Plans to raise education standards in Wales revealed

The education secretary Kirsty Williams has revealed details of a plan to continue to raise standards in education in Wales.

It aims to reduce the attainment gap and deliver an education system that is “a source of national pride and public confidence”.

Objectives also include introducing a new accountability model and ensuring strong and inclusive schools committed to excellence and well-being.

The plan sets out the actions the Welsh Government will continue to take to keep improving the education system, including reducing class sizes; reforming teacher training; establishing a national approach to long-term career development for teachers; and investing £1.1 billion to upgrade the quality of school buildings.

The Education Secretary also set out a revised timeline for introducing the new Curriculum for Wales, with statutory roll out to schools now set to begin in 2022 to give the teaching profession and schools more time to help develop, and prepare for, the changes.

The new curriculum will be introduced from nursery to Year 7 in 2022, rolling into Year 8 in 2023, Year 9 in 2024, Year 10 in 2025 and Year 11 in 2026. All schools will have access the final curriculum from 2020, to allow them to move towards full roll-out in 2022.