The Headteachers of Catholic Schools in the

Catholic Province of Cardiff (Dioceses of Cardiff, Menevia & Wrexham)

The Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS First Minister of Welsh Government 5th Floor Tŷ Hywel Cardiff Bay CF99 1NA

Friday 19th June 2020 Dear First Minster,

RE: Curriculum for Wales

As headteachers of Catholic schools across Wales, we wish to express serious concern regarding the recent positions the Welsh Government is taking on education, which we believe has an unintended consequence of compromising the ethos of the Catholic education sector in Wales.

We have largely been supportive of the widespread changes being undertaken to the new curriculum and the reasons behind it. We remain engaged as to how we will play our part in delivering the new curriculum and are confident that we can achieve this while maintaining our distinctive nature. However, we would urge caution that a singular approach risks diluting the diversity of provision in Wales.

The recent announcements made by the Education Minister to change the name and nature of Religious Education towards a wider Religion, Values and Ethics area of learning, fails to recognise the heritage and deep connection Religious Education has within schools of religious character, such as ours. It is after all the core of the core of a Catholic curriculum, forming ten per cent of teaching time. The move away from RE also fails to appreciate the significant benefits a theological based approach to RE gives to students in their everyday lives, as well as to their longer-term academic studies.

We know our parents also believe in the current approach, given the negligible levels of withdrawal by parents of their children from Religious Education. This is important to us, given the role of parents and carers as the primary educators of their children which is enshrined in the Catholic tradition.

In seeking to enforce so-called ‘neutral values’ curriculum, which we would argue is impractical and undesirable for today’s Welsh society, the risk is that the Government is moving towards a homogeneous education system which will no longer recognise the importance of allowing children to pursue a deep knowledge and spiritual understanding of faith. This will do little to improve cohesion or foster tolerance of world religions. We believe Wales is a pluralistic, diverse and tolerant country built on respect for people with or without faith. It can only be through continuing to support a diverse provision of education facilities, that we can ensure this remains the case.

We would seek your reassurance that it is not the Government’s intention to damage the distinctive Catholic nature of our schools. We also hope you will work with the Education Minister to revise these provisions before legislation comes to the Senedd later this year.

Yours sincerely,

Joanna Taylor Susan Miles Sarah Hopkins St. Michael’s Primary Christ The King Primary Bishop Hedley High School, School, Treforest School, Cardiff The Pastoral Resources Centre, 910 Newport Road, Rumney, Cardiff, CF3 4LL Tel: 0113 403 3152 The Headteachers of Catholic Schools in the

Catholic Province of Cardiff (Dioceses of Cardiff, Menevia & Wrexham)

Ceri Prosser David Blackwell Claire Priest-Jones Cwmbran RC Junior & St. Richard Gwyn Catholic St. Anne's Catholic Primary, Infants School, Cwmbran High School, Barry Wrexham

Mr D B Thomas Abigail Davies Ashley Howells St. Illtyd's Catholic High Holy Name Catholic St. John Lloyd Catholic School, Cardiff Primary School, Fishguard Comprehensive School, Llanelli Louise Mills Francesca Sartori Holy Family RC Primary St. Therese's Catholic Eirian Bradley-Roberts School, Cardiff Primary School, Port Talbot Sanates Helen School, Gwynedd Karen Lewis Angela Nicholls St. Aloysius RC School, St. Teilo's Catholic Primary David Lewis Gurnos Estate School, Tenby St. Illtyd’s Primary School, Swansea Justin O'Sullivan Julie Beaumont Rees Cardinal Newman RC St. Joseph’s Catholic Infant Angela Heald School, Pontypridd School, Port Talbot St. Joseph’s Cathedral Primary School, Swansea Wendy Lavagna Stephen Lord Saints Gabriel & Raphael St. Albans RC High School, Claire Russell Primary School, Tonypany Pontypool St. Mary's RC Primary School, Cardiff John McMorrow Paul Welsh St. Joseph's RC Primary Padre Pio RC Primary Mrs Alison Howells School, School, Pontypool St. Mary's Catholic Primary School, Llanelli Kathryn Giernalczyk John Morgan St. Helen's Catholic Primary St. Anthony's Catholic Joanne Weightman School, Barry Primary School, Chester St. Mary's RC Primary School, Chepstow & St. Gareth Rein Richard Jones David’s Cwmbran RC St. Joseph's RC Primary St. Mary's Catholic Primary School, Cwmbran School, Penarth School, Holyhead Mr Viv Evans Mrs Jackie Phillips Sarah Ruggeri Our Lady & St. Michael's St. Mary’s & St. Patrick’s St. Mary's Catholic Primary RC School, School, Bridgend School, Newtown Juliet Stack Catherine Power Louise Robinson St. Joseph's RC Primary St. Philip Evans RC Primary St. David’s Primary School, School, Swansea School, Cardiff Newport Elizabeth Richards M. Langsdale & C. Power Lindsay Smith St. David's RC Primary St. Francis RC Primary St Patricks RC Primary School, Swansea School, Cardiff School, Newport

