Minister outlines a ‘New Deal’ for teaching professionals in Wales

16 Mar 2015 11:54 AM

Details on how teaching professionals will be supported to develop and improve their practice have been outlined by the Education Minister Huw Lewis today (Monday 16th March).

The ‘New Deal’ for the Education Workforce will reshape continuing professional development for teaching professionals to support them to deliver the new ‘made in Wales curriculum’ set out last month by Graham Donaldson.

The New Deal includes plans to introduce a new Professional Learning Passport by September 2015 to help each practitioner plan and record their career-long professional development.

It will also see the Welsh Government supporting schools to produce tailor made School Development Plans which will have workforce development at their centre, engaging all staff in high quality continuing professional development.

To mark the announcement, the Education Minister Huw Lewis is visiting Brynnau Primary school in Pontyclun to see how their excellent record on continual professional development is benefiting learners at the school.

Speaking ahead of his visit, the Minister said:

“We are currently undertaking one of the most ambitious series of educational reforms Wales has ever seen, aimed squarely at improving standards right across the board.  However we know that excellent teaching and leadership is crucial to the learner experience and to our ongoing work of raising outcomes for all learners at all levels.

“The international evidence from bodies like the OECD is crystal clear, the quality of the professional at the chalkface has a huge impact on the quality of teaching and learning.  Having high capacity, high skilled professionals will be central to delivering on the curriculum vision that the Donaldson review sets out for us.

“Giving practitioners the ability to reflect on the development of their practice through professional and evidence based learning will be central to developing the self-improving education system we want Wales to have.

“The New Deal is both an offer of support for the professional, but also an expectation that professionals will continually update their skills.  Its about building capacity so our teachers and support staff are given structured learning opportunities throughout their careers, so they can keep developing their practice and ultimately, so they continue to be  equipped to deliver for learners and can meet the challenges ahead.”

The New Deal is the third in a series of major educational reforms this Spring, following on from Professor Graham Donaldson’s ‘Successful Futures’ report, published in February, which proposed a set of radical and exciting proposals for a new curriculum in Wales. It also fits with the ‘Teaching Tomorrow’s Teachers’ report by Professor Furlong, which suggests ways to strengthen initial teacher training.

The New Deal will mean:

• A Professional Learning Passport for practitioners, developed by the Education Workforce Council for September 2015, that will enable teachers to identify and record appropriate learning opportunities and encourage them to develop their practice throughout their career.
• Revised Professional Standards for the education workforce that set out the professional skills and knowledge required of practitioners to deliver a future curriculum and embed initial qualification standards in a career long framework
• Welsh Government guidance and support to ensure professional development is a central aspect of new School Development Plans, highlighting individual and collective learning priorities for all staff.
• Support for teachers to study the new Masters in Education Practice to ensure the latest academic research on effective teaching practice reaches the heart of the Welsh classroom.Early next term we will be working with practitioners to exemplify a range of Career Development Pathways and to identify the support they would value to support their progression through these pathways.
• Support for teachers to access high quality learning opportunities through quality assured professional development.
• A focus on leadership with the Welsh Government working in partnership with Consortia to develop new and innovative approaches to leadership development.
• The launch of two Pathfinder projects:
  • In partnership with ERW - Professor David Reynolds working with Heads from ERW to put the latest academic research on school improvement into practice in classrooms in Wales.
  • In partnership with EAS to pilot new approach to statutory induction for newly qualified teachers enabling them to benefit directly from the experience of our best practitioners and schools.

To bring the New Deal to life the Welsh Government is publishing:

• Five video case studies which exemplify excellence in professional learning which have been developed directly with schools which were recommended by Estyn.
• The first in a suite of information booklets that focus on professional learning The first booklet – Coaching and Mentoring – will be launched today.
• Masters level professional learning resources which focus on ‘Your Professional Development’ and ‘Teachers as Researchers’.

These are available on the Learning Wales website: 

http://learning.wales.gov.uk/yourcareer/?lang=en andhttp://learning.wales.gov.uk/resources/improvementareas/professional-learning/?lang=en

Further resources to support the New Deal will be launched throughout the remainder of this academic year and next year.