Lynne Neagle MS, Cabinet Secretary for Education
The Welsh Government welcomes the recent report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on pathways and transitions in secondary education (‘What Shapes Pathways and Transitions? A Comparative Perspective on Learners’ Trajectories through Upper Secondary Education in Wales). The report is the culmination of a two-year partnership between Welsh Government and the OECD, which has included both the development of this comparative research and peer-learning discussions with the other OECD nations. It emphasises our ongoing commitment to Welsh education policy being informed by evidence and the best practice that exists internationally, in order to improve outcomes for our learners.
Our work with the OECD and member countries has already been used to inform and improve our policy on 14-16 learning. The 14-16 learner entitlement – the learning that all learners in year 10 and 11 will benefit from under the Curriculum for Wales – was informed by the OECD’s findings. Similarly, the OECD’s work made clear to me the importance of post-16 planning and high-quality careers education for 14 to 16 year old learners in Wales, given the significance of the transition learners undertake at 16 following the end of compulsory school education. Post-16 planning is therefore included as a distinct component of the learner entitlement, so that all learners have time to consider and be supported with planning their post-16 pathways, to ensure they are able to participate successfully in post-16 education.
I now want this work to be used to help guide our improvements to 16 to 19 education, building on the opportunities provided by the establishment of Medr last year. As a starting point, we will work with partners to refresh the guidance on local curricula for 16 to 19 year old students. This guidance will continue to emphasise the importance of students having access to a wide range of courses of study – both academic and vocational – and the role of schools, further education colleges, local authorities and Medr in delivering that. But I also want to explore with partners how the wider 16 to 19 learning experience can be enhanced, supporting our priority of increasing participation in further and higher education, and ensuring that the strengths of Curriculum for Wales continue to benefit learners as they move onto more specialised post-16 pathways.
I will keep members informed as the work progresses.