The Child in Wales: Education and Advocacy Challenges

1. Does every child still matter in Wales? Yes and no – depends who you are!

2. The Importance of the Child in Wales • Children and Young People are at the heart of policies in Wales, based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child • Specific Programme of Government relating to Children and Young People • Support for children by supporting families including Flying Start, Intensive Family Support and Families First • Children’s Commissioner who protects and promotes rights and welfare of Children and Young people • Advocacy – including Children and Young People’s assembly a forum for their opinions to be voiced.

3. Education in Wales • The Learning Country (2001) resulted in the parting of the ways with England after devolution Outcomes of this vision • Abolition of SATS • The Foundation Phase for 3 to 7 year olds. (2007) • The Skills based curriculum for KS 2 and 3 (2008) • Skills Framework (2008) • Pupils’ rights and needs at the core of education.

4. Overarching Aim Help everyone reach their potential and improve economic and social well being The programme developed from a speech made by former Education Minister Leighton Andrews in 2011 Education Section of the Programme of Government

5. Current Educational Priorities • To improve literacy and numeracy standards • To reduce the impact of poverty on educational attainment How? • Funding available to schools to implement measures that impact on either or both of the priorities (SEG, WEG and PDG) • Support for teachers on a range of issues • Hwb – the all Wales Learning Platform • Learning Wales website • Literacy and Numeracy Framework – Planning across the curriculum and Annual National Testing of all pupils from Y2 to Y9.

6. The threat and challenge of the Literacy and Numeracy Framework (LNF) A useful tool or a stick to beat schools with?

7. Does the child still matter? This is where we hit a brick wall…. • The LNF defines the expected level of attainment for a year group • It allows for pupils to be working at a variety of levels both below and above their year group • BUT Expectations for Year 2 are equivalent to level 3 and for year 6 are level 5 – that this will be the new norm is the challenge for many pupils.

8. Progress and reporting • When schools report to parents about their child’s progress that they will give a narrative report on the strands of Literacy and Numeracy.

9. Testing • And then there are the TESTS! • This is where the child does not seem to matter. • The Foundation Phase and The Skills based curriculum (2008) emphasise the need for collaboration, co-operation and communication through all phases of education. Skills of team work are paramount throughout.

10. Now you are on your own …… • Sit on your own • Don’t look at anyone else’s work • Don’t talk • Don’t get up out of your seat to check the display or find your spelling book • Don’t ask your teacher or your friend • Complete and check the test but we won’t be going over it afterwards!

11. Additional or Special needs • Extra time? maybe • Extra help? Scribe, computer, BUT no adjustment for language deficit • Dyslexia – too much on a page, constant turning back and forwards in the test booklet to read and answer questions • Disapplication? Does everyone have to do the tests?

12. Limited value of assessment • Can’t test some pupils because it doesn’t measure progress for pupils working below age expectations • Not diagnostic • Doesn’t tell teachers anything new!

13. Summary • One of the major structures that has been put in place to measure school and pupil progress says that some children don’t matter in the testing process! • The process seems to be about measuring not evaluating progress • THE ONLY THING THAT SEEMS TO MATTER IS DATA! If it can be measured numerically, it must matter if it can’t - it doesn’t • The LNF could be a really useful tool to aid progress - BUT it should be STAGE NOT AGE - the fundamental of the Foundation Phase.