Education
Call for school inspections pause
NAHT CYMRU and NEU Cymru have written to the Cabinet Secretary Kirsty Williams to suggest a moratorium on Estyn inspections during the period that schools are implementing the new curriculum in Wales.
The letter reflects on the need to make sure that the way in which schools in Wales are inspected properly reflects the new curriculum that they are currently implementing. The concern for school leaders and staff is that at present, the two things could become out of step.
Rob Williams, Director of Policy at NAHT Cymru, the association for school leaders in Wales, said: “The role of the inspectorate is an essential part of the school system in Wales. Where public money is being spent, taxpayers are entitled to know how standards are to be kept high.
“Everyone in education in Wales is keen to raise standards. The efforts of the profession are focused on implementing the far reaching reforms that have been put in place recently. We need to be bold and we need to able to think differently.
“NAHT Cymru believes that some space needs to be created for reforms to bed in. Schools may struggle to implement the changes fully if they are awaiting a visit from Estyn. Along with our colleagues in NEU, we suggest a moratorium on inspection for a set period.
“Estyn has a critical role to play in making sure that Wales’ education system improves year on year. They need time to adjust too, just as schools are doing now. Reforms are much more likely to be successful if we pause inspection for a short period. During this time, schools can embed the new curriculum and assessment arrangements and the inspectorate can adapt its approach so that each part of the school system is fit for the future.”
David Evans, Wales Secretary of the National Education Union Cymru, said: “There are some big changes coming both to the way the curriculum is focused and to how it is delivered. I think there are legitimate concerns that caught schools between the old curriculum and implementing the new approach will find the inspection process not only disruptive but very possibly a significant hindrance to this change. Inspections during this period will also be evaluating different styles of teaching at different times given the phased timeline we have for the new curriculum introduction. A moratorium on inspections will therefore be a benefit for everyone.”
Keith Bowen, Director of the National Education Union Cymru, added: “For school leaders and teachers it will give them the confidence to be able to make bold changes knowing they can fully implement them before having to justify the impact. For Estyn it means they will be able to reassess their approach and, as has been encouraged by Professor Donaldson previously, develop a more informative assessment that works on the objections and merits of the new curriculum, valuing some of the new aspects that perhaps have not been given due credit in the past.”
MORE than 300 face-visors have already been produced by staff at Ysgol Bro Pedr, Ysgol Penglais, Ysgol Bro Teifi and Ysgol Uwchradd Aberteifi.
These face-visors provide much needed protection for front-line workers in Ceredigion. The visors are produced on the schools’ 3-D printers.
Plans are in place to produce another 2,000 of these vital visors.
Meinir Ebbsworth, Corporate Lead Officer – Schools said, “We are extremely grateful to our staff who are using their expertise and school equipment to help others.”
Ceredigion County Council are proud of the contribution that our schools are making during this difficult and challenging times, and to all our staff and volunteers who have shown such goodwill to help others.
To mark Holocaust Memorial Day, Ceredigion pupils had the opportunity to hear the story of a Holocaust survivor.
On 27 January 2020, it was the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration and death camp Auschwitz-Birkenau. Dr Martin Stern MBE was five years old when he was arrested at his school.
His journey was a difficult one being close to death on a few occasions. Dr Stern moved to Britain in 1950 and became a Doctor. These days, Dr Stern is educating young people about what happened. On 29 January 2020, he came to Aberaeron to talk to a hall full of Ceredigion’s young people.
Meinir Ebbsworth, Corporate Lead Officer for Schools said, “75 years ago, the world saw images of people coming out of the camps and coming to terms with what had happened. We are so grateful to Dr Martin Stern for coming to Ceredigion to share his story and experiences. It is not easy to talk about a very dark time in the world’s history. I hope our pupils have considered what we had heard. Due to the overwhelming silence in the room when Dr Stern was speaking, I think they really appreciated the afternoon.”
The afternoon was jointly organised by Ceredigion County Council’s schools service and ERW.
Hyfforddiant Ceredigion Training (HCT) continue to lead the way in skills competitions across the UK. The latest success story is Bayley Harris, who recently qualified as a Level 2 hairdresser at HCT.
After succeeding in demanding regional and national qualifying rounds, Bayley earned a spot in the grand final of the WorldSkills UK competition which was held from 21 to 23 November 2019 at the NEC in Birmingham.
The competition took place over three full days, with Bayley having to compete in five different categories including dressing long hair, cutting, colouring, bridal hair and barbering. She finished in third place out of a total of ten top-class hairdressers, earning her the bronze medal in the awards ceremony.
As a result of her outstanding performance, Bayley has been selected for the Squad UK for the prestigious international WorldSkills Competition which will take place in Shanghai, China in 2021.
HCT hairdressing tutor Carys Randell, congratulated Bayley for doing so well in the competitions, as they were very intense and of an extremely high standard. She went on to add, “I am so proud of Bayley for coming third in the UK, and I look forward to supporting her on her next journey in Squad UK.”
The WorldSkills competition in Shanghai will feature over 1000 of the world’s most talented apprentices and students competing in over 50 different skills as they battle it out to be named the World Champion in their respective vocation.
Catrin Miles is the Cabinet member responsible for Learning Services and Life-long learning. She said, “It’s great to follow Bayley’s journey within the hairdressing industry. This latest award is a credit to her. Bayley shows where you can reach if you put your mind to work with the support of Ceredigion Training. Good luck in the UK Squad.”
All staff and learners at HCT would like to congratulate Bayley in her most recent competition success and wish her all the best in her bid to represent the UK in China in 2021.
Hyfforddiant Ceredigion Training (HCT) offers a range of vocational courses for people of all ages, including Hairdressing, Childcare, Business Administration, Information Technology, Carpentry, Plumbing, Electrics, Blacksmithing, Motor Mechanics, and Welding. For more information, find HCT on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HyfforddiantCeredigion, or visit the website: http://www.ceredigiontraining.co.uk/hafan.
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