Latest news with #CurriculumforWales
Business News Wales
16 hours ago
- General
- Business News Wales
Communities Lead the Way using Rise Strong Funding
Communities in Cae Fardre, Aberdare, and Penrhys are celebrating the 'transformative impact' of Rise Strong, a community-led initiative funded by the Welsh Government to give children the best possible start in life. The project – facilitated by Trivallis Housing Association – brought families together to tackle community issues, strengthen connections, and create lasting opportunities for children and young people. By putting power in the hands of residents the initiative aimed to build more equal chances for all families, raising aspirations and creating a stronger, more united future. 'This project shows what can happen when we trust communities and support people to act on what matters most to them,' said Jen O'Hara Jakeway, Head of Community Involvement at Trivallis. The funding enabled Cae Fardre Hub in Rhondda Cynon Taf to expand its affordable family activities, introduce new sports like basketball, and host cooking and craft sessions that now engage over 180 local residents. It also helped form strong local partnerships and deliver training, ensuring the hub's long-term sustainability. Caradog Primary School in Aberdare used Rise Strong funding to boost family engagement through events and creative activities linked to the Curriculum for Wales. Many families took part in school-led outings for the first time, including some who had never travelled outside Aberdare. The initiative not only brought families closer to the school, but also helped build understanding of the new curriculum and increased parental involvement. In Penrhys, the funding helped spark a revival of the Penrhys Carnival, starting with a community-led fashion show. Local families collaborated with artists and community workers to sew, design, and perform, rebuilding trust, uncovering talent, and boosting community pride. More than 20 families took part, laying the foundation for even larger future events.
South Wales Argus
23-07-2025
- General
- South Wales Argus
New award for Wales to bring forest education to youngsters
The Welsh edition of the award was launched by the Royal Forestry Society, with support from Natural Resources Wales, at the Royal Welsh Show. It will help inspire youngsters to learn about their local trees and woodlands. Since its launch in 2019, 100,000 children and young people have participated in the RFS Junior Forester Award across England and Scotland. The Welsh award means those in Wales can now take part in activities and resources which meet the specific needs of the Curriculum for Wales. The six-session programme, available in Welsh and English, is designed to suit all ages from four to 14 and aims to give children the skills and knowledge to care for the trees in their school grounds and in the wider community. The Welsh edition includes an explanation of how each section relates to the Curriculum for Wales, links to NRW resources, ideas for places to visit and Welsh projects to get involved in. Becky Wilkinson, author of the JFA, said: 'Over the past six years, it has been wonderful to see how much children have benefitted from the Junior Forester Award and enjoyed taking responsibility for the trees in their community.' Lyndsey Rawlinson, NRW's head of land stewardship, said: 'As managers of the Welsh Government Woodland Estate covering 126,000 hectares we welcome this award which helps children and young people gain an insight into forestry. 'Trees play an essential role in delivering our well-being objectives to help nature and people thrive and children are key to helping deliver this for future generations.' The award can be used by schools, community organisations or families who want to get their kids or pupils engaged in their natural surroundings. All that is needed is access to a small number of trees, a free downloadable Junior Forester Award handbook for the leader and a booklet for each child. Downloadable certificates are provided for free by the RFS and optional badges are available for purchase on the RFS online shop.
North Wales Live
21-07-2025
- General
- North Wales Live
North Wales high school placed into special measures after Estyn visit
A high school in North Wales is heading into special measures after a critical inspection report. Estyn inspectors visited St David's High School in Saltney in May this year. They found that the 343 pupil school had an "inclusive caring community" and a clear focus on "equity and supporting pupils' well-being". Inspectors said staff know their pupils well and the majority of teachers establish effective classroom routines. But they also found some significant issues that they believe merit intervention. The report said that in a "significant minority of cases", there are "shortcomings in teaching". Inspectors said this meant pupils make limited progress and often become passive in their learning. The report said half of pupils have weak numeracy skills, and they "do not receive enough opportunities to develop these skills in mathematics and other relevant subjects". "Too often, numeracy tasks lack sufficient challenge, limiting pupils' skill development," it added. When it came to leadership, the report said: "The headteacher has developed a strong sense of teamwork amongst staff and considers pupil and staff well-being carefully. Although leaders work well together, there is a lack of clear, strategic leadership and they do not hold staff to account fully. "They do not have a sufficiently rigorous approach to gathering evidence from activities such as learning walks and book reviews and are therefore unable to plan for improvement effectively. While leadership has had a positive impact on communication with parents and pupils' wellbeing, it has not had enough impact on the quality of teaching, the development of pupils' skills and curriculum design." They have made six recommendations to help the school to improve: Strengthen leadership to ensure that leaders at all levels are able to carry out their roles more strategically and be held to account for securing improvement. Strengthen self-evaluation processes so that leaders have an accurate view of the school's areas for development and plan for improvement precisely. Improve the quality of teaching. Improve provision to develop pupils' numeracy skills progressively. Increase opportunities for pupils to practise and develop their speaking, advanced reading and Welsh language skills across the curriculum. Strengthen curriculum provision and strategic planning for the Curriculum for Wales, mathematics and Welsh It concluded: "In accordance with the Education Act 2005, HMCI (His Majesty's Chief Inspector for Education and Training in Wales) is of the opinion that special measures are required in relation to this school.
