Written question WQ83674

The Programme for Government includes a commitment to ‘eliminate inequality at every level of society’ including education policies, which will allow everyone the best life chances through addressing the systemic causes of inequality in all its forms.

My officials are undertaking a review of current policies in this area leading to a new Strategy for Educational Equity which we will publish early in 2022. This will focus on how we can raise educational attainment for all to ensure equity, with a strong focus on reducing inequalities that are caused by a range of factors, most notably socio-economic disadvantage.

Key elements of the strategy will include supporting the wellbeing of pupils and ensuring they make strong progression in their learning from the early years through to the end of secondary education and beyond. We will also be seeking stronger engagement of families and our communities in supporting pupil learning and progression.

To achieve this we intend to deliver on the Programme for Government commitment to develop community schools, which will promote strong family and community engagement.

Schools are ideally placed to support the multi-agency ‘wrap around’ support for children and families that we know can be so impactful. We also intend to use schools more as community hubs, making the best use of their facilities for their communities and as centres for lifelong learning opportunities.

In light of the ongoing pandemic, as part of our Renew and Reform plan, we have committed £160m in funding for the 2021-22 financial year, with a clear focus on bespoke support for disadvantaged learners and those in other priority categories. This includes the following support for learners’ attainment:

• £35.8m to continue recruit, recover and raise standards, retaining and supporting the 1,800 full-time equivalent staff recruited

• £13m to support Foundation Phase provision and non-maintained settings

• £6.25m to support learner wellbeing and progression in schools, and to establish resilience for future Covid-19 outbreaks and longer-term planning

The Curriculum for Wales is central to our aspirations for learners’ attainment. From the outset, the guidance makes clear the importance of developing a curriculum with high expectations that will enable all learners to achieve their full potential.

This includes assessment arrangements that will focus on identifying each individual learner’s strengths, achievements, areas for improvement and, if relevant, any barriers to learning so that all leaners are challenged and supported to progress.

In September I published the Journey to Curriculum Rollout which clarified expectations for schools in preparing for reform. This challenges schools to ensure high standards and sustainable progress for all learners. Earlier this year, I also announced we would provide £7.24m to schools for curriculum development. This is being used to free up time and space in schools so they can plan their approaches to curriculum and work collaboratively with other schools. That is critical so that learning is joined up and ensures learners progress to their full potential.

We have also developed non-statutory school improvement guidance that sets out a framework for evaluation, improvement and accountability for schools, local authorities, regional consortia and Estyn. The guidance aims to support the principles and practices of the curriculum for Wales and to create the significant system and culture changes necessary for the new curriculum to succeed.

The overarching purpose of the guidance is to help schools to improve in order to give learners the best possible learning experiences and outcomes. The new evaluation, improvement and accountability arrangements are designed to ensure that schools’ performance is evaluated using a wide range of evidence and information, covering the breadth of school activity, including learner progress and well-being, when determining school improvement priorities. Officials are now finalising the guidance following a public consultation.