The next item is a statement by the Minister for Education on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development education review 2020, and I call on the Minister to make the statement—Kirsty Williams.

Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I'm very pleased to have this opportunity to update the Senedd on the OECD's new report, 'Achieving the New Curriculum for Wales', which was published yesterday. Timely advice and challenge from the OECD has been a key element of my and this Government's approach to education reform. Members will know that we have built new and strong international relationships over the last four years. We are providing life-changing opportunities at Yale University, student teachers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology are teaching science in our schools, and we're working with other systems to learn and to provide advice.

The OECD know and understand our system, and they can hold up a mirror to us as the Government, but also to our system as a whole, and they recognise that, unlike four years ago, Wales has a clear vision for its education system and for its learners. They acknowledge the Government's role in embedding co-construction across the system as a principle for curriculum development and education policy making more generally.

They used to say that Wales ignored leadership as a driver of reform and success. That is emphatically no longer the case. And they say that communication has been clear and continuous, with strong leadership from the top. They see that we have met the challenge from previous reports and that we have established coherence to the different policy components and clarity on the vision, establishing a strong basis for education professionals to make the national mission their very own.

The OECD knows that we have built strong foundations for the next step in our journey with the new curriculum. Foundations such as outperforming the other UK nations for our top A-level results, where we were once a long way behind, back in 2016; thousands and thousands more learners from disadvantaged backgrounds now achieving GCSEs in subjects such as science, directly boosting their life chances; and our Programme for International Student Assessment performance has improved in each domain for the first time ever, putting us back in the OECD main stream.

All of this means that we are able and we will continue to take a hard look at the OECD's advice. The report published provides helpful challenge and validation of the progress we're making, and I'm pleased to say there were no surprises. Next week I will publish an updated version of 'Our national mission'. This will take into consideration the OECD recommendations, it will review our collective efforts to date and the achievements made, and, crucially, map the next stage for the journey. Therefore, Presiding Officer, I am determined that despite COVID we will not rest on our laurels.

I'm going to focus on key themes from the report this afternoon, which offer us more challenge. The OECD are clear that the main theme for continuing with our success is being stronger in adopting a school's perspective. This means getting the balance right between system coherence and what that means in schools realising the curriculum. I have listened carefully to the comments from within the system as well as from the OECD on the issue of equity, and as we move forward with the curriculum, that is going to be even more important: equity in access to resources, equity of opportunity for learners and equity in professional learning for teachers.

Now, over the last four years, we have proven that we can address the aspiration and the attainment gap. Those achieving the expected level in core subjects at year 9 is now 20 per cent higher than it was a decade ago; 30 per cent more students on free school meals achieve a good science GCSE; and we have gone from only 37 per cent of our schools having access to superfast broadband to now having 100 per cent coverage.

The new curriculum is nothing—it is nothing—if it does not ensure that every single learner benefits from the broad and balanced education that we aspire to, bringing together knowledge, skills and experiences. Therefore, what are we doing, what are we going to do and what will we continue to do to support the realisation across all schools? Well, we are reforming our national network of practitioners. These will connect teachers and schools, gather intelligence, spot issues and work together in advising on implementation. Alongside this, new resources and materials will be available by next summer, specifically designed for the new curriculum. Now, we can be very proud of Hwb and the millions of log-ins that it achieves week in, week out, as well as the strong educational relationships we have nurtured with the likes of Google, Microsoft and Adobe, meaning free resources for families and teachers across the nation.

During the pandemic, we have delivered free equipment to learners from low-income backgrounds, but I acknowledge that we need to do more—more with teachers, schools and parents on how to make the most of the digital resources and of digital learning. This will be a priority as we continue to roll out our ambitious professional learning programme and publish new guidance for the curriculum. But I also know that we can be even clearer in what our shared expectations and roles are across the system. Very soon I will publish those shared expectations to support schools and the steps that they must take to prepare for the roll-out of the curriculum.

This is a big step forward for Welsh education, and just as we have all worked together during pandemic, it represents a renewed commitment from all partners to co-operate, to recognise roles and responsibilities and to support all of our schools with curriculum design and realisation.

It is clear from the OECD report that support is an important concept for successful implementation. I'm pleased that Estyn continues to evolve and will be a learning inspectorate with a clear remit in how it works with and supports schools, consortia and individual local education authorities.