Leader Live
30-06-2025
- Health
- Leader Live
Schools' social media training tackles ‘Andrew Tate'-like influencers
A report to Flintshire's Joint Education, Youth and Culture and Social and Health Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee highlighted improvements in training for teachers and other school employees to help them identify and manage online risk after a bi-annual survey revealed risky online behaviour by Flintshire students. Claire Sinnott, Learning Advisor for Health, Wellbeing and Safeguarding, stressed that the responsibility for safeguarding pupils when they were online and preventing problematic use of social media did not stop with schools. 'Schools really are doing such a lot,' she said. 'They now have the flexibility with the Curriculum for Wales to focus on particular issues of they are becoming a problem – for example cyberbullying. 'But ultimately the responsibility for online safety sits with everybody. I think there is a real need to continue to push and promote positive messages of engagement with parents and the individuals themselves because there are real risks online and we should be seeing the benefits of those technologies within a safe environment.' The most recent School Health Research Network (SHRN) study into the social media activity of school pupils aged 11-16 in Flintshire revealed that almost 9% of students admitted to sending sexual images of themselves to another person. It also uncovered a higher rate of cyberbullying in the authority compared to Welsh average, with 16.6% of pupils admitting to carrying out cyberbullying and 22.6% of students reporting being victims of online abuse. That data was gathered in autumn 2023. The next study is due to take place in September this year where the impact of online safeguarding policies implemented by Flintshire County Council in the intervening time will be revealed. Read more: High school pupils' explicit pics and cyberbullying the focus of online safety review In addition to dedicated online safety training for safeguarding leads in secondary schools across Flintshire and forums where best practise and new developments are shared, schools have been given materials to deliver six hours of specific social media and online safeguarding training to all staff by the authority. They can deliver that training across the school year and staff will need to refresh their knowledge every three years. The authority has also tightened up its DBS-check renewal cycle, reducing it from four years to three to ensure employees who have contact with children in schools are more regularly checked. Cllr Gina Maddison praised the work that had already been done but asked how the education department was tackling the emerging challenge of negative influencers. 'What is the definition of 'problematic' social media use,' she said. 'What interests me here is the following of so-called influencers. I'm thinking of the person known as Andrew Tate and the Netflix drama Adolescence which is about the influence of the influencer, particularly on vulnerable teenagers. 'What do we class as a problematic user of social media and would it be looking at these people known as influencers?' 'We have been using the Social Media Disorder Scale, which scores respondents on nine different elements,' said Mrs Sinnott. 'There has been a lot of work to raise awareness of influencers we've been sharing through our Health and Wellbeing and PSE forum with schools in order to support them with that particular aspect along with things like fake news and lots of the other risks that are posed through social media.' Jeanette Rock, Flintshire's senior manager for inclusion and progression added: 'You've mentioned a particular person and we are very mindful of that perhaps misogynistic approach that may be promoted. 'Our youth services have put a programme in place and are working with schools to tackle that and support awareness raising across our secondary schools.'
South Wales Argus
23-06-2025
- General
- South Wales Argus
Newport school praised for high expectations by Estyn
St David's RC Primary School in Park Crescent was inspected by Estyn in March. The school, which is an English-medium, Roman Catholic primary school, has 212 pupils on its roll, with 184 of these being of statutory school age. Inspectors found that the headteacher, who was appointed in September 2017, sets "high expectations and leads by example." They also found that there is a "clear, inclusive vision shared by all stakeholders" and that leaders "promote a supportive, respectful community where pupils feel safe and valued." The inspection report said that most pupils "behave well," "are respectful and motivated," "feel safe and supported," and "attend regularly and on time." The report also said that pupils "actively take on leadership roles, helping to embed Welsh culture", such as Criw Cymraeg. Teaching at the school was described as "moving at a good pace" and using "effective strategies". The report said that the school promotes "core skills in reading, numeracy, digital use, and Welsh." However, inspectors found that there is "limited opportunity for pupils to influence how and what they learn, which impacts independent learning skills." The curriculum was described as "broad, engaging and well-resourced, aligned with the Curriculum for Wales." There is a "high emphasis on authentic learning experiences, local and global contexts, and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development." Inspectors found that the school's ALN (additional learning needs) provision is "strong" and that pupils "make good progress due to responsive support and targeted interventions." Staff "understand pupils' needs well and adapt provision accordingly." Support for low-income pupils is "effective." The report said that there is "strong progression" in reading, with most Year 6 pupils being "fluent and expressive readers." Writing is "effective across year groups, tailored to genre, lively and structured." Pupils are "confident" in mathematics and can apply their skills across the curriculum. Digital skills are "strong" across year groups, with pupils having a "solid understanding of online safety." Leaders have "well-defined roles and use robust monitoring cycles." Professional learning and collaboration are "well-developed." Governors "provide support and challenge," "engage in first-hand evidence gathering," and have a "clear understanding of school strengths and improvement impact." No concerns were raised about safeguarding or site management. Appropriate arrangements are in place for healthy eating and drinking, the use of pupil development grants, and financial management.
