5. Will the Minister provide an update on the implementation of the new curriculum? OQ55941

Thank you, David. I published 'The journey to 2022' document just last month to help schools prepare for designing and implementing the new curriculum. I intend to publish a curriculum implementation plan in early 2021 to set out the wider steps that we will take to support schools.   

I thank the Minister for that answer, but I'm sure that she will agree with me that the role of teachers is critical in the implementation of this curriculum. So, is it true, Minister, that only 30 per cent of the teachers who implemented the new curriculum trial supported it? Most of the teachers that I have spoken to say that if the curriculum is entirely driven by the four purposes, much of the content associated with traditional school subjects in the areas of learning and experience become largely redundant. If, on the other hand, teachers prioritise the areas of learning and experience, then the four purposes are unlikely to be met. So, can the Minister comment on the apparent conundrum in that matter? And, could the Minister tell me whether she is going to consult the general public with regard to the sex education element within the new curriculum?

First of all, can I suggest to the Member, if he has not done so already, to read the draft curriculum and assessment Bill? There is no conundrum at all. Teachers cannot, and schools will not be able to, prioritise individual areas of learning and experience because they have equal status within the law. With regard to consultation, I have to say again to the Member that there have been ample opportunities to comment on the White Paper that has led to the Bill, and there have been specific consultations with regard to RSE—a number of them, actually, and probably more than I would like. So, there have been plenty of opportunities for people to feed into this process.

I acknowledge that, for some teachers—especially those who have only ever taught under the principles of a national curriculum, where they have been dictated to on what they must teach, regardless of whether they feel that that is in the best interests of the children in front of them—this new curriculum could be a challenge. That's why this Government is investing record amounts in the professional development of our teachers to get them ready for the changes of the curriculum. I don't know which teachers he is meeting with, but I speak to headteachers every single week when I do this job, and I have to tell him that there is immense excitement at the prospect of the delivery of this new curriculum.

Minister, the success of the new curriculum will be heavily dependent on how well teachers and other school staff have been able to prepare for its introduction. Given that almost half an academic year was missed earlier this year, and we are now seeing whole year groups being taken out of school on a large scale—. For example, 1,000 pupils in Caerleon Comprehensive School are currently being taken out of school in whole year groups—7, 8, 9, 12 and 13—arguably unnecessarily, when other councils are using track and trace more effectively, and this is not uncommon in other parts of the south-east Wales region. What assessment have you made of missed school time on preparations for the roll-out for the new curriculum, and are you concerned about reports that some teaching unions and councils are now discussing shutting schools a week early to enable a two-week isolation period before Christmas when this Government's priority, obviously, is to keep children in school as much as possible?

Well, Laura, you are absolutely right—it is the priority of this Government to minimise the interruption to children's education in the light of this pandemic. Undoubtedly, there has been a significant impact on schools at this time, but, as Estyn has confirmed, there remains a great deal of enthusiasm and support for curriculum reform, and they also advise that important gains have been made by schools in their planning and provision of learning. Now, clearly, you're also correct to say that a lot of this depends on the skills of our teachers, and certainly the professional development programme has had to be delivered in a different way than perhaps we had initially expected. But, as I said, those days when professional learning was delivered by everybody trekking to Cardiff to sit in a lecture theatre, to listen to the sage on the stage, and then they promptly went back to the schools and ignored everything that they'd heard that day—. We have to do things differently, and we are doing things differently, and actually, again, speaking to headteachers, the fact that we've had to move all of our meetings online means that they are now able to collaborate in a way that keeps them in their schools and allows them to connect more readily, and because we've taken some of the paperwork off schools at this time, it is giving them an opportunity to really engage in the new curriculum.

Minister, I believe that the plans for every child in Wales to have a mandatory right to developmentally appropriate RSE is one of the great strengths of the new curriculum. Will you take this opportunity to agree with me that having that provision is not just fundamental for children's rights, but is absolutely crucial in order to ensure that children and young people can keep themselves safe, no matter how old they are?

Lynne, I'm so glad that you've raised that question today of all days, White Ribbon Day, where hopefully everyone in this Chamber unites in their determination to defeat violence against women. I'm sure all of us today would want to remember those women whose lives have been lost to horrendous, horrendous violence and those women who continue to live with the consequences of that violence day in, day out. And that is precisely, precisely why we need to ensure that every child—every child—has the right to relationship education within our curriculum. It is an integral part of how we can ensure that those purposes of the curriculum, including healthy confident individuals who are ready to be active citizens and to live happy and successful lives, will be achieved. Eating into that and saying that that provision should only be available to some children, I think, is an abdication of our duty.