Curriculum for Wales
Curriculum for Wales (CfW) is now fully in place across the school and underpins everything we do at Ysgol Maes Hyfryd. The curriculum is designed to prepare all young people in Wales for life in a fast-changing, digital world, while recognising the needs, strengths and aspirations of each individual learner.
The Four Purposes
The Four Purposes sit at the heart of Curriculum for Wales and shape all our planning, teaching and assessment. Our aim is for every pupil to develop as:
Ambitious, capable learners
Enterprising, creative contributors
Ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world
Healthy, confident individuals
These purposes guide the experiences and opportunities we create for pupils across the school whilst recognising the individual, unique needs of our pupils and that the purposes will mean different things to each individual.
How Learning Is Organised
Curriculum for Wales is built around six Areas of Learning and Experience (AoLEs):
Expressive Arts
Health and Well-being
Humanities (including RE)
Languages, Literacy and Communication
Mathematics and Numeracy
Science and Technology
Alongside the AoLEs pupils continue to develop the three cross-curricular skills essential for life:
Literacy
Numeracy
Digital Competence
Progression is central to CfW. Instead of fixed year-group expectations, pupils move along a continuum of learning, with staff using ongoing assessment to understand each child’s progress and next steps.
Our Curriculum Offer at YMH
At Ysgol Maes Hyfryd, our curriculum is designed to meet the diverse needs of our learners. We use a pathway approach, ensuring that every pupil experiences a curriculum that is relevant, meaningful and appropriately challenging.
Each pathway is aligned to the Areas of Learning and Experience, either directly through planned learning or by mapping skills and experiences across AoLEs.
Pathways enable pupils to access learning in ways that suit their development, communication, interests and future aspirations.
Our curriculum is flexible, responsive and personalised, allowing learners to make progress at their own pace.
Learning is practical, engaging and experience-rich, with a strong emphasis on communication, independence, well-being and preparation for adult life.
Why the Curriculum Has Changed
The world our children are growing up in is very different from the one the previous curriculum was designed for. Curriculum for Wales aims to ensure that all learners:
Are prepared for future learning, work and community life
Develop the skills needed to adapt to new technologies and challenges
Experience learning that is relevant, engaging and purposeful
Are supported to reach their full potential in ways that reflect their needs and strengths
For our pupils, CfW allows greater flexibility so that we can design learning that is truly personalised and meaningful, while still linked to national expectations.
Our Ongoing Development
As a school, we continue to review and refine our curriculum each year. Staff work collaboratively to ensure that our curriculum remains:
High-quality
Inclusive
Reflective of pupil voice
Progressive and ambitious for every learner
Curriculum for Wales supports us to provide rich learning experiences that help every young person at Ysgol Maes Hyfryd develop the knowledge, skills and confidence they need for the next steps in life.