Learning, teaching and assessment

Curriculum for Wales embodies the premise that a highly effective curriculum recognises that curriculum, pedagogy and assessment cannot exist independently of each other.  It follows therefore that school curriculum design must be considered with pedagogy and assessment as integral to it.

Learning encompasses understanding, skills and knowledge developed through wide-ranging and diverse learning experiences. These can be transferred to different contexts as learning deepens. Teachers must have a shared understanding of how learners learn in order to ensure that they become active learners. This is a process of internalising information and mixing it with what we experience to change what we know and build on what we do. In constructing a curriculum schools need high-quality teachers with a sound understanding of the ‘why’ and ‘how’ of teaching as well as the ‘what’.

Effective assessment practice is crucial to the learning process, enabling every learner to make progress. The purpose of assessment in Curriculum for Wales is to support progression towards the four purposes. Schools will therefore need to ensure that practitioners develop a shared understanding of what progression looks like, across the school, in order to inform planning for learning. Schools should give themselves permission to stop any assessment practices that do not contribute to this. With appropriate support and challenge, learners will not only make progress, but will also learn to recognise their individual achievements and identify their next steps in learning independently. Curriculum for Wales places the focus of assessment in schools on formative assessment, taking place while the learning is happening, and considering the whole child – their knowledge, skills, experiences, attitudes, values and wellbeing.

Schools have the autonomy to design a curriculum appropriate for their context and their learners’ individual needs whilst including the learners in the process. Learning experiences should ensure that there is scope for breadth and depth of learning allowing learners to progress at their own pace and providing effective support.