The Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee will be holding a stakeholder event to discuss ‘the teaching of Welsh history, culture and heritage in schools’ at the National Waterfront Museum, Swansea.

The event will take place between 10:30 and 13:30 on Thursday, 21 February.

Background

The Committee ran a public poll during summer 2018, inviting members of the public to select from a list of potential inquiry topics. Nearly 2,500 people participated in the poll, with 44% voting for ‘Teaching of Welsh history, culture and heritage in schools’.

Many of the proponents of the Committee undertaking this inquiry argue that the history of Wales is not taught from a Welsh perspective and there is not enough of it in the curriculum .

However, there is an alternative view that there is already considerable coverage of it within the current GCSE and AS/A level specifications and opportunities to study it at previous stages of schooling. For instance, the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Education, Kirsty Williams AM, has said ‘in the new A-level, AS-level and the new history GCSE [there] is a much greater emphasis on the need to teach children aspects of Welsh history.

There is therefore a range of views which the Committee would like to explore further before agreeing the terms of reference for its inquiry.

Purpose of the session

The Committee is holding a one-day stakeholder event to gather views and opinion to enable it to explore the alternative premises: on the one hand that there is insufficient focus in this area, and on the other that the situation has improved in recent years and is secure in the new Curriculum for Wales. The event will help the Committee decide how best to take its inquiry in this area forward.

Discussion points

We will focus on the following discussion points (which you may like to consider prior to the session):

· To what extent the current curriculum and GCSE and A/AS level History specifications, adequately ensure that a sufficient amount of history taught in schools is Welsh history and/or from a Welsh perspective.

· Whether the new Curriculum for Wales, under development following the Donaldson Review, will enhance or constrain opportunities for Welsh history to be taught and/or from a Welsh perspective.

· How to strike the right balance between flexibility and discretion for education professionals to deliver a local curriculum suitable to their particular schools and ensuring consistency and sufficient coverage of Welsh history and the Welsh perspective in what is taught.

· The extent to which the wider Welsh public are aware of, and have opportunities to learn about, the history, culture and heritage of their nation.

How to respond

Please confirm your interest by email to SeneddCWLC@Assembly.Wales or in writing to:

Culture, Welsh Language and Communications Committee,

National Assembly for Wales,

Cardiff Bay,

CF99 1NA.

We kindly ask that you provide us with the following information:



1. Full name

2. Name of the organisation you may be representing

Please confirm your interest by Friday, 1 February. Once you’ve confirmed we will be in touch with further details regarding the practical arrangements.