Secondary education in Wales covers the period between the ages of 11 and 16. In this period of childhood education is divided into two main stages of the National Curriculum: Key Stages 3 and 4.
Video Secondary education in Wales
Stages
Stage 3 covers the years 7,8 and 9
- Year 7, First Form, age 11 to 12
- Year 8, Second Form old, age 12 to 13
- Year 9, Third Form Third, age 13 to 14 (End of Three Stage Tests and Main Task)
Stage 4 including years 10 and 11
- Year 10, the old Fourth Form, ages 14 to 15
- Year 11, the old Fifth Form, age 15 to 16 (old O degree exam, modern GCSE exam)
Middle schools in Wales must, legally, teach the foundation and the National Curriculum to their students. The basic curriculum consists of religious education, sex education, private and social education, and for children aged 14 to 16, work-related education, Welsh Baccalaureate is now online for students in KS4. Schools should also provide career education and guidance to all 13-16 year olds.
At Key Stage 3, the National Curriculum consists of the English and Welsh "core subjects" of math and science, and the "non-core subjects" of the Welsh second language, modern foreign languages, design and technology, information technology, history, geography, art, music, physical education and religious education. At Key Stage 4, only five subjects of the mandatory National Curriculum (English, Welsh or Welsh second, math, science, and physical education) and schools have greater flexibility to provide selected subjects that meet the needs and interests of students they. The majority of learners at this key stage follow a program leading to external qualifications, especially GCSE.
Maps Secondary education in Wales
Assessment
A regular, systematic assessment of the ongoing student progress throughout the school should be an important complement to the National Curriculum. The main objective is to provide a clear picture of what students have achieved against the standard of achievement of individual subjects at the end of three key school life stages of students ie ages 7, 11 and 14. Each assessment is based on an increasing scale (Level 1 to 8, and then Extraordinary Performance) achievement.
For 7-year-olds (Key Stage 1) the general expectation is that the majority of students will reach Level 2 on each individual subject. For 11-year-olds (Key Stage 2), the expectation is that the majority of students will reach Level 4 on each individual subject. For 14-year-olds (Key Stage3) the general expectation is that most students will reach Level 5 on each individual subject.
National national stage test system in Wales is, until 2000, the same as in the UK, and managed by School Curriculum and Assessment Authority (SCAA). In 2000, the National Assembly for Wales took responsibility for this test in Wales, at which point they were developed by the test institution on behalf of ACCAC, while a test in the UK was developed for QCA.
In July 2001, the Minister of Education and Lifelong Learning in Wales announced that the secondary school league table would no longer be published, arguing that they had no support from teachers or parents. This reform has created significant policy differences with the UK.
In 2002, the Welsh Assembly decided to stop the tests at Key Stage One. Instead, optional teacher assessment material was given to schools in 2003 for use in English, math, and Welsh. This has been adapted from materials originally developed by the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) and other test institutes to be used as a mandatory assessment material for 2003. By the end of 2003, Daugherty's Report was commissioned by the Welsh Assembly to conduct a review of state appraisal procedures. Following the results of the Daugherty Assessment Review Group in 2004, the Phase 2 Key task/test was made optional in 2005 and the Main Stage 3 task/test was made optional in 2006. Only results for teacher assessments were published from 2006 onwards.
In 2003, Welsh Baccalaalureate Qualification was piloted on Key Stage 5/6. Furthermore, the Welsh Baccalaureate program has been introduced for study at three levels, Foundation, Intermediate or Advanced between the ages of 14-19 years.
Performance
In 2013, Angela Burns, a spokesman for Welsh education for the Conservative Party, said that the atmosphere in Wales is that, "we have failed in our international ranking, our students are consistently at the bottom of the table." There may be improvements but we are behind the rest of England and Europe. "Paul Murphy, who was previously the Welsh Secretary, suggested that the factors that prevented Welsh students from getting permission to enter the leading universities in Britain included poor perceptions of the Welsh Baccalaureureate, and the lack of ambition among teachers. The BBC reports that admissions officers for Oxford University voiced concerns about "a number of factors, including reluctance by some schools to encourage students to leave Wales, especially Welsh high school". The Welsh government commented that Welsh Baccalaureum would be revised to deal with those issues, and that Murphy's new role was intended to encourage high-pointed students. David Evans of NUT Cymru said, "I think every teacher wants to do the best by their students in all situations".
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Source of the article : Wikipedia
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