The Pastoral Resources Centre, 910 Newport Road, Rumney, Cardiff, CF3 4LL Tel: 0113 403 3152 The Headteachers of Catholic Schools in the

Catholic Province of Cardiff (Dioceses of Cardiff, Menevia & Wrexham)

Catherine McCormack Mrs R Acton Sue Roberts St. Richard Gwyn Catholic St. Mary's RC Primary Mary Immaculate Catholic High School, Flint School, Wrexham Primary School, Haverfordwest Eugene Scourfield Emma Pole St Joseph's RC School And Bishop Vaughan School, Amanda Preston 6th Form Centre, Port Swansea Christ the Word School, Talbot Rhyl Denbighshire Mrs Carmen Beveridge Miss Joanne Conway St. Robert's RC Primary Sarah Mansfield Our Lady's RC School, School, Bridgend St. Francis Primary, Milford Mountain Ash Haven Hannah Corcoran Mark Leighfield St. Mary's RC Primary Tim Baxter St. David's Catholic College, School, Carmarthen St. Mary's RC School, Cardiff Brynmawr Angela Keller Suzanne Williams Archbishop McGrath Caroline May St. Bernadette’s Primary Catholic School, Bridgend St. Joseph’s Catholic Junior School, Cardiff School, Port Talbot Patrick Brunnock Mrs J Jarrett Corpus Christi Catholic Sian Jones-Evans St. Joseph's RC High School, High School, Cardiff St. Winefride’s Catholic Newport School, Holywell Mr Lyndon Watkins H. Powell St. Mary's RC Primary Simon Hughes Mary Immaculate High School, Bridgend St. David's Catholic Primary School, Cardiff School, Mold Rachel Mary Molyneux Bernadette Brooks St. Mary's Catholic School, Mr J Wilkinson St. Cuthbert's RC Primary Flint Ysgol Sant Joseph, Colwyn School, Cardiff Bay Karen Wathan Alexandra Riordan St. Illtyds RC School, Claire Dineen St Joseph’s RC Primary Dowlais & St. Mary's St. Joseph's Catholic School, Newport Catholic Primary School, Primary School, Neath Merthyr Tydfil James Llewellyn Mrs Rebecca Langley St. Gabriel's RC School, Jane Beckett Venerable Edward Morgan Newport St Joseph’s RC Primary RC School, Deeside School, Newport Mrs Jill Jones E. Brophy All Saints Catholic Primary Mrs Lucy Phillips St. Padarn's RC Primary School, Ysgol Bendigaid William School, Aberystwyth Davies, Llandudno Mrs Catherine Dowding Kay O'Hanlon St. Cadoc's Catholic Chris Wilkinson Our Lady's School, Bangor Primary School, Cardiff St. Joseph's Catholic & Anglican High School, Wrexham The Pastoral Resources Centre, 910 Newport Road, Rumney, Cardiff, CF3 4LL Tel: 0113 403 3152 The Headteachers of Catholic Schools in the

Catholic Province of Cardiff (Dioceses of Cardiff, Menevia & Wrexham)

Annamaria Bevan Sophie Sanchez Jill Manship St. Margaret's Catholic St. Helen’s RC Primary St Michael's RC Primary Primary School, Aberdare School, Lansbury Park School, Newport Mr Gareth Rein Rachel Woodward Mrs Claire Hart St. Peter's Primary School, St. Alban's RC Primary St. John Lloyd School, Cardiff School, Cardiff Cardiff Peter Knight Mrs Donna Evans St. Patrick's RC Primary St Mary’s Primary School, School, Cardiff Newport

The Pastoral Resources Centre, 910 Newport Road, Rumney, Cardiff, CF3 4LL Tel: 0113 403 3152