Curriculum Information

This module focuses upon enabling students to begin to understand the background, history, policies and theory surrounding the education sector in Wales.

Knowledge of the following areas will be covered in this module: 

• Theories and research about pedagogy, human development and learning, how to engage with research and theory and the importance of integrating theory and practice. 

• The history of education and education policy in Wales, including the Welsh Government’s vision as set out in Our National Mission: High Standards and Aspirations for All (Welsh Government, 2023) 

• Working with a purposes-based curriculum. 

• The diverse and changing nature of the school population in Wales and learners’ right to a voice in matters that relate to their lives. 

• The complex influences of personal, social and cultural factors on learners and teachers. 

• The role of assessment in learning and teaching. 

• The Additional Learning Needs Code (2021) and Act (2018). 

• Evidence informed strategies to reduce the impact of disadvantage, poverty and inequity on pupils’ progression and attainment. 

• The role of well-being in effective learning, including the ability to identify learners who are at risk of experience poor well-being. Student teachers will examine the most effective models deployed by schools and their partners to improve the well-being of all learners. 

• Introduction to schemas, how they influence a child’s development and how they can inform practice. 

• Current legislation and policy, including: 

• the Curriculum for Wales framework 

• A Children’s Rights Approach to Education in Wales 

• The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 

• The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) 

• The Equality Act (2010) 

• The Framework on embedding a whole-school approach to emotional and mental wellbeing (2021) 

• Cymraeg 2050: A million Welsh Speakers (2017) 

• Anti-racist Wales Action Plan (2022) 

• The cross-curricular skills frameworks and their implications for curriculum design, development and delivery. 

• Current organisation and management of schools in Wales and tiers of accountability within the system.