New proposals to revamp teaching standards in Wales revealed by the Education Secretary

New proposals to revamp teaching standards in Wales have been revealed by the Education Secretary Kirsty Williams.

The plans are part of the national mission to reform education to benefit pupils.

The new standards aim to promote teaching excellence and support career-long professional development for all teachers.

The new standards will:

[icon name=”angle-double-right” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Develop the leadership skills of all teachers.

[icon name=”angle-double-right” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Provide opportunities for teachers to develop their skills throughout their career to meet the needs of the education system.

[icon name=”angle-double-right” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Better support new entrants to the teaching profession by bringing together the requirements for the award of Qualified Teacher Status and the successful completion of induction.

[icon name=”angle-double-right” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Enable teachers to work together more effectively to make sure all learners benefit from excellent teaching and learning.

It is proposed that the new standards will apply to all serving teachers from September 2018 and initial teacher training programmes from September 2019.

This will provide time to build familiarity with the new standards before they become mandatory the Welsh Government says.

Kirsty Williams said:

We are working closely with the profession to help teachers and practitioners be the best they can be, while raising the standard of teaching and, importantly, raising the standing of the profession as a whole.

The current professional standards are no longer fit for purpose and do not match my vision for our school workforce. The old system set minimum expectations that we want to move beyond.

These new standards are about making sure teachers develop the right skills throughout their career and all those teaching in our classrooms take on a leadership role as we all work together to raise standards. This is about moving to a system of career-long development. My vision is to strengthen leadership and make sure that there is greater consistency across our schools.

I am grateful to all those teachers, leaders and other partners who have been directly involved in developing these new standards – it is testament to what can be achieved through us working together.

Shadow Education Secretary, Darren Millar, said the Welsh education system needs more than just a “cosmetic rebrand.

Estyn inspectors have recently raised concerns that the quality of teaching in Wales is below par. Mr Millar said:

We have known for some time that there are serious issues with Wales’ education system, and the extent of those problems were laid bare by the Chief Inspector’s report in January.

The issues have been exacerbated further by a teacher recruitment crisis here in Wales, and it is clear that the quality of teaching has suffered as a result.

We have been calling for the Welsh Government to tackle these issues head-on, and demonstrate the leadership this sector so desperately needs.

The new standards, therefore, must amount to more than just a cosmetic rebrand. They must deliver tangible improvements to education standards, and help to deliver a competitive and professional environment in which Welsh teaching can thrive.

The consultation can be found at:

Consultations.gov.wales/consultations/new-professional-standards-teaching-and-leadership