Progression and Assessment Network

The Principles of Progression

• What is the Progression Code?
• What are the Five Principles of Progression?
• How do the Principles of Progression vary across the 6 Areas of Learning and Experience?
• What are the implications of the Principles of Progression for curriculum planning?
• How have we started to think about and use the principles of progression in our planning to date?�

The Progression Code

• The Code sets out the ways in which a curriculum must make provision for all learners.
• Teaching and learning in a school’s and setting’s curriculum will not make provision for appropriate progression unless it accords with this Code.
• Further, a curriculum will not fully encompass the areas of learning and experience (Areas) unless it reflects appropriate progression and unless it accords with the Progression Code.

https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2021-11/curriculum-for-wales-progression-code.pdf

The Progression Code

The Code sets out the 5 overarching principles of progression that span Curriculum for Wales requirements, as well as the more specific principles of progression for each of the Areas on which all maintained schools and funded non-maintained settings must base their curriculum.

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It is essential that learning progression not only reflects Area knowledge and understanding but also reflects the capabilities reflected in the four purposes, their integral skills, and the cross-curricula skills.

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Progression will require learners to revisit the concepts outlined in the statements of what matters, developing a more sophisticated understanding and application of these as they progress.

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They are designed to be used by practitioners to:-

 understand what progression means and should look like in a given Area

 develop the curriculum and learning experiences to enable learners to progress in the ways described

 develop assessment approaches which seek to understand whether this progress is being made

It is essential that learning progression not only reflects Area knowledge and understanding but also reflects the capabilities reflected in the four purposes, their integral skills, and the cross-curricula skills.

https://hwb.gov.wales/curriculum-for-wales/designing-your-curriculum/developing-a-vision-for-curriculum-design

Planning and organising

Where developmentally appropriate, learners should be able to set goals, make decisions and monitor interim results. They should be able to reflect and adapt, as well as manage time, people and resources. They should be able to check for accuracy and be able create different types of value.

The development of these skills allows learners to work across disciplines, providing them with opportunities for both synthesis and analysis. There is particular potential for innovation in making and using connections between different disciplines and Areas.

When developing these skills, learners should:

• develop an appreciation of sustainable development and the challenges facing humanity (Humanities?)
• develop awareness of emerging technological advances (Science and Technology?)
• be supported and challenged so that they are prepared to confidently meet the demands of working in uncertain situations, as changing local, national and global contexts result in new challenges and opportunities for success (How does our curriculum provide flexibility and responsiveness to changing context? - Where is this rooted within our curriculum)
• be afforded the space to generate creative ideas and to critically evaluate alternatives – in an ever-changing world, flexibility and the ability to develop more ideas will enable learners to consider a wider range of alternative solutions when things change
• build their resilience and develop strategies which will help them manage their well-being – they should be encountering experiences where they can respond positively in the face of challenge, uncertainty or failure
• learn to work effectively with others, valuing the different contributions they and others make – they should also begin to recognise the limitations of their own work and those of others as they build an understanding of how different people play different roles within a team. (Pedagogic variety / self-evaluation / developing self-efficacy / self-regulation)

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Supporting progression in respect of the integral skills will involve the interplay of different aspects curriculum planning…

What are the most powerful contexts for learning (within Areas/Disciplines)– that best allow our learners to e.g.

Develop their ability to think critically?

Be curious?

Understand the social, cultural ethical and legal arguments…

What approaches to teaching and structuring learning, e.g.

• support pupils to think critically?
• Self-evaluate / self-regulate

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What is the most optimal use of time and space to e.g.

allow learners to lead debate and discussions?

How do we e.g. incrementally develop learners ability to accurately peer/self-assess and identify their next steps in learning?

The Progression Code

• The principles of progression are distinct from descriptions of learning which provide specific reference points of what progression looks like as learners work towards the statements of what matters at different points on their journey.

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• Together, practitioners can use these two elements to understand what it means for learners to progress and use this alongside the four purposes to inform learning, teaching and assessment.

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Activity 1

Without looking… name the 5 Principles of Progression…

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Note them in the chat…

How did you do?

• Increasing effectiveness

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• Increasing breadth and depth of knowledge

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• Deepening understanding of the ideas and disciplines within the Areas

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• Refinement and growing sophistication in the use and application of skills

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• Making connections and transferring learning into new contexts

Increasing Effectiveness

• Increasing effectiveness –

As learners progress, they become increasingly effective at learning in a social and work-related context. As they become increasingly effective they are able to seek appropriate support and independently identify sources of that support. They ask more sophisticated questions and find and evaluate answers from a range of sources. This includes increasingly successful approaches to self-evaluation, identification of their next steps in learning and more effective means of self-regulation

For example… In LLC…

As they move along the continuum of learning, learners will build on basic linguistic skills to develop a capability that enables them to overcome a range of communicative challenges successfully. These include, for example:

• asking increasingly sophisticated questions
• finding information independently
• making evaluative and critical judgements about the ideas and viewpoints and the means of communication in what they hear, read, and view
• using language effectively to convey their own ideas and viewpoints on various topics.