Moving to teachers. We're currently spending the largest amount ever on teachers in Wales's education history. It has long been a priority for me, and recognising and supporting teaching excellence was one of the policies in the agreement that brought me into this Government. The OECD correctly points out that we need to do more to support teachers to be the main drivers of the curriculum in schools and to enhance their skills. This will be a big focus over the next few months, and looking at it so that we deliver the best support possible for all of our professionals, whether that be from initial teacher training, right through to whole-career support. Therefore, we are reviewing and re-planning teacher induction and early career support, alongside a national approach to coaching and mentoring. I'm particularly excited about our all-Wales Master's in education, which will focus on early career teachers and headteachers. I'm confident that it will become an international model of best practice, and I have been so pleased to see all of our universities working together on it.

Presiding Officer, in conclusion: as the OECD says, thanks to 'Our national mission', Wales has a clear vision for our system and for our learners. We have coherence, clarity, and are on the path to a transformation that will benefit both learners and professionals. Their advice on evolving the school perspective so that it holds to our national vision and getting that full, shared understanding is extremely valuable. I also know that systems across the world will also benefit from this report and the advice contained within it and that they will see Wales as a country that is moving forward with confidence. And I know that this confidence is shared across the system, and I look forward, whilst working together over the period, to deliver on our shared ambitions for each and every learner. Diolch yn fawr.

Diolch, Llywydd. Thank you very much, Minister, for your statement as well. There's quite a lot in there, which I'm sure I won't be able to cover completely today. Can I congratulate you also on getting this statement onto the agenda within hours of the report being lifted from under embargo? I hope you will use your magic powers with other Ministers so that they can lay regulations for debate more swiftly as well, because if you can manage this, I'm sure they can manage that.

As you say, there are no big surprises in the report, and some of that is to be something to be grateful for, I think. There's a lot in here about progress, which is to be welcomed and which we value, and I also thank you particularly for the comments you made on teacher support towards the end of your statement there. But, ultimately, teachers want to know how to do this curriculum, and the report is very clear that there's still an awful lot to do about this and there are still worries expressed about coherence—I know you were saying that there was a big tick for coherence, but there's actually quite a lot of concern about it as well—certainly about consistency, about standards, about the understanding of how to conduct assessments. The quote here that worried me was that 'little evidence exists on the effect of big ideas on learners' outcomes'. And so, as I say, while there's much to be welcomed, I think there is some worrying evidence in this report in support of its recommendations on your next step.

The report, of course, doesn't say anything about COVID and I appreciate, Minister, that you said you're planning to move on—not rest on your laurels, I think you said—despite COVID, and I don't think we can just leave it as 'despite COVID'. It is the big elephant in the room in the delivery of this curriculum. As the head of Pencoed secondary school in my own region said when notice of this statement was being made, 'It's completely lost in the fog of COVID-19'.

So, how will all the relevant parties, the stakeholders, in this get to grips with the recommendations at the same time as coping with the pressures of COVID, and, of course, the uncertainty of whether we'll have exams or not? Because I think if you can't answer that question, then we're really going to have to start thinking about when implementation of this can realistically take place.

The report is crystal clear, as you say, on adopting the school perspective, and this is very much about how schools turn the curriculum as a great idea into something that is operational, because teachers don't want to deliver something that's not as good as it could be, and it's something we've been saying for some time. So, apart from that time constraint, what else do you think that teachers are nervous about? Is the steer in this report, the recommendations in this report, enough to allay worries that all these next steps can be achieved?

The report acknowledges that the revised structures for school improvement are in place. You did mention that in some detail, but it still emphasises the need, still, to prioritise school improvement. And I don't blame you for drawing attention to some of the successes of the last couple of years, but the picture isn't quite as rosy as you say, despite all that sterling effort from our educators, because we agree with the OECD this still needs to be a priority. Despite £100 million being spent on school improvement in the term of this Senedd, we're still talking about less than half of our secondary schools being good or better, and a quarter of them either being in direct statutory intervention or under review in case they're about to go into that situation. Our PISA results may be a little bit nearer the OECD average, but that's in no small part due to the fact that that average itself has fallen. The free school meals attainment gap with other UK countries has narrowed a little, but not as much as you had hoped—I think you would say that yourself there, Minister—and it continues to open up as pupils get older, as we know. We also know that the attainment gap with other UK countries for our non-free school meal pupils, of course, remains huge. So, with the curriculum being just one part of the education reform programme, what is there in this report that points to measures that will crack this issue of school improvement, which is eluding you at the moment, I think?

