How does Discovery RE support the Welsh Curriculum

Welsh education is going through a period of considerable change, with an extensive review being undertaken led by Professor Graham Donaldson, ‘Successful Futures’ which is going to have a major impact upon the Welsh curriculum.

“The children and young people of today are entering a fast-changing world that is increasingly competitive, globally connected and technological advanced. Schools are having to prepare our young people for jobs that have not been created and challenges that we are yet to encounter. This will require a renewed commitment to improving both the skills and knowledge of our young people, as we raise standards in our transformational curriculum. Education has never been more important. Education reform is our national mission.”

Kirsty Williams, Cabinet Secretary for Education

RE is in the Humanities section of the curriculum, with ‘Pioneer schools’ across Wales have been charged with developing the curriculum. The Humanities AoLE have identified what matters in RE and through exploring ‘what matters’ about the Humanities, pupils will study the past and present, and imagine possible futures, and will learn about people, place, time and beliefs.

Pupils will:

• understand historical, geographical, political, economic, religious and societal concepts.
• explore their environment to further develop their sense of place and wellbeing.
• engage in learning experiences about rights, values, ethics, beliefs, religion, philosophy and spirituality.
• consider, explore and make informed choices regarding sustainability and the impact of their actions.
• positively contribute to their community and critically engage with local, national and global issues to become a responsible citizen of Wales and the wider world.”

See https://democracy.monmouthshire.gov.uk/documents/s13137/6e.%20WG%20Humanities%20 Report.pdf

The curriculum is described as transformational, more relaxed and the aim is to develop more rounded pupils, with more emphasis being placed on health and wellbeing, making sure Welsh youngsters are ready to play a full part in life and work. The new curriculum is less about ticking boxes and more about ensuring pupils are “ethical, informed citizens” who better understand the world we live in which are developing inquiring minds, allowing pupils to make sense of and engage with the world around them.

The summary document can be downloaded below, and addresses all the following areas:

• How does the curriculum link with Discovery RE? – The pedagogies
• How does it relate to Estyn guidelines?
  • Standards
  • Well-being and attitudes to learning
  • Teaching and learning experiences
  • Care, support and guidance
  • Leadership and management
• Teacher’s Workload
• Discovery RE and Digital Competency Framework
• Training implications of the new Welsh Curriculum
• Conclusion

Written by John Meredith