Curriculum for Wales Cwricwlwm i Gymru
Our reforms and new curriculum will support young people to develop the skills they need to make the most of life.
What is changing?
There will be a new curriculum, made in Wales by teachers, partners, practitioners, and businesses and shaped by the best ideas from around the world.
Assessment will be part of your child’s learning every day and they’ll work with their teachers to understand how well they’re doing. There will also be new ways of training and supporting staff and help for schools to improve. These changes will all complement the new curriculum.
Why must we make these changes?
The national curriculum was first introduced in 1988 before online shopping, Google and the Cloud. Now, the world of work is different, technology is different, society is constantly changing.
The curriculum must prepare young people to develop higher standards of literacy and numeracy, to become more digitally and bilingually competent, and to be confident, capable and compassionate citizens – citizens of Wales and citizens of the world.
Additional Learning Needs
The way children who receive additional support for their learning in Wales is changing. New legislation including the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (ALNET) Act 2018, and the ALN Code will be implemented over a 3 year
period, starting from 1 September 2021.
Who will these changes be affecting?
From 1 September 2021, the ALN system will commence for all children up to, and including, Year 10, and who are newly thought to have, or are newly identified as having, ALN on or after 1 September 2021, regardless of how their education is
delivered. This is also referred to as emerging needs.
That is, children who do not have a statement of SEN, do not have Special Education Provision via early years action/early years action plus school action/school action plus nor are they involved in any SEN statement process.
The ALN system commences for these newly identified children regardless of how their education is delivered. This includes, for example, children who attend a
maintained school, a PRU, an independent nursery, an independent school, an FEI
or children who are electively home educated.
In addition, the ALN system will commence on 1 September 2021 for any child of
compulsory school age who is detained.
If the school feels that your child is having difficulty making expected progress with:
- Learning skills
- Communication skills
- Behaviour, emotional or social skills
We will provide support to aid your child’s progress through our universal provisions. They may receive targeted support and provisions to ensure that they make progress and achieve. All pupils are given an equal opportunity to access the curriculum and experience the range of opportunities on offer to them at school.
We will hold a person centred review meeting with family, professionals that are important for your child. In these PCP meetings we will listen to and understand your child’s views and wishes, supporting your child to think about what is important to them and for them. We will help you and your child to think about what’s working and not working, making sure that your child gets the best support from everyone for
example, you, the school and other professionals.
Following this PCP meeting we will agree that your child may need support and provisions not available to all learners and their needs would be planned for in a school based Individual Development Plan which would be reviewed alongside you on a yearly basis. For some children, it may be felt that their needs should be referred to County for their advice support and ongoing support, provision through a County led Individual Development Plan.
Healthy Schools Scheme
Golden Grove is part of the Pembrokeshire Health Promoting School Scheme, for which we have recently achieved the gold standard for our outstanding commitment to this HPS (May 2021).
As part of this scheme we aim:
- To promote actively the self-esteem of all members of the school community.
- To actively develop good relationships in the daily life of the school.
- To identify, develop and communicate a positive ethos and appropriate social values within the school community.
- To ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to benefit from stimulating educational challenges.
- To take every opportunity to enhance the environment of the school.
- To develop good school/home/community links and shared activities.
- To encourage all staff to fulfil their health promoting role, through staff development and training.
- To develop and implement a coherent health education curriculum.
- To establish good links with associated schools to ensure smooth transition, both socially and in relation to a developmental health education programme.
- To develop the school as a health promoting workplace with a commitment to the health and well-being of all staff.
- To develop the complementary role of all school policies to the health education curriculum, such that the curriculum reflects the contents of the policy and the policy reinforces the curriculum.
- To develop partnerships with appropriate outside agencies and individuals, including the school health service, for advice and active support for health education and health promotion in the school.
The school has been active in the Healthy Schools Scheme. Pupils’ health and wellbeing is a high priority. The School Council and Eco Committee are made up of elected representatives from each class. We have a fruit tuck shop where children can purchase fruit for a small charge. There is access to water at all times during the school day and we actively encourage children to bring a water bottle to school every day. In the Foundation Phase milk and fruit snack is made available to all children daily. We encourage children to bring a healthy school lunch box.
In the Foundation Phase all children are part of the ‘Designed to Smile’ initiative; you will be asked to complete a consent form for your child to participate if they are part of this phase. Tooth brushing takes place daily, all children are provided with a toothbrush free of charge.