'Pioneer' schools lead biggest shake-up since 1980s

Computing skills are seen as being as important as reading, writing and arithmetic

Schools in Wales will be invited to become "pioneers", helping to ensure a radical shake-up of lessons.

Education Minister Huw Lewis said he was accepting the recommendations of a review by Prof Graham Donaldson, which called for major curriculum changes.

They include fewer tests, scrapping the "key stages" system and a greater focus on computing and IT.

There have been suggestions the changes could take a decade to implement.

They are the biggest since the national curriculum was introduced in the late 1980s.

'Shape the future'

Mr Lewis said he was "not rushing to set out a timetable", with more details being announced in the autumn.

He told AMs: "Pioneer schools, working with experts from Wales and internationally, will help to shape the future of learning in Wales.

"I am clear that the [teaching] profession must play a central part in the design and development of our new curriculum.

"It will ask an enormous amount of the professionals in the system. But I am confident they are keen and able to take on this challenge."

Prof Donaldson's recommendations included:

• Key stages to be replaced by a more seamless learning "journey"

• Fewer tests, with the emphasis more on learning than accountability

• Better working between primary and secondary schools

• Computing and IT skills to be a feature of all lessons, seen as important as literacy and numeracy

• More flexibility for schools to teach the curriculum according to local needs

A plan to boost children's computing skills has already been announced.

Schools in Wales will still be expected to follow a central curriculum rather than be given the wider freedom granted to academies in England.

'Warm words'

Plaid education spokesman Simon Thomas said: "Only this morning, Plaid Cymru called for a system of 'model' schools to lead the innovation around the new curriculum and for training teachers.

"It is good to see the government is thinking along the same lines but these schools must be resourced appropriately and be part of the design of the implementation not just a test bed."

Liberal Democrat Aled Roberts warned "warm words from Labour ministers don't always translate into firm action", promising to "continue to scrutinise this process to ensure the best result for pupils and teachers".