PPIW Expert Workshop:

Evidence Needs and the Welsh Education System

Background Paper

Contents

Purpose of the Workshop ...................................................................................................... 2

An overview of the education system in wales ...................................................................... 3

The policy context in Wales................................................................................................... 5

The Current Government’s Programme of Reform ............................................................ 5

The curriculum in Wales ................................................................................................. 6

Teacher training and Continuing Professional Development in Wales ............................ 8

Improving attainment and closing the attainment gap ........................................................ 9

Welsh medium education ................................................................................................ 11

Key elements of the Education ‘Evidence Ecosystem’ in Wales .......................................... 12

References ......................................................................................................................... 15

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Attendance List

Professor Sally Power – Co-Director, WISERD and Director, WISERD Education, Cardiff

University

Professor Chris Taylor – Co-Director, WISERD, Cardiff University

Professor David Egan - Professor of Welsh Education Policy and Director of the Wales

Centre for Equity in Education, University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Professor Richard Daugherty- Professor of Education, University of Oxford

Professor Sandra McNally – Director, Centre for Vocational Education Research, London

School of Economics

Professor Steve Higgins – Professor of Education, Durham University

James Richardson – Senior Analyst, Education Endowment Foundation

Meilyr Rowlands - HM Chief Inspector, Estyn

Kerry Jones – Research Officer, Estyn

Kate Crabtree - Executive Director of Policy and Research, Qualifications Wales

Dr Catrin Redknap – Principle Research Officer (Welsh Language), KAS, Welsh Government

Glyn Jones – Chief Statistician, Welsh Government

Huw Morris – Director of Skills, H.E. and Lifelong Learning, Welsh Government

Steve Davies – Director of School Standards and Workforce, Welsh Government

Richard Thurston – Head of Research, Education and Skills, Welsh Government

Steve Fletcher – Senior Evidence Liaison Manager, Welsh Government

Dan Bristow - Deputy Director, PPIW (chair)

Lauren Carter-Davies - Research Officer, PPIW

2

Purpose of the Workshop

The Public Policy Institute for Wales (PPIW) aims to improve the effectiveness of policy-

making and delivery by providing policy makers with authoritative, independent research and

expert advice.

The former Minister for Education and Skills has asked the PPIW to convene a half day

workshop that will bring together a select group of experts with senior Welsh Government

representatives to identify the evidence needs of the primary, secondary and post 16

education system (excluding Higher Education) in Wales over the coming assembly term.

In the coming five years, the education system in Wales will undergo a significant programme

of reform intended to fundamentally change the way that it operates. At the same time, there

will be sustained pressure to improve attainment levels overall, and particularly for

disadvantaged groups; and pressure to ‘deliver’ on the Welsh medium education. All of which

will be against a back drop of further austerity which, even if education budgets are protected,

will put strain on the education system.

The aim of the workshop is to provide recommendations for a research agenda for the primary,

secondary and post 16 education system in Wales, as well as a diagnosis of the existing

capacity to deliver this. It will focus on the following key areas:

1. The Welsh Government’s package of reform1;

2. Attainment and the attainment gap; and

3. Welsh medium education.

For each of these ‘key issues’, this workshop will aim to:

identify the research questions that will need to be addressed over the next five years;

suggest the best approaches to addressing these questions; and

highlight any issues of capacity, funding and other resources.

We will rank the questions identified across the three challenges2 based on three criteria:

relative importance, cost, and timescale.

The intention would be, through this, to provide a recommendation for a research agenda for

the education system in Wales, as well as a diagnosis of the existing capacity to deliver this.

1 Including curriculum reform, and Initial Teacher Education and Training (ITET) and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) reform. 2 During the workshop the first of these challenges was split in two resulting in four key areas: Curriculum reform, ITET and CPD, attainment and the attainment gap, and Welsh medium education.

3

Background

The purpose of this briefing paper is to provide background information for the experts

attending the workshop. It:

provides a short overview of the Welsh education system;

sets out the current policy context; and

lists the key elements of the ‘evidence ecosystem’ in the area of education research in

Wales.

An overview of the education system in wales

Education in Wales differs in certain respects from education elsewhere in the UK. Since

devolution in 1999, systems of governance and regulation (the arrangements for planning,

funding, quality-assuring and regulating learning, and for its local administration) are becoming

increasingly differentiated across the four home countries. Successive Education Ministers in

Wales have done away with SATs and school league tables and changed the way children

are taught with the introduction of the Foundation Phase for 3-7 year olds and the new Welsh

Baccalaureate; and as set out below there are more changes to come.

One of the principal differences has been that the Welsh Government has not pursued many

of the structural reforms instituted in England. The vast majority of primary and secondary

schools are ‘community schools’ which are established and overseen by local authorities.

There are a small number voluntary schools and a handful of foundation schools; Wales does

not have the powers to create Free Schools (Welsh Government, 2015b). In 2013/2014

around 97 per cent of pupils attended maintained schools (not including special schools), while

0.9 per cent attended special schools and 1.8 per cent attended independent schools

(Statistics for Wales, 2015).

