Huw Lewis, Minister for Education and Skills
This was published under the 2011 to 2016 administration of the Welsh Government
On 5 November 2015, I announced the first tranche of schools to be part of our Pioneer Schools Network.
I indicated in that announcement that we were working to identify more Pioneer Schools. Today I am pleased to announce a further tranche of 38 that will focus initially on curriculum design and development, to give us a total of 106 Pioneer Schools working in this strand of the Pioneer Schools Network. Of the 38 new Pioneer Schools, 18 have been appointed as partners with existing Pioneers, which the consortia have assisted us in identifying. The other 20 Pioneer Schools announced today are members of a network of mainly Welsh-medium schools brought together by Owain ap Dafydd, Head Teacher of Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni.
Head Teachers from the 106 Pioneer Schools are being invited to a Blue Sky event in January, before the initial work on designing a structure for the new curriculum begins. The Pioneer Schools focussing initially on curriculum design and development will collaborate closely with the other two strands of the Pioneer Schools Network, those working on a Digital Competence Framework, and those delivering the New Deal for the Education Workforce. This will help to ensure that our ambitious programme of reform reaches its full potential, and delivers for all children and young people in Wales.
A further announcement providing an update on the appointment of additional Pioneer Schools focussing on the New Deal for the Education Workforce will be made in January 2016.