Key facts
- Wales' education policy since devolution has been characterized by contradiction and incoherence.
- The implementation of ambitious curriculum reforms faces challenges related to clarity and approach.
- Concerns exist that similar reforms in other jurisdictions have negatively impacted learner outcomes and exacerbated inequalities.
- There are implications for the Curriculum for Wales, teacher retention, and learner experiences.
Since the devolution of education policy to Wales in 1999, the system has undergone distinct phases of reform. Early years (1999-2010) were marked by an experimental approach, followed by a shift towards greater accountability after disappointing 2009 PISA results. Around 2015, Wales embarked on an ambitious reform journey, embodied in a national mission for education. However, since approximately 2021, the country has entered a challenging phase characterized by uncertainty and significant system upheaval stemming from the complex implementation of these post-2015 reforms.
Research suggests that policy reform in Wales has been marked by contradiction, leading to incoherence and missed opportunities. There are calls for fundamental changes in policy-making, implementation, and scrutiny. Concerns have been raised about the clarity of curricular guidance and the approach to subsidiarity, with warnings from other jurisdictions where similar reforms have negatively impacted learner outcomes and widened inequalities. The success of the Curriculum for Wales, teacher retention, and overall learner experiences are seen as being at risk without a re-evaluation of current strategies.