Thinking about your Vision
A school vision encompasses the aspirations and goals for the future of a school as a learning community. A vision is reflected in a shared commitment which drives the curriculum and the school’s daily practice together.
Key Principles
The vision outlines the big picture which provides purpose and direction for all members of the school community.
A vision is made stronger by involving the whole school community in its creation.
The unique context of the school needs to be considered when creating the vision.
Everyone has a part to play and understands their role in working towards the vision including the learner.
This understanding brings motivation, ownership and a sense of responsibility.
Key considerations:
What are the needs and priorities for our school?
How do we ensure that every member of the school community can contribute towards our vision?
How is our vision created, communicated and reviewed?
How do we ensure that our vision is realised through our decision-making at all levels?
What are the professional learning needs of our school community as we prepare to fulfil our roles?
Resource:
An equitable vision
What do we mean by equity?
True equity ensures that everyone’s differing needs are met so that they may be successful and reach their full potential.
What do we mean by wellbeing?
Wellbeing is about creating the conditions for individuals and communities to thrive. It encompasses our emotional, physical and mental health and is fundamental for learning to take place.
Key Principles
Nurturing a safe and supportive environment for all to flourish should be an integral part of the school vision.
Providing equity in our school is an important step towards reducing inequalities and providing the best possible opportunities for all.
An agreed whole-school approach towards wellbeing and equity can lead to a prosperous learning community which shares a joint sense of meaning and purpose.
Key considerations:
How do we consider our staff and all learners’ needs with regard to equity and wellbeing?
How do we support our staff to understand and respond to the intrinsic link between wellbeing and learning in moving towards the four purposes?
How do we ensure that the wellbeing of our staff and learners is palpable at all levels and in all contexts in our school?
How do we know that our strategies to further equity and wellbeing in our school are efficient?
Whole school vision workshops
Curriculum for Wales underpins all the current reforms to enable us to realise the national mission of improving education in Wales. As such, it affords all schools and settings the unique opportunity to create a new curriculum for the future of our children and young people.
Creating a vision for your school will be the starting point for designing this new curriculum. The question to ask yourselves is not ‘How will it be if we do things better?’, but ‘How could it be if we did things differently?’ Follow the link below to this workshop.
AoLEs and your vision
The following six AoLE workshops are a first step as you start to engage with the vision of Curriculum for Wales, before embarking on the design process. The six areas of learning and experience are a requirement for all schools and are to be regarded as a vehicle for enabling schools and settings to realise the vision and principles of Curriculum for Wales. Therefore, the overarching guidance and the guidance for the areas of learning and experience must be considered together throughout the design process. It is important to remember that the guidance for each Area includes only what is unique to each AoLE.
These six areas of learning and experience bring different disciplines together through opportunities that support learners to make meaningful connections not only within Areas but also across Areas. This allows for recurrence and transference to different contexts, which leads to breadth and depth in learning for the learners as they progress towards the four purposes. Whilst the distinct nature of each Area is important, collaboration within and across the Areas is essential if we are to build a holistic and integrated curriculum for every learner.
The essential learning required to realise the four purposes in each AoLE is encapsulated in the 27 statements of what matters. They represent the sum of what learners need to know and understand when they leave compulsory education and should be viewed together so that connections can be made across the areas of learning and experience to provide a coherent framework of learning.
These workshops will offer opportunities to reflect on the vision and key principles of each Area, to gain a clear understanding of what is new, and to consider fresh approaches to pedagogy. They include suggested activities, which you can undertake individually or collectively and should provide a starting point as you create your own vision for your own learners.
