd wedi’i ddiweddaru, cyhoeddodd Llywodraeth Cymru ddogfen sy’n nodi disgwyliadau a rennir o’r hyn y mae gwireddu’r cwricwlwm yn ei olygu i ymarferwyr ac ysgolion o 2022. Mae Cwricwlwm i Gymru: y daith i 2022 wedi’i greu i helpu ysgolion i baratoi ar gyfer cynllunio a gweithredu eu cwricwlwm. Ym mis Ionawr, cyhoeddodd Llywodraeth Cymru Gynllun Gweithredu’r Cwricwlwm a fydd yn llywio’n gwaith ar y cyd â phartneriaid i gyflwyno’r Cwricwlwm i Gymru.
Dyma bum peth efallai na wyddoch chi am y cwricwlwm newydd:
- Cafodd y cwricwlwm ei wneud yng Nghymru ond fe’i luniwyd gan ddefnyddio’r syniadau gorau o bob cwr o’r byd
Dyma’r tro cyntaf erioed i ysgolion yng Nghymru gael cwricwlwm cenedlaethol sydd wedi’i osod yng Nghyfraith Cymru.
Mae canllawiau’r cwricwlwm eisoes wedi’u cyhoeddi, ac maen nhw’n ganlyniad blynyddoedd lawer o waith sy’n cynnwys athrawon, arbenigwyr, sefydliadau cenedlaethol a chymunedol o Gymru, y Sefydliad ar gyfer Cydweithrediad a Datblygiad Economaidd (OECD), gan gynnwys sefydliadau o mor bell i ffwrdd â Seland Newydd!
Mae’r cwricwlwm wedi’i ddatblygu ar y cyd ers y camau cynharaf
Ffrwyth cydweithio agos a elwir yn gyd-awduro yw’r Cwricwlwm i Gymru – nid dictad o’r brig i lawr gan y Llywodraeth.
Cafodd ei ddatblygu gan ymarferwyr ar gyfer ymarferwyr, gan ddwyn ynghyd arbenigedd addysgol ac ymchwil a thystiolaeth ehangach.
Roedd yr OECD wedi cydnabod hynny mewn adroddiad, gan ddatgan i’r broses o gyd-awduro lwyddo i ennyn diddordeb llawer i gymryd rhan ac ymddiried yn y broses. Ac ar yr un pryd, bod addasiadau systemig mewn sefydliadau a pholisïau eraill yn helpu i sefydlu system addysg sy’n cael ei harwain yn broffesiynol.
- Cynlluniwyd y cwricwlwm o gwmpas pedwar diben ar gyfer dysgwyr
Y pedwar diben fydd y man cychwyn a’r uchelgais ar gyfer cynlluniau pob ysgol o ran eu cwricwlwm. Mae’r rhain yn cynrychioli’r math o ddysgwyr y dylai ysgolion helpu i’w datblygu ac ethos y system addysg gyfan.
Yn y pen draw, nod cwricwlwm ysgol fydd cefnogi ei ddysgwyr i ddod:
- yn ddysgwyr galluog, uchelgeisiol sy’n barod i ddysgu drwy gydol eu hoes
- yn gyfranwyr mentrus, creadigol sy’n barod i chwarae eu rhan yn llawn yn eu bywyd a’u gwaith
- yn ddinasyddion egwyddorol, gwybodus sy’n barod i fod yn ddinasyddion i Gymru a’r byd
- yn unigolion iach, hyderus sy’n barod i fyw bywyd gan wireddu eu dyheadau fel aelodau gwerthfawr o gymdeithas.
- Mae pynciau a enwir wedi’u disodli gan Feysydd Dysgu a Phrofiad
Mae fframwaith y cwricwlwm yn cynnwys chwe maes dysgu a phrofiad:
- Celfyddydau Mynegiannol
- Iechyd a Lles
- Dyniaethau
- Ieithoedd, Llythrennedd a Chyfathrebu
- Mathemateg a Rhifedd
- Gwyddoniaeth a Thechnoleg
Mae’r chwe maes yn annog cysylltiadau cryf ac ystyrlon ar draws gwahanol ddisgyblaethau, a bydd hyn yn galluogi dysgwyr i feithrin cysylltiadau ar draws eu dysgu a chyfuno gwahanol brofiadau, gwybodaeth a sgiliau.
Mae pob maes yn cynnwys datganiadau am Beth sy’n Bwysig – mae 27 o’r rhain yn y fframwaith cyfan – a’r rhain yw’r ‘syniadau mawr’ a’r cysyniadau allweddol ar gyfer y cwricwlwm. Dyma’r fframwaith cenedlaethol sy’n helpu i sicrhau’r un dysgu craidd a dull cyson o gynllunio’r cwricwlwm ar draws lleoliadau ac ysgolion.
- Bydd plant yng Nghymru yn gallu manteisio ar y cwricwlwm llawn
Bydd ysgolion yn addysgu pob dysgwr am grefydd, gwerthoedd a moeseg, ac addysg cydberthynas a rhywioldeb, mewn ffordd gyson a datblygiadol briodol.
Bydd hyn yn sicrhau bod pob person ifanc yn cael mynediad at wybodaeth sy’n eu cadw’n ddiogel rhag niwed – a bydd pob disgybl yn dysgu am faterion fel diogelwch ar-lein a pherthynas iach.
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