AoLE Statements Published
What should schools be doing with them?
Should schools be using the newly published Areas of Learning & Experience 'What Matters' Statements? Should teachers be considering them in their preparations for the new Curriculum for Wales? Do the statements tell us anything about what the new curriculum will look like?
Read on to find out how the latest news from the education reform process affects you and your school.
What should schools do with the 'What Matters' AoLE Statements?
Each Area of Learning & Experience Pioneer group has been working hard over the last few months to define 'What Matters' for their area of the new curriculum. These statements as seen in the document above, serve to underpin each AoLE.
As was pointed out on Twitter by a pioneer school last week, these statements are currently in draft form and may already have changed since they were published. They may indeed change again before the curriculum is published. So, they cannot and should not be treated as a definitive description of the content of the new curriculum. They do however, serve as an indication of the direction of travel and of the content of changes heralded by the new curriculum documents.
The key points to consider for schools are:
- What changes might there be to the content of my subject/specialism?
- How might these changes affect what and how I teach?
- What commonalities are there between my subject/specialism and the others within my Area of Learning & Experience?
Each of the AoLE Pioneer Groups have produced a report. Within each report there are 4 sections:
- An introduction - which is the same for all reports and sets out the common process taken by all AoLE Pioneer groups as well as further details on the activities specific to each AoLE.
- Information on how the AoLE supports the realisation of the 4 purposes of the new curriculum - this is an extension and further clarification of information shared in the last AoLE reports
- Proposed titles of 'What Matters' Statements - these are the statements for each AoLE that you see in the document above.
- Details of a single 'What Matters' Statement - this outlines in brief, the proposed curriculum content that would be covered by an individual statement in fairly broad terms.
Simple Engagement Activities
We have created some simple, user-friendly Professional Learning Activities to support schools to engage with the curriculum reform process and think deeply about the big issues and 'What Matters' in education. The activities allow staff to explore key differences between the current curriculum and the proposed new curriculum in detail. They are suitable for both secondary and primary staff and we've also included pupil voice as an optional activity.
If you would like to access a copy of these development activities that are suitable for short departmental or phase meetings, twilights and INSET training just drop us a line to enquiries@impact.wales
We're sharing these activities for free because they not only help schools to have a real impact on staff engagement during this difficult time of change, but they also let you experience what our support is actually like. It's our gift to schools across Wales to show you how awesome our support is!
About Us
What's our experience? - We have both worked for Welsh Government supporting schools & senior leaders across Wales. We have held senior leadership posts, delivered support to strategic education advisers, and published curriculum support guidance with Oxford University Publishing...but if you need to know more visit our website for testimonials from schools we've worked with.
Why should you book our support? - Put simply, because we believe in impact. We do exactly what our name suggests. Our workshop keeps things simple and ensures school actions really work. Our focus is always on delivering measurable impact for pupils.
Email: enquiries@impact.wales
Website: www.impact.wales
Location: Caerphilly, United Kingdom
Phone: 029 2167 9140
Facebook: facebook.com/impactwales123
Twitter: @ImpactWales