More time needed for Welsh schools to implement major curriculum and qualification reforms

The NASUWT - The Teachers' Union is today calling for the delay of New Curriculum and qualifications reforms to give schools and teachers more time to prepare for such fundamental changes.

The NASUWT - The Teachers' Union is today calling for the delay of New Curriculum and qualifications reforms to give schools and teachers more time to prepare for such fundamental changes.
Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary, said:
"It is clear that now is not the time for far reaching and wide-scale reforms. The New Curriculum and Qualifications Reform need to be pushed back until teachers are ready.
"This proposal has arrived amid a recruitment and retention crisis amongst teachers. The latest reports reveal that there are 450 fewer classroom teachers in Wales than last year.
"Teachers are being stretched to breaking point. Adding unnecessary pressures will only exacerbate unprecedented workloads forcing the recruitment and retention crisis to deepen. The New Curriculum and new Qualifications cannot be adequately taught in overcrowded classrooms.
"A rushed approach to reforms will undermine the education recovery and risks failing teachers and their students."
Neil Butler, NASUWT National Official Wales said:
"The NASUWT has already lobbied to delay the implementation of the new curriculum but the Wales Education Minister's concession to an optional delay in year 7 simply did not go far enough.
"As a result, many schools will forge ahead with the new curriculum regardless even though teachers are not ready. The Educational Workforce Council's (EWC) survey revealed that just over two thirds of school leaders thought their staff were ready for the changes, but only one third of teachers indicated that they felt prepared. We suspect that disparity may be even higher amongst Secondary sector - where greater problems with the new curriculum are presently occurring.
"The EWC survey also showed that 64.5% of school leaders said that they would benefit from more time to prepare for the new curriculum. It's clear more time is needed to get to grips with the new curriculum before qualification reform is begun.
​"These reforms are running before they can walk. The priority needs to be recruiting new teachers and providing resources and space to teachers in post so that they can deliver a successful New Curriculum and supporting qualifications. The reforms have to be done when the time is right and that is not now. "