Welsh government announces planned improvements to education system

The Welsh government has announced a new national educational plan that aims to raise teaching standards and reduce the attainment gap between the best and worst performers.

Outlined by education secretary Kirsty Williams, the initiatives will encompass efforts to reduce class sizes and the amount of unnecessary bureaucracy faced by teaching staff, while the current teacher training system is also set to be overhauled.

This will include the creation of a new national approach to long-term career development for teachers and the establishment of a National Academy for Educational Leadership, all of which will help to equip staff with the skills they will need to tackle the educational challenges of the future.

Additionally, £1.1 billion will be spent to upgrade the quality of school buildings, while new support will be introduced for learners with specific learning needs.

Ms Williams said: "We all share a responsibility to inspire and challenge the next generation. That is why we will support teachers with continuous learning and development, better support and identify our leaders, and reduce class sizes so that we can raise standards for all."

In addition to these steps, the education secretary has announced a revised timeline for the government's plans to introducing a new Curriculum for Wales, with the statutory rollout now set to begin in 2022. The decision behind this new timescale is to give teachers and schools more time to help develop and prepare for the changes.

As such, the curriculum will now be introduced from nursery to year 7 in 2022, before coming into effect for year 8 students 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, allowing them to move ahead with a full rollout in 2022.