NDM7342 Plaid Cymru debate - Proposed New Curriculum

NDM7342 Sian Gwenllian (Arfon)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Declares its general support for the purpose of the proposed new curriculum, which is to enable learners to develop as:

a) ambitious, capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives;

b) enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work;

c) ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world; and

d) healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society. 

2. Agrees that introducing the new curriculum offers a historic opportunity to right many structural injustices in Wales.

3. Welcomes the Welsh Government’s recognition that government has a responsibility to take specific steps to ensure that the curriculum guarantees a baseline of provision for young people across Wales as a matter of basic human rights and welcomes that some elements of the new curriculum will be mandatory as a result.

4. Agrees that the mandatory elements of the curriculum should include:

a) black and people of colour history; and

b) the history of Wales.

5. Agrees that the new curriculum should support all learners to be fluent in Welsh and English, but that English does not need to be included in the list of mandatory elements in order to achieve this aim.

The following amendments have been tabled:

Amendment 1 - Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

Delete point 2 and replace with: 

Agrees that the new curriculum, if it succeeds in its aims, can help develop a confident, mutually responsible citizenry who will be proactive in tackling injustice from all sources.

Amendment 2 - Rebecca Evans (Gower)

Delete points 4 and 5 and replace with:

Recognises that the new Curriculum for Wales Humanities guidance “promotes an understanding of the ethnic and cultural diversity within Wales” and “enables learners to take committed social action as participative citizens of their local, national and global communities.”

Welcomes the Welsh Government’s commitment to:

a) work with Estyn to ensure that their review of Welsh history takes full account of Welsh, and wider, BAME history, identity and culture; and

b) establishing a working group to oversee the development of learning resources, and identify gaps in current resources or training related to BAME communities, their contributions and experiences.

Agrees that the new curriculum should support all learners to learn Welsh and English.

Curriculum for Wales - Humanities - Guidance 

[If Amendment 2 is agreed amendments 3 and 4 will be de-selected]

Amendment 3 - Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

In point 4, delete sub-points 4(a) and 4(b) and replace with:

the histories of Wales; the histories of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland; and histories of other parts of the world, and that:

(i) all the above to include black and people of colour history; and

(ii) all the above to be contextualised;

the teaching of life saving skills, as identified as a priority by the Youth Parliament.

Amendment 4 - Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

Delete point 5 and replace with:

Agrees that the new curriculum should support all learners to be fluent in Welsh and English, ensuring that support for Welsh learning takes into account the already advantageous effect of learners’ greater environmental exposure to English.

Amendment 5 - Neil McEvoy (South Wales Central)

Add as new point at end of motion:

Calls on the Welsh Government to ensure that the curriculum makes provision for learning Welsh and that this is accompanied by investment to make Welsh language intensive immersion courses freely available for teachers and pupils alike. 

Amendment 6 - Neil McEvoy (South Wales Central)

Add as new point at end of motion:

Calls on the new curriculum to ensure that every pupil is taught a modern foreign language from year 1 of school.

Amendment 7 - Neil McEvoy (South Wales Central)

Add as new point at end of motion:

Believes that implementing the new curriculum successfully can be best achieved by cutting class sizes to under 20 pupils.

Amendment 8 - Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

Add as new point at end of motion:

Calls on Welsh Government to commit to reconsidering the commencement date for the implementation of the new curriculum to accommodate delays in preparation due to Covid-19.