Making progress on new curriculum, says education secretary

The education secretary has said she is happy with the progress made in developing a new school curriculum despite criticism from an assembly committee.

Kirsty Williams' comments come after AMs said teachers would not be ready for the changes without action.

Last September, she announced a one-year delay in the start of the reforms, which will be rolled out in 2022.

The new curriculum will be based on six broad areas of learning.

Ms Williams told BBC Wales she "listened carefully" to the committee's concern that "urgent" action was required and she understood the importance of preparing the teaching profession for the changes.

Asked if she was satisfied with progress in developing the new curriculum she said "yes, very much so" and said she had already shown she was listening to teachers by delaying its introduction.

She said: "I recognised what some in the profession were saying, that extra time was needed to ensure that when the curriculum is ready to go our teachers are also ready with all the information, skills, training that they need to make it a success."

The new curriculum will be introduced from nursery to Year 7 in 2022, and then rolled out to older year groups.

An independent review conducted by Prof Graham Donaldson in 2015 recommended a new curriculum with an emphasis on literacy, numeracy and digital skills.

Ms Williams said that "pioneer" schools across Wales have already been tasked with putting "meat on the bones" of the new curriculum.

She added: "We are sending out lots and lots of material to schools and individual teachers informing them of the changes letting them know how those changes will develop but crucially it is the profession that are developing that curriculum."