As a school we are embracing the upcoming Donaldson Report and the curriculum reform.

Purposes of the curriculum

One of the strongest messages from Professor Donaldson is there should be a ‘straightforward, enduring statement of curriculum purposes for Wales’. Without such ‘clear and agreed purposes’, the implied argument is if we don’t know why we are doing this, how can we know what to do and how to do it?

The Donaldson Review recommends four purposes to the Curriculum for Wales and says that, if generally supported, they should ‘guide all future decisions about national and local educational priorities and underpin all teaching and learning in Wales’.

The four purposes are that all children and young people will be:

• Ambitious, capable learners who are ready to learn throughout their lives.
• Enterprising, creative contributors who are ready to play a full part in life and work.
• Ethical, informed citizens who are ready to be citizens of Wales and the world.
• Healthy, confident individuals who are ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.

We are teaching children about the four purposes through the use of four porpoises (cartoon characters for the children to help remember the four purposes).