In the Welsh Parliament today, the Education Minister, backed by the Labour Party and Plaid Cymru, voted against delaying the implementation of the new school curriculum.
Suzy Davies MS – the Shadow Minister for Education – said:
“There is a difference between introducing the new Curriculum Bill and the implementation of the new curriculum.
“It is clear that both the Labour-led administration and Plaid are unwilling to or incapable of listening to teachers who told the Welsh Conservatives that they wanted to delay the implementation of the new curriculum because they have lost so much preparation time due to Covid-19
“Going down the rapids is no time to try to change direction. Welsh Conservatives invited views from every school in Walesabout how the lockdown would affect their preparation for bringing in the new curriculum. Some 76 percent told us that this period was having a negative effect on their preparation, with planned work for the summer cancelled.
“When asked the question ‘What support could [the Labour-led] Welsh Government offer at this time to support your curriculum development’” by far the majority response was: ‘Delay its implementation’.
“Teachers want the new curriculum – but they want to do it justice. School leaders’ plans to give it a year’s dry run are gone and they are justifiably nervous that they will not be ready with the best offer to pupils if the Minister pursues her stated commencement date.
“School students up and down the country have endured weeks of limited education, and are likely to endure more. Their exhausted teachers are being tasked with squeezing catch-up work into the autumn as well as that term’s learning – and somehow they are expected to get on top of curriculum development as well.
“The Labour Party and Plaid Cymru need to get into listening mode quickly and support teachers who are desperate to avoid a damp squib start to such a major overhaul of school education.”