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?’
Creating this vision will entail imagining a different future for your school.
It is useful to have a shared understanding of the meaning of ‘vision’.
Select key words which you associate with vision, and then use them as a starting point to create your own definition.
Imagination
Hope
Transformation
Wisdom
Value
Discovery
It is also useful to agree on key principles on which to base your vision.
Which messages could be drawn from the pictures below?
Could they inspire the principles for your vision?
We need to care for and nurture our learners
We need to look out for new opportunities
We need to look outwards
We need to aim high
We need to fly in the same direction
We all start from different places
We need to see the whole picture
We need to be brave and take risks
We need support in place to help us
Most organisations from both the public and private sectors share their vision on their websites.
Follow the links on the right to take a look at examples of ways in which these organisations in Wales present their vision.
Consider the following questions:
Is their vision clearly communicated?
What does their vision statement focus on?
How would the organisation make it happen?
Are there any ideas which could be useful for your school vision?
The research undertaken in the previous activity will have provided you with an opportunity to reflect on the importance of a clear vision statement which will enable you to make decisions as you prepare to create your own vision.
Consider the four questions below, and list possible answers. There are some suggestions which may be useful in the drop-down bars. You may also wish to consider at this stage how this vision will be communicated and reviewed, so that it is embedded in the daily life of your school.
What is the national context?
What is our local context?
How has the world changed?
What is our future as a school?
How will our school look in 5 years?
What do our learners need?
Aims
Values
Mission
Commitment
All staff
Learners
Parents
Governors
The community
The vision of Curriculum for Wales is set out in the Curriculum for Wales guidance. It is embodied by the four purposes which represent the aspirations and ambitions for all learners in Wales.
“The four purposes are the shared vision and aspiration for every child and young person. In fulfilling these, we set high expectations for all, promote individual and national well-being, tackle ignorance and misinformation, and encourage critical and civic engagement.”
Curriculum for Wales
Curriculum for Wales must be regarded as framework which allows for interpretation in the context of your school. Your vision will therefore be unique to be meet the needs of your learners.
Starting with the national vision of the four purposes, schools will need to develop:
“a vision for curriculum in a school”
and
“a curriculum to make that vision a reality.”
Curriculum for Wales
FP EIC 2.pdfFP HCI 2.pdfFP ACL 2.pdfFP ECC 2.pdfReflecting on both the headings and the characteristics of the four purposes will enable schools to develop an in-depth understanding of the vision of Curriculum for Wales.
Using these resources, consider the following questions.
What do the four purposes mean for our learners?
How can we support our learners to realise them?
This opportunity to reflect in greater detail on the four purposes will provide a foundation from which to create your school vision.
Workshop 1 Four Purposes English.pdfBuilding on this foundation, it will be useful to ask questions about the values and skills your learners will need to enjoy future opportunities and face future challenges.
Here are a few examples of current societal and environmental changes. Consider these changes and the implications they will have for your learners in the future.
Which knowledge, skills and values do they need to develop as they adapt to these changes and endeavour to create innovative solutions to the challenges that will arise?
You may wish to consider additional changes, some of which might have particular relevance to your locality.
How will this understanding be reflected in your vision as you prepare your learners to realise the four purposes in a rapidly changing world ?
Vision task CfW.pdfIn Curriculum for Wales, the skills required to face future challenges are grouped as the integral skills. These must be applied across all areas of the curriculum and developed within a wide range of learning and teaching. They underpin the four purposes and as such must be considered when creating a vision for the curriculum in your school.
Skills integral to the four purposes
Creativity and innovation
Critical thinking and problem solving
Personal effectiveness
Planning and organising
Curriculum for Wales is a curriculum designed in Wales for Wales. It sets out the national expectations for improving the education for all learners. It should be regarded as a framework which allows schools and settings the autonomy and flexibility to design their own curriculum which meets the needs of their own learners. In order to do this, schools must be aware of the social, cultural, linguistic and economic landscape of their school and community.
Consider these graphs which provide data about a school community, based on a postcode.
How does this information enhance our understanding of this school’s community?
How does this enhanced understanding clarify the needs of the learners in this school?
How can the information gained from this exercise be used as a foundation for creating this school’s vision?
Streetcheck Resource.pdfThe information derives from www.streetcheck.co.uk and is one possible way of exploring the unique nature of a school’s community.
There are many other information sources, such as SHRN data, that you may find useful when creating a vision to meet the needs of your learners.
EqualityEquity.pdfThe vision in your school must be for a broad and balanced curriculum, which is accessible to all learners. It places the learner at the centre of all decision-making and must ensure maximum opportunities to progress towards the four purposes.
Raising aspirations for all learners is vital to realise the vision of Curriculum for Wales, and a school’s vision for its curriculum must enable all learners to fulfil their potential.
In a rapidly changing and uncertain world, how will you ensure that you involve the whole school and its community in creating a shared and purposeful vision for your school?