Find out more about Curriculum for Wales, a curriculum that aims to create a successful and exciting future for all children and young people in Wales.
Curriculum for Wales is a continuum of learning for children from 3 to 16 years of age. There are no ‘phases’ or ‘stages’, with all children learning along the same continuum.
As it can sometimes be important to define the integral early years of a children’s learning, you may see the term ‘Foundation Learning’ being used to help differentiate the earlier years of the learning continuum when discussing practice, pedagogy and resources. Foundation Learning should not be used to describe the curriculum that children are learning through.
Central to the new curriculum are the four purposes. These four purposes are the same for all children and underpin all teaching and learning in Wales. The curriculum aims to develop children who are;
Ambitious, capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives
Enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work
Ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world
Healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.
To support childcare and early years practitioners with their delivery of curriculum and assessment for children in the early years, the Welsh Government have developed a suite of documents:
- A Quality Framework for Early Childhood Play, Learning and Care in Wales
- Early Childhood Play, Learning and Care: Developmental Pathways 0 to 3
- Early Childhood Play, Learning and Care: Assessment of children 0 to 3 (Coming Soon)
- A curriculum for funded non-maintained nursery settings
- Assessment arrangements for funded non-maintained nursery settings
These documents embed the mandatory elements of Curriculum for Wales within an appropriate pedagogical framework that focuses on the needs of the developing child through five developmental pathways. The documents should be used by Enabling adults, to support development of appropriate engaging experiences, effective environments and pedagogy whilst emphasising play as a fundamental right for all children.
FAQs
With regards to planning, will there be templates like we had with the Foundation Phase?
In short- no. A defining feature of the guidance, is that it is not an ‘off the shelf’ programme for delivery. The documents have been designed for practitioners to support them in developing appropriate effective environments and engaging experiences that respond to children’s interests and engages them further in their development and progress.
Enabling adults are encouraged to get to know their children and plan in a way that suits their children and staff best, trialling and reviewing different approaches within the setting.
What are the expectations with regards to assessment? What does it look like?
Under the Curriculum and Assessment Act (Wales) 2021, all providers of funded non-maintained nursery education have a legal duty to make and implement assessment arrangements to support children’s progression within their adopted curriculum.
However, under Standard 3 “Assessment” of the National Minimum Standards for regulated childcare registered persons from all registered childcare settings have a responsibility for ensuring that: “All children have their needs and preferences identified and their parents know how these will be met.”
It is important to note that this guidance moves away from the previous outcome driven forms of assessment and ‘tick list’ assessment.
Are Estyn/CIW aware of these documents?
Welsh Government has remained in contact with the inspectorates regarding guidance development. The inspectorates and Welsh Government have held a number of training and awareness session for inspectors, and inspectors also have access to the training modules which are available on Hwb, to support their understanding.
If you would like further support prior to or post inspection, please contact one of the curriculum and early years officers.
My setting does not receive funded nursery education hours, are these documents for us?
Settings that do not receive funding to provide education are still encouraged under the National Minimum Standards to deliver practice in line with the statutory curriculum requirements:
“7.1 The principles of the curriculum are understood and applied in a way appropriate to the age, abilities, and stage of development of children in their care and the nature of the provision. Non-funded settings are encouraged to incorporate this curriculum into their work.”
The guidance is age, ability and stage appropriate for the learners within your setting. Therefore, all settings are encouraged to adopt and implement this guidance.