The report speaks a lot about coherence and consolidation in order to achieve consistent standards. You mentioned, as you say, that there's some evidence of that already, but there's still a long way to go. How big is the risk that all this multiparty collaboration will just end up being too complicated, especially as it absolutely should involve more teachers, parents and the community? And if we stick to this time frame, will we be in a position where Government will find itself, despite its wishes, having to be more prescriptive on how to achieve consistent standards, just to get the train moving down the tracks?

And then finally from me—the issue of how this curriculum will look for years 10 and 11 and even the following two years, where the curriculum needs to be more than just broad and balanced, it needs to be deep enough to demonstrate at least high levels of knowledge in subject areas and analytical skills, which is not work that, as I've really picked up from this report, has had much attention. Who is co-constructing that bit of the curriculum between the ages of 14 and 16, and maybe even 16 and 18? Where do the FE colleges come into this, for example, because they're having to deliver some of this curriculum? I think it was quite striking that the OECD didn't say anything, really, about educators outside the school system, despite the fact that the curriculum will reach beyond the boundaries of schools. Thanks. Or if they did, I missed it.

Thank you to Suzy Davies for her comments and questions. I think what is crucially important to me, and I don't wish to be overly critical, but I've been in the Senedd long enough to have seen huge amounts of effort, time, energy and resources that have often focused on the establishment of very worthy policy statements and policy documents—legislation, indeed, often underpins such things—and then, perhaps, a suggestion or a feeling that once that is completed, the job is done. For the curriculum to be a success, we now need a relentless focus on implementation, and that's why we invited the OECD to review work, to put us in a place to ensure that implementation now follows the energy and effort that has gone into curriculum reform to date. And I'm very grateful for the comments and the recommendations from the OECD on how we can get this next stage, which sometimes I think in the past has been missing—we get it right. 

Suzy Davies asks about what steps we will take. Well, firstly, as I said in my statement, we will now publish an updated version of 'Our national mission'. The Member will be aware that, in the first version of 'Our national mission', we had a very clear map of expectations on what was expected on each part of the system, and when that work was to be completed. And our new version will build upon that, taking on board the recommendations from the OECD, and, as I said, outlining the steps that need to be taken, moving us forward to successful implementation. 

Suzy is right to focus on the issue of coherence. I think this is particularly important with regard to the middle tier in the Welsh education system, and having a clear understanding of what the roles and responsibilities are for each member of that middle tier in supporting schools to realise the new curriculum. So, that is everything from our individual local education authorities, our school improvement services, our National Academy for Educational Leadership and our Education Workforce Council. Schools need to know what help will be available and from whom they can get that help as they begin their own individual institution-based journey in developing their new curriculum. Key to that is the ongoing reform of our school inspectorate, Estyn, who are moving to a system of focusing much more on supporting schools rather than, perhaps, how the inspectorate has been seen in the past, as someone who comes along, passes a judgment and then disappears, and isn't there, actually, to support schools in addressing any concerns that the inspectorate identifies with an individual institution.

So, our expectations document will be very clear, and that has been developed in co-construction with our strategic education group. A crucial part of that will be our ongoing and deeply developing relationships with our institutes of higher education, especially those that have initial teacher education provision; that is a very crucial part of that in supporting schools, moving forward, and providing individual support for professional learning. The professional learning programme is having to be delivered differently because of COVID-19, but, even with all of the stresses and strains on the system, schools are still, wherever possible, engaging in that professional learning.

So, that brings me on to the issue of the impact of COVID-19 on our curriculum reform timetable. Clearly, at this stage, we believe it is possible to continue on the reform journey to the published timetable, although we are taking steps all the time to make sure that the information and support, and our expectations of schools, are being tested against the day-to-day challenges of running schools at the moment. So, we're not looking to overwhelm schools, but actually to get additional information and support out to them in a timely fashion.

Quite rightly, again, Suzy talks about the issues of raising standards. One of the very reasons for introducing a new curriculum, alongside our other education reforms, is all about raising standards—raising standards for all of our students, but, in particular, ensuring that we address the attainment gap that does exist. We have made some progress that I think it's right that we acknowledge, but there continues to be much more progress that needs to be made. That's why I'm keen not to delay the start of the new curriculum, because I think the curriculum is an important part of that raising-standards agenda. 

