Project supporting practitioner-led curriculum realisation in Wales shares final findings and recommendations

The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) and the University of Glasgow are empowering practitioners and informing politicians to realise the Curriculum for Wales, with the publication of final findings from a longitudinal research collaboration. 

Funded by the Welsh Government, the Camau i’r Dyfodol research project was designed to support education professionals in Wales to advance practical understandings of progression in learning as they worked to realise Curriculum for Wales (CfW). 

Findings from the fourth and final phase of the project have now been shared in a report that offers key recommendations to support the coherent and sustainable realisation of the CfW, across all schools in Wales. 

The report is published at a time when all four UK nations are engaged in curriculum review, reform or development, making its findings relevant to wider discussions about curriculum design and implementation across the UK.

This is a major step forward in understanding how the Curriculum for Wales (CfW) can be realised in practice, with learning from previous phases attracting positive feedback from educators and policy makers.

Key findings from the report included:

• Uncertainty over accountability was seen as a barrier to change
• Language, volume and vagueness of the curriculum framework documents were barriers to realising CfW coherently. 
• Curriculum design requires specific professional knowledge and skills that teachers may need to develop
• CfW has been realised across the system in very different ways, drawing on different curriculum models and underpinning philosophies 

A representative from the Welsh Government said: “The partnership with CAMAU has been an important part of our approach to Curriculum realisation, ensuring our approach is grounded in evidence and the experiences of schools.  CAMAU’s work continues to directly inform our professional learning support as we move as a system beyond initial Curriculum rollout into sustained continuous improvement.”

Dr Sonny Singh, Principal Investigator at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, commented: “Our Phase 4 findings show that the future of Welsh education depends on greater consistency and coherence across the system. By clearly recognising the Curriculum for Wales as a purpose-led process model and building trust-based accountability, we can support schools to deliver genuinely learner-centred education.”

David Morrison-Love, Principal Investigator at the University of Glasgow, added: “The project enabled us to work with people from across the Welsh education system and has advanced our understanding of national curriculum reform. We would like to thank everyone who took part and we hope this work can help in realising the educational potential and possibilities this curriculum holds for the children, young people and teachers of Wales.”

The report sets out four recommendations for the Welsh Education system drawn from the evidence and findings across all four phases of the Camau i’r Dyfodol project, with the aim of providing Welsh Government with an evidence-base to support curriculum realisation:

Support consistent understanding of CfW as a process model of curriculum design

Clarification of the Curriculum for Wales framework to state explicitly that CfW aligns with a process (learner development) model and outline what this means for how knowledge, progression, assessment and pedagogy are considered during curriculum-making; offering a clear overview of how to work with the framework using a process approach to curriculum making and clarify that this approach does not mix with other curriculum models. 

To strengthen system integrity, enable professional learning opportunities and ways of working that align with the nature of CfW

Aligning professional learning at all levels in the system with understanding of CfW as a process model of curriculum design to enable coherent realisation and consistent ways of working locally and across the system; considering how to provide time and space for system professionals to engage with coherent learning that supports development of the conceptual grounding needed for curriculum; and enabling Education Support Partners and teacher educators to provide professional learning that supports coherence across the system.

Reduce, refine and clarify the curriculum framework to create internal coherence

Situating the framework more fully in clear educational language that has professional meaning, and avoiding the use of vague metaphors that suggest defined end points or linear performance; consider revising the Progression Code to focus on the overarching principles of progression rather than also including principles at AoLE level. Clarify the term progression as progress in relation to the Four Purposes. 

Provide clearer guidance on the integrated nature of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment

Creating a document that provides guidance on research-informed approaches to pedagogies and assessment that align with a process model of curriculum design; giving 

guidance on ways of teaching and assessing learning that align with a process approach, and signal more fully the shift from accountability-based forms of assessment. 

The system at all levels should trust and encourage practitioners to communicate what children and young people have learned through forms of assessment that support learning and encourage children and young people to communicate their learning in a variety of ways. 

Feedback on the project from educators has been positive, with on teacher commenting: “I think that this is probably the closest we’ve got to so far in, what - five years of working on this?- to ‘ohh - we can define what our curriculum is. We’ve just developed the understanding of what the purpose of Curriculum for Wales is, you know, what the thinking behind it is - what we’re trying to achieve by that as a nation, not just as a school.”

Notes to Editors

Reports can be accessed:  University of Glasgow - Research - Research units A-Z - Camau i’r Dyfodol Project - Project Publications

The Camau I’r Dyfodol project involved more than 400 education professionals from across all levels of the Welsh Education system and was designed to advance practical understandings of learning progression and support coherent realisation the Curriculum for Wales. 

It ran from 2022-2025 and involved four phases of research. In the initial phases, we explored the perspectives of education professionals in Wales about the realisation of Curriculum for Wales, reviewed literature on progression, and worked with system professionals to co-construct practical understandings of progression. In the latter phases, we supported practical curriculum making in schools and developed recommendations for sustainable system change beyond the life of the project. The project used a responsive methodology where findings from one phase shaped the design of the next.

The three Principal Investigators for the Camau i’r Dyfodol project are:

Sonny Singh (University of Wales Trinity Saint David)

David Morrison-Love (University of Glasgow)

Kara Makara Fuller (University of Glasgow)

University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD)

The University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) is part of the UWTSD Group, a distinctive educational partnership that brings together higher and further education institutions, including Coleg Sir Gâr, Coleg Ceredigion, and the University of Wales. The Group provides integrated learning opportunities from further education through to postgraduate study, supporting students, employers and communities across Wales and beyond.

UWTSD’s vision is to create positive social, cultural and economic impact through education, innovation and civic engagement. At the heart of this vision is a commitment to widening access to learning, promoting the well-being and heritage of Wales, and equipping learners of all ages and backgrounds with the skills and knowledge needed to succeed.

UWTSD places students at the centre of its mission and offers a relevant and inspiring bilingual learning experience within a supportive environment. The University is committed to ensuring that learners from all backgrounds are empowered to achieve their full potential.

University of Glasgow

The University of Glasgow is a top world 100 University (THE, QS) and was the Times and Sunday Times Good University of the Year 2022.

The University is a member of the prestigious Russell Group of leading UK Universities and has annual research income of more than £180m.

As a world-leading, research-intensive University, the University of Glasgow is committed to contributing towards the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and has committed to carbon neutrality by 2030.

Glasgow was the first UK University to declare it would divest from fossil fuels within a decade and the first in Scotland to declare a Climate Emergency.  

In 2021, the University of Glasgow received a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for its national service to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Further Information

Arwel Lloyd

Principal PR and Communications Officer    
Corporate Communications and PR    
Email:  arwel.lloyd@uwtsd.ac.uk    
Phone: 07384 467076