National Curriculum (Hansard, 26 July 1990)

§ Mr. Michael
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will publish the consultative document sent to local education authorities in respect of a statistical model of the resources required to implement the national curriculum in Wales;
(2) if he will list and publish the responses he has received in respect of his consultative document on a statistical model of the resources required to implement the national curriculum in Wales;
(3) if he will give details of the timetable for responses to his consultative document in respect of a statistical model of the resources required to implement the national curriculum in Wales;
(4) if he will give full details of the basis of the statistical model being produced to analyse the number of teachers needed to deliver the national curriculum in Welsh secondary schools;
(5) what progress has been made towards formulating a statistical model of the resources needed to implement the national curriculum in Wales.

§ Sir Wyn Roberts
An initial statistical model aimed at estimating the number of teachers required to deliver the 507W national curriculum in Wales was produced last year. The assumptions made in the model were circulated to the local education authorities in Wales. A copy of the letter is being deposited in the Library of the House. The assumptions made with regard to teachers of Welsh were discussed in detail with the LEAs and the model is being reworked to take account of those discussions; of changes in pupil numbers; and in the light of more recent guidance on the delivery of the national curriculum.
The revised estimates of the number of teachers required to deliver the national curriculum will be available in the autumn. These will be published along with the assumptions made in the statistical model.

§ Mr. Gwilym Jones
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will publish his proposals for history in the national curriculum.

§ Mr. David Hunt
I am publishing today my proposals for attainment targets and programmes of study for history in Wales. I have based them on the advice of the History Committee for Wales whose final report was published on 12 June. The working group, chaired by Professor Rees Davies, produced a balanced and carefully thought out curriculum which I am proposing to adopt in full. I am proposing some amendments to the structure for assessment to reflect the advice of the School Examinations and Assessment Council and the working group themselves. I am consulting the Curriculum Council for Wales and a wide range of educational interests on the proposals and I have asked for their responses by 2 November. The working group's report is already in the Library, and I shall also place a copy of my proposals in the Library of the House.

§ Mr. Michael
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what conclusions he has come to on the extent of additional resources, including the number of teachers, required to implement the national curriculum in Wales;
(2) what extra funds he intends to make available to facilitate the proper and full implementation of the national curriculum in Wales.

§ Sir Wyn Roberts
The introduction of the national curriculum should not of itself require a much larger teaching force than at present. Estimates of the number of teachers required by subject are being compiled and will show that a different mix of teaching skills will be required in the future. We will publish these estimates in the autumn.
The successful introduction of the national curriculum will also require considerable in-service training of existing teachers and expenditure on the preparation of materials. These are being funded through the LEA training grant scheme and education support grants; expenditure related to the national curriculum under these schemes was increased to almost £10 million in 1990–91 from under £7 million in the previous year. In addition nearly £3 million of the Welsh language specific grant is being directed to projects which support the national curriculum. The Curriculum Council for Wales is being funded at over £1 million a year to develop support for teachers and the School Examinations and Assessment Council receives over £1 million to develop assessment of the national curriculum in Wales.