An interim report has been published today from the working group set up to strengthen education resources relating to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities.
The Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Communities, Contributions and Cynefin in the New Curriculum Working Group was announced in July to oversee the development of learning resources and identify gaps in current resources or training related to BAME communities, their contributions and experiences.
Prof Charlotte Williams OBE, Honorary Professor in the School of History, Philosophy and Social Sciences at Bangor University, chairs the group.
The group has been asked to provide advice on the teaching of themes related to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities and experiences within the school curriculum.
The interim report from the working group identifies recommendations from the first three months of the group’s meetings.
The group’s final report, due to be published in the spring, will address wider issues including additional learning for trainee teachers studying Initial Teacher Education courses.
Kirsty Williams, the Education Minister, said:
I would like to thank Professor Williams and the other members of the working group for their important work in researching and producing this excellent report.
Over the coming weeks I will be considering these recommendations in detail and I will announce my response later this year. I warmly welcome the challenges identified and potential solutions that the report offers, and it provides a context for the whole curriculum.
In October, I announced the establishment of a national network of practitioners and stakeholders, to share understanding across the teaching profession, gather intelligence and co-construct support and solutions to problems.
Part of the new national network’s remit will be to identify gaps in resources related to BAME experiences and the histories of Wales. This will better inform how we move forward with new resources and supporting schools in delivering across the new curriculum.
I am very much look forward to receiving Professor Williams’s final report in early spring.