The more we speak to teachers about Curriculum for Wales, the more one thing becomes clear – we need to talk about assessment.
We feel strongly that there hasn’t been an open and honest discussion about the role of assessment in CfW, at least not in any open forum.
With teachers across the country working hard to transition to a new curriculum while also dealing with the effects of a global pandemic, we decided to have that discussion.
That’s why we launched our ‘Let’s talk assessment’ series of webinars earlier this year.
Across three sessions, hundreds of teachers joined us to hear from curriculum experts about the role of assessment in CfW and to gather ideas about what it might look like in practice.
Each of the three webinars focused on one of the three purposes for assessment in CfW.
In our first webinar, we heard from Dave Stacey, senior lecturer and PGCE tutor at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
He said that the focus of the conversation over the last few years has been on curriculum, but curriculum alone won’t be a sufficient driver to bring about all the improvements in the education system that we are hoping for.
Instead, he said, pedagogy, curriculum and assessment must be thought of as interlinked, interdependent systems.
In our second webinar, we heard from Daisy Christodoulou, Director of Education at No More Marking, an education company focused on assessment.
In her presentation, she discussed understanding group progress to reflect on practice.
In our third webinar, we heard from Michael Chiles, a teacher and author of The CRAFT of Assessment.
In his presentation, he looked at how we can reflect, identify and explore student progress over time
In each episode, we had a panel of experts from secondary, primary and special schools to discuss the subject and answer questions. These included:
- Melissa Armishaw, Head of Waunfawr Primary
- Damian Benney, Deputy Head at Penyrheol Comprehensive
- Sam Eaton, Assistant Head at Cardiff High
- Rachel George, Ysgol Maes y Coed
- Andy Keegan, Pontlliw Primary
- Adam Lopez, Head of Sageston Primary
- Barri Mock, Welsh Lead at Risca Comprehensive
- Ceri Richmond, Deputy Head at Morriston Comprehensive
- Steph Robinson, Head of Geography at Pencoedtre High
The date for Curriculum for Wales implementation is getting closer, and we feel there’s still a lack of clarity over the role and purpose of assessment and progression.
We will keep pushing the Welsh Government and the Education Minister for clearer guidance on this specifically and better support for teachers to implement the new curriculum generally.
Across our three webinars we had some valuable and insightful discussions on these subjects. They are well worth a watch.
Let’s talk assessment 1
Let’s talk assessment 2
Let’s talk assessment 3
If you would like to have a chat about assessment, or about implementing Curriculum for Wales in your school, get in touch to find out how we can help you make an impact in your school.