Will the Minister provide details on schools that are cause for concern and in receipt of bespoke and intensive support as stated in the Curriculum for Wales: Annual Report 2022, with regards to the implementation of the Curriculum for Wales?
In the Curriculum for Wales Annual Report, the reference to schools causing concern relates to their statutory follow up category (significant improvement or special measures) as determined by Estyn following inspection. Where inspectors identify serious shortcomings in one or more inspection area, a school will normally require a statutory level of follow up activity. This recognises that, for some schools, wider underlying challenges may impact on their ability to progress their curriculum development work.
Through conversations with the regional consortia, partnerships and local authorities, schools are receiving bespoke support to enable them to progress confidently on their curriculum journey. This support needs to be bespoke as the approach for each individual school is not linear: school improvement services recognise this and must respond in an enabling and supportive way. I have recently published school improvement guidance which puts Curriculum for Wales and the learners it serves at the heart. It sets a consistent framework for undertaking, understanding, and sharing each school’s improvement journey.