With regard to further education, obviously, the curriculum that we're talking about is a three-to-16 curriculum, but it has implications for post-compulsory education and training. Further education have been part of the co-construction process, with FE representatives on each of the areas of learning and experience groups that were convened to develop the 'what matters' statements and to develop the supporting documentation for the curriculum. So, I am satisfied that that has been part of the consideration in drawing up the curriculum that we currently have before us. Thank you, Presiding Officer.

It is true to say that the OECD report is useful and does highlight important and crucial issues; issues and concerns that are already being discussed by stakeholders in Wales. It's true to say that there are no surprises, as the education Minister said, but the report does underline the fact that there is a great deal of work still to be done, that the issues and concerns are very real and that we do need to hasten the process of focusing on those in order to avoid failure. Nobody wants to see the curriculum failing, of course.

The report does say that Wales has mapped out its policy plan successfully and that the vision is clear, and Plaid Cymru has supported that vision, but we have consistently argued that that vision does need to take root properly within our schools, and the report endorses that and states that the next steps need to explain the vision and what the objectives of the curriculum will mean for students learning in our schools, namely to explain what we're trying to deliver through the new curriculum, what are our expectations of the new curriculum, and how can we convey those to students, parents, employers and to the wider community here in Wales. The way the OECD puts it is:

'To ensure the intentions of the new curriculum translate into practice, it is essential for Wales to address several issues, including a lack of deep understanding of what successful realisation of the curriculum might look like in practice'.

So, clearly, we do need to focus in on that, that lack of connectivity between the vision and the practice that will be expected within schools. There's no doubt that that's a major challenge in the face of inadequate funding. As the children and young people committee has highlighted, there isn't enough funding reaching our schools. Therefore, the challenge of ensuring that the curriculum takes root is difficult in such a scenario, and also, as you've already mentioned, the impacts of COVID do have to be taken into account as we discuss this report and as we make progress with the curriculum. Of course, the report doesn't refer to the current public health crisis, but we do need to take into account what is taking so much of our teachers' and headteachers' time, namely the impact of COVID, on a daily basis.

And you've touched on this, but could I push you further? Are you considering whether we need to postpone the implementation timetable for the curriculum? I have heard some suggestion that there's a possibility that you may be willing to consider that, so I would press you a little further as to whether you are assessing what the impact of that would be and is that something that you are discussing at the moment.

The report notes that there is a risk that schools and pupils who are disadvantaged because of equality issues could be left behind, and I'm very pleased to have heard you in your statement making clear reference to this. The report states this:

'There is a risk of inequalities increasing due to the challenges that disadvantaged schools can have in implementing the curriculum, which accentuates the need for clarifying resources available for schools.'

It's this problem of schools that are in deprived areas, schools that aren't reaching the necessary standards, and the risks for them as they try to put an entirely new curriculum in place. I do want an assurance from you that equality within the policy will be given more prominence in the discussions on the curriculum from here on in.

And the third point, and the final point in a way, is the lack of clarity related to the accountability framework and qualifications. I again quote:

'lack of clarity around the accountability framework and the school-leaving qualifications, which risk that misaligned accountability and assessment measures could undermine the curriculum.'

This is something that we in Plaid Cymru have been highlighting over the weekend, as it happens. A section of the report notes that there is a major risk that teaching and learning from 14 to 16 will be veered to the content of the qualifications rather than helping the students attain the four purposes of the curriculum. And we in Plaid Cymru are convinced that we need to redraw our qualifications—we need a Welsh qualification to run alongside a Welsh curriculum, with less stress on examinations and more on continuous assessment.

So, would you agree with me, therefore, that we now need to extend the scope of the work that Qualifications Wales is currently undertaking, expanding the discussion from the one that's currently ongoing on changes to GCSE to a more broad-ranging discussion looking at how best to assess this new curriculum? Would you be willing to lead that discussion and to arrange a forum to look at this very issue, which is addressed particularly on Twitter at the moment, but it would be excellent to see you leading that discussion in a national forum looking at those issues? I'll finish there. Thank you.

Thank you to Siân Gwenllian for her comments and questions. Presiding Officer, I'm not running away or hiding from the challenges that face us as we move into the implementation phase. As Suzy Davies alluded to, if we were defensive about what the OECD had to say about us, we would have delayed bringing the report for scrutiny by Senedd Members. We welcome the steer that the OECD is giving us to ensure that implementation is successful.