They will develop the language skills necessary to discuss and evaluate their learning in languages.

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Increasing breadth and depth of knowledge

Increasing breadth and depth of knowledge

Learners need to acquire both breadth and depth of knowledge. As learners progress, they develop an increasingly sophisticated understanding of concepts that underpin different statements of what matters. They see the relationships between these and use them to further shape, make sense of and apply knowledge. This consolidates their understanding of concepts.

For example… In Science and Technology…

Progression in the Science and Technology Area of Learning and Experience (Area) is demonstrated by learners exploring and experiencing increasingly complex ideas and concepts that sit within the statements of what matters. Knowledge moves through exploration from a personal understanding of the world to an abstract view that enables learners to conceptualise and justify their understandings. Progression of learning is not linear but cyclical with learners revisiting existing knowledge, linking this with their new learning, and adjusting schema in light of new discovery.

Increasing breadth and depth of knowledge

We define ‘knowledge’ as the acquisition of facts, information and skills through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a discipline.  

Deepening understanding of the ideas and disciplines within the Areas – �

• Deepening understanding of the ideas and disciplines within the Areas –

Holistic approaches are particularly important in early learning as learners engage with the world around them. Learners should become increasingly aware of ways in which ideas and approaches can be coherently grouped and organised. As they progress they need to experience and understand disciplinary learning in each of the Areas and see these in the context of the four purposes and the statements of what matters.

For example… In Expressive Arts

Progression is demonstrated through the continuing development of the knowledge, skills and capacities required to appreciate, create, explore, respond and reflect both within specific disciplines and in combinations of disciplines. In the early stages, learning is characterised by a growing curiosity for being creative and innovative by exploring with a range of resources and materials in various domains. Combining disciplines occurs purposefully but remains organic. As learning progresses, learners become increasingly aware of the expressive arts’ disciplines and their key features, including (though not necessarily limited to) art, dance, drama, film and digital media, and music. Learners make links in the creative process across the disciplines to explore, create, interpret and respond.

Refinement and growing sophistication in the use and application of skills

• Refinement and growing sophistication in the use and application of skills

Learners need to develop a range of skills including: physical, communication, cognitive and Area specific skills. In the early stages of learning, this range of skills includes focus on developing gross and fine motor; communicative and social skills. They also develop the skills of evaluating and organising information in applying what they have learned. As learners progress, they demonstrate more refined application of existing skills, and will experience opportunities to develop new, more specific and more sophisticated skills. Over time, learners become able to effectively organise a growing number of increasingly sophisticated ideas, to apply understanding in various contexts and to communicate their thoughts effectively, using a range of methods, resources or equipment appropriate to their purpose and audience.

For example… In Health and Wellbeing

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Progression means learners developing their confidence, motivation competence in a skill, developing increasing accuracy and proficiency.  Progression in health and well-being occurs across a wide range of skills, including: physical, emotional, psychological and social skills.  This will also include more practical skills that also support learners in their health and well-being.  The development of many skills will rely, to some extent on learners’ wider developmental milestones. This is reflected in descriptions of learning: earlier progression focuses on learners developing awareness of a range of skills and later progression supports increasing accuracy, complexity and proficiency in those skills.

Refinement and growing sophistication in the use and application of skills

‘Skills’ are the ability to undertake activities that require application of knowledge, increasing in expertise and competence.  

Making connections and transferring learning into new contexts �

Making connections and transferring learning into new contexts

Learners should make connections with increasing independence; across learning within an Area, between Areas, and with their experiences outside of school. Over time these connections will be increasingly sophisticated, explained and justified by learners. They should be able to apply and use previously acquired knowledge and skills in different, unfamiliar and challenging contexts.

For example… In Humanities

Progression in this Area is also characterised through more sophisticated use of relevant skills and the growing ability to transfer existing skills and knowledge into new, and increasingly unfamiliar contexts. As learners progress, they will be able to make links within and between periods and places, identifying similarities and differences, changes and continuities, and use the understanding of concepts to identify connections between new and previous learning. With greater understanding of the world, of other people and their values, in different times, places and circumstances, of their environment and how it has been shaped, learners will demonstrate greater ability to influence events by exercising informed and responsible citizenship.

Activity (Breakout Discussion)

In terms of the principles of progression set out above discuss:

• How are you currently considering the principles of progression in your planning?

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• Which principles are currently most and least evident in your planning approaches, why is this?

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• Can we identify good/emerging practice in respect of the utilisation of the principles of progression?

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• Are there any gaps in professional knowledge with regards to progression in respect of the 5 principles of progression?

https://bit.ly/3ibcPWY Link to Collaborative Document