Parent and Carer Questionnaire

We asked Parents and Carers to complete a questionnaire about 'Designing Our New Curriculum'.  We value your opinions and were interested to know your views to help support the design process.  Please find below a response to the information you provided...  

Curriculum for Wales: the basics

Tredegar Park Primary is currently working towards the new Curriculum for Wales which will come into effect from September 2022.  The curriculum has been reformed at a national level in order to raise standards, reduce the attainment gap between students and equip young people with the skills they need to live in today’s ever changing society. 

At Tredegar Park Primary we are making good progress.  So far we have:

• Appointed a New Curriculum lead to attend training and disseminate information to staff. 
• Begun to embed the Four Core Purposes of the New Curriculum and created our own Four Purposes characters.
• Created Area of Learning and Experience teams and staff have written and are working on action plans to develop each of these areas.
• Adapted our planning in line with the new Areas of Learning Experience.  Our planning is constantly evolving as we attempt to design and explore a curriculum suitable for our children.  

What about the current ‘Key Stages’?

While Key Stages 2, 3 and 4 will disappear the principles of the Foundation Phase will remain the same but will become a part of one seamless curriculum for children aged 3 to 16 providing more joined up learning.

Progression steps will now be in place at ages 5, 8, 11, 14 and 16 relating to broad expectations of a child’s progress. 

Will the way children learn change? 

The way children learn in primary schools will be different. Learning will include skills and experiences, as well as knowledge.  Teachers will have more freedom to teach in ways they feel will have the best outcomes for their learners.

What are the Four Purposes?

The new Curriculum for Wales has been developed to fulfil four key purposes and these underpin everything we do in school.  We aim to produce children who are:

Ambitious, capable learners

Healthy, confident individuals

Enterprising, creative contributors

Ethical, informed citizens

At Tredegar Park Primary we have created our own Four Purposes characters to help develop pupils’ understanding.  Here they are:  

Will traditional subjects still be taught?

Subjects will be grouped into six Areas of Learning and Experience but this doesn’t mean an end to traditional subjects. For example, in the Humanities Area of Learning and Experience, History will still be taught but perhaps with broader context by comparing its religious and societal impact to events happening today.
 

The six Areas of Learning and Experience are:

(Click on the pictures to find out more)

  Expressive Arts

  This area incorporates art, dance, drama, film and digital media and        music. 

  Health and Well-being

  This incorporates physical health and development, mental health and    emotional and social well-being. 

  Humanities

  This incorporates geography, history, religion, values and ethics,                business studies and social sciences. 

  Languages, Literacy and Communication

  This incorporates Welsh, English and international languages as well        as in literature. 

  Mathematics and Numeracy

   In the early years this will incorporate play (problem solving,                     exploring ideas, establishing connections and collaborating).  In later       years it will focus on working both independently and collaboratively.

  Science and Technology

  This incorporates biology, chemistry, physics,    computer science and      design and technology. 

In addition, there is a Literacy and Numeracy Framework and a Digital Competency Framework which will embed literacy, numeracy and digital skills throughout all curriculum areas.

What will happen with assessment?

Children will continue to be assessed and this will focus on ensuring that all pupils understand where they are and what they need to do next in order to progress. The change includes a move to online Personalised Assessments from National Tests.