Curriculum for Wales Statement
OUR VISION
Our primary purpose as a school is to provide every young person with the necessary experiences, skills and qualifications to go on to realise their potential in a world that is increasingly demanding. Every moment counts in education and the needs of every pupil are at the center of all that we do. As an educationally inclusive school, the learning and teaching experiences, achievements, attitudes and well-being of every young person matter. Our pupils develop as ambitious, capable learners; enterprising, creative contributors; ethical, informed citizens and healthy, confident individuals. Our pupils are resilient, independent learners who value their learning, are involved in all aspects of their learning and strive to achieve their potential in all that they do.
THE NEW CURRICULUM
Curriculum for Wales 2022 allows schools to plan a curriculum that is bespoke to their school. We have worked with the Welsh Government and other educational advisory bodies to support our planning for the new curriculum. We continue to work closely with our cluster schools, to design a curriculum that meets the needs of the young people within our community. The Four Purposes are integral to this curriculum planning and underpin the curriculum design and content.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGE AREAS?
The year 7 and 8 curriculum at Lewis School Pengam is called the Challenge Curriculum with the ethos that all pupils are challenged no matter their age, ability, or background. It is a broad and balanced curriculum. There are six Challenge areas or Areas of Learning and Experiences (AoLEs). These are:
- Calculation: Mathematics and numeracy
- Citizenship: Physical education, PSE that includes Relationships and Sexual Education;
- Communication: English, Welsh and international languages (French in Lewis School Pengam)
- Community: History, geography and religion, values and ethics (RVE)
- Construction: Science, technology and information technology
- Creativity: Music, drama, art and dance
Years 9-11 will continue to be taught in individual subject areas/disciplines and will sit their KS4 qualifications in these subject areas.
WHAT DOES THE CURRICULUM OFFER OUR PUPILS AT LEWIS SCHOOL PENGAM?
Throughout the curriculum design journey, we have engaged with all stakeholders, including the governors, parents and pupils. Opportunities for engagement have included meetings; open evening presentations; parents and pupil voice questionnaires; INSET and meeting time dedicated to the curriculum professional discussions.
We have ensured that our curriculum design and planning allow our pupils to gain the necessary subject knowledge and skills according to the What Matters Statements. In addition to this, cross-curricular skills, integral skills and cross-cutting themes are also embedded into our Challenge Curriculum.
The cross-curricular skills are:
- Literacy
- Numeracy
- Digital Competency
Our Challenge areas ensure that they allow our pupils to learn, apply and consolidate literacy, numeracy and digital competency skills in line with whole school skills mapping. This allows our pupils the opportunities to develop their competencies in these skills across all curriculum areas.
The integral skills are as follows:
- Creativity and Innovation
- Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving
- Personal Effectiveness
- Planning and Organising
The cross-cutting themes of the new curriculum are:
- Relationships and Sexual Education (RSE)
- Human Rights/The Rights of the Child
- Diversity
- Careers and Work
- Related Experience
- Local, National and international contexts, with a particular focus on Cynefin (a sense of Welsh identity and belonging)
The curriculum design is a constantly evolving process, especially as we focus on authentic learning. We will continue to evaluate, review and refine the curriculum to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our learners and that we are allowing them the opportunities to make the necessary progress.
HOW WILL PUPILS BE ASSESSED?
The Principles of Progression are the design factor within the new curriculum. Assessment is therefore integral to the teaching and learning of our pupils. We have developed an assessment process that is based on both formative and summative assessments. We use all information to judge the pupils’ current attainment and also to identify their next steps in learning to support them to make further progress.
In year 7, pupils will complete baseline assessments. These include the Cognitive Ability Testing, Star Test (Accelerated Reader), standardised tests in Maths and English and baseline Welsh and English writing activities.
Each term, teachers will track the attainment of each pupil on Go4Schools according to the assessment matrix and their current attainment will be reported in line with the What Matters statements.
WHAT ARE THE MANDATORY ELEMENTS OF THE CURRICULUM?
In line with the Curriculum and Assessment Act (Wales) 2021, there are elements that schools are legally required to deliver/ do.
These are the mandatory elements of the curriculum:
- Relationship and sexuality education
- Religion, Values and Ethics (RVE)
- Welsh
- English from 7 years old
- Cross-curricular skills (literacy, numeracy and digital competency)
There is also an expectation that schools consider the impact on learners’ mental health and emotional wellbeing when making decisions about their curriculum. Schools are also expected to promote knowledge and understanding of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. There must be cooperation between schools, settings, local authorities and institutions, if that helps them fulfil their duties under the Act.