I think there were a number of substantive questions that Siân Gwenllian was asking. Firstly, around the timetable, as I said in answer to Suzy Davies, at this stage, we believe that it is still possible to move to an implementation date of 2022, but, as welcomed in the OECD report, they have praised us for establishing a system of co-construction in Wales around education. This Government doesn't do things to teachers; it does things alongside teachers. And that will continue to guide us as we look to drive forward implementation.

Clearly, she asked the question, 'Are you continually assessing the impact of COVID?' Believe me, every day we assess the impact that COVID-19 is having on our education system and we will continue to do that.

With regard to equity, as I said in my statement, the curriculum will be for nothing if we don't ensure that every child in Wales, no matter where they are, no matter the nature of their schooling, the medium in which they receive their schooling—it'll be for nothing unless every child is given an equal opportunity to pursue and to reach their full aspirations. What that does mean is that some schools will need more additional support than others. Some schools will, perhaps, be further along their curriculum reform journey. Some schools will perhaps have greater levels of curriculum design and expertise within their schools than others. And that's why it's really important, in our expectations document, that we're very clear about whose job it is and whose responsibility it is to provide that additional resource to schools, recognising that our local education authorities and our school improvement service, and, indeed, Estyn, all have specific jobs to do in ensuring that all schools are ready, and recognising that some schools will need more help than others in doing that. How that will work in practice is one of the aims of the expectations document.

With regard to 14 to 16, I share the OECD's concerns that, in recent times in education—this is not something that is peculiar to the Welsh system—assessment for learning has too often been caught up with system accountability. And that has led to unintended consequences, whereby accountability measures have often driven sets of behaviours in schools that, perhaps, as I said, have had unintended consequences, whether that be preventing children from reaching their full potential by the nature of the qualifications they were entered for or narrowing the curriculum with a relentless focus on the core, to the exclusion of some of the creativity and some of the other subjects that children really value and relish and enjoy studying. So, first of all, we need to get back to a system where we recognise assessment for learning and how that teacher assessment can drive children on in their learning journeys. And that is different from accountability. We can't have an accountability-free zone; I'm accountable, every single Member sitting in the Senedd is accountable. These are concepts that are not unfamiliar to any of us. We need to have accountability in our system, but that's not to confuse it with assessment for learning.

Siân Gwenllian says we need a Welsh qualification for a Welsh curriculum. Well, I would argue that we do indeed have Welsh qualifications at the current time. Some of them are completely unique to Wales, such as our Welsh baccalaureate or our maths numeracy GCSE, and, indeed, the way in which we have retained our AS levels, where we still have elements of coursework in our GCSEs, and children still do oral tests in Welsh first language, Welsh second language and English—all things that have disappeared in other parts of the United Kingdom. 

And, clearly, Qualifications Wales's review into the future of qualifications, which has been necessitated by our curriculum reform, is important. I would remind the Member that in the first stage of their consultation, there was strong support expressed for keeping GCSEs. It's a brand that is well understood by pupils, by parents, by schools, by businesses and by higher education establishments. And I would remind Siân Gwenllian how many times I've answered questions in the Chamber, where people have raised concerns about the acknowledgement of Welsh qualifications, sometimes by universities across our border, and the fact that Qualifications Wales has had to employ an additional member of staff that does that work with higher education institutions elsewhere, so that Welsh students are not disadvantaged. 

What's crucial to me goes beyond simply the name of a qualification. What's crucial to me is that a qualification has currency, that it allows Welsh children to fulfil their ambitions, whether that is moving to further education colleges, moving to an apprenticeship, into the world of work, across our borders perhaps to study at institutions elsewhere in the United Kingdom, indeed elsewhere in the world. Nobody in Wales will thank us for creating a qualification system that, in some way, diminishes that currency. And I think that's what we have to focus on. 

But I would agree with the Member that whatever those qualifications look like, they should not dictate the content of the curriculum. It is the content of the curriculum that should dictate the qualification, and it is sometimes—and I think this is one of the discussions we will have to continue to have with the system—it is sometimes concerning to me, that question about, 'Just tell me what's going to be in the spec for the exam and then I'll design the curriculum.' We need to design our curriculum first, and then understand how we will assess it. Thank you. 

Thank you, Minister. We will now suspend proceedings. 

Plenary was suspended at 15:32.

The Senedd reconvened at 15:41, with David Melding in the Chair.

Order. Order. The Senedd is back in session.