Post 16 education is provided in publically funded Further Education (FE) colleges and sixth

forms within secondary schools. Pupils are able to choose between GCE A-Levels, the Welsh

Baccalaureate (WBQ)3 and a wide range of vocational qualifications.

The Welsh Government’s Department for Education and Skills is responsible for administering

education across all phases. Local Authorities have a statutory duty to provide publicly-funded

3 A Welsh Government commissioned evaluation of the relationship between the WBQ, Advanced Diploma and Higher Education can be viewed at http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/18417/1/130325-relationships-between-welsh-baccalaureate-advanced-diploma-higher-education-en.pdf

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primary and compulsory secondary education and school improvement, and are responsible

for the planning, organisation and funding of maintained schools in its area4.

In 2014 the Welsh Government established Regional Consortia, which bring Local Authorities

together to coordinate school improvement in their areas. Four regional consortia operate

under a National Model for Regional Working which was implemented in April 20145.

Whilst all aspects of school improvement are considered consortia roles, they are specifically

tasked with addressing the three Ministerial priorities of improving levels of literacy, numeracy

and reducing the impact of poverty on education attainment (Welsh Government, 2015). They

are required to evaluate local needs, strengths and weaknesses and plan how best to utilise

funding (Welsh Government, 2015).

Estyn, the office of Her Majesty's Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales, is

responsible for inspecting pre-school education, schools across all sectors and phases of

education, further education institutions, local authorities and Regional Consortia.

Qualifications Wales is the independent organisation responsible for regulating general and

vocational qualifications in Wales. It was established through the Qualifications Wales Act

2015 as the regulator of non-degree qualifications and the qualifications system in Wales. It is

a Welsh Government Sponsored Body, independent of government, and is accountable to the

National Assembly for Wales. The organisation has two aims: a) ensuring that qualifications,

and the Welsh qualification system, are effective for meeting the reasonable needs of learners

in Wales; and (b) promoting public confidence in qualifications and in the Welsh qualification

system.

4 This includes responsibility for delivering – either by employing their own staff or by working in partnership with another local authorities – the full range of education services such as the organisation of schools and school places, special educational and additional learning needs, school transport, school meals, safeguarding services, education welfare, behaviour and attendance and employees’ pay and conditions of service. 5 The four education consortia include: North Wales (covering Flintshire, Conwy, Wrexham, Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey, Denbighshire); South West and Mid Wales (covering Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Ceredigion); Central South Wales (covering Bridgend, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Vale of Glamorgan); and South East West (covering Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport, Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen).

5

The policy context in Wales

It is our contention that the policy landscape in Wales is dominated by three key issues6:

1) The government’s programme of reform and specifically changes to the curriculum, and

to teacher training and Continuing Professional Development;

2) The focus on improving attainment and closing the ‘attainment gap’; and

3) Improving Welsh Medium education.

The Current Government’s Programme of Reform

The current Welsh Government’s Programme for Government made four key commitments in

the area of education. These commitments included: improving early years’ experiences;

improving school attainment;

developing Welsh Medium Education; and

improving Further and Higher Education7.

This was followed in 2014 with ‘Qualified for Life: An education improvement plan’, which set

out the Welsh Government’s long-term vision and the following strategic objectives for

education for 3 – 19 year old learners in Wales to 2020:

1. An excellent professional workforce with strong pedagogy based on an understanding of

what works.

2. A curriculum which is engaging and attractive to children and young people and which

develops within them an independent ability to apply knowledge and skills.

3. The qualifications young people achieve are nationally and internationally respected and

act as a credible passport to their future learning and development.

4. Leaders of education at every level working together in a self-improving system, providing

mutual support and challenge to raise standards in all schools (Welsh Government,

2014c).

The first two of these, in particular, have led to the development of programmes of reform that

will be fundamental to the evolution of the education system over the next five years (i.e. the

next term of the Welsh Assembly).

6 During the workshop the first of these challenges was split in two resulting in four key areas: Curriculum reform, ITET and CPD, attainment and the attainment gap, and Welsh medium education. 7 In addition, the Welsh Government has a number of cross-cutting priorities relevant to education. These include tackling poverty, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of a Child (UNCRC), Welsh Language, Sustainable Development and Equality.

6

The curriculum in Wales

A revised curriculum for 3-to 19-year-olds began to be introduced in September 2008, and the

final phase of implementation began in September 2011. This sought to reduce prescribed

subject content and focus more on skills; to assure continuity and progression between each

phase of education; and to promote government policy in areas such as bilingualism and

global citizenship.

One of the key changes was the introduction, in 2008, of the Foundation Phase statutory

framework which was rolled out to all primary schools in Wales. It began for 3-4 year olds and

by 2011 was in place for 3-7 year olds. The Foundation Phase combines and replaces early

years education (ages 3 to 5) and key stage (KS) 1 (ages 5 to 7) and places great emphasis

on children experiential learning through organised play activities and practical investigation8.

In addition the Welsh Government sought to strengthen literacy and numeracy through the

introduction of the National Literacy and Numeracy Framework and the National Reading

and Numeracy Tests9.

For older learners the Welsh Government have also recently introduced Learning

Programmes for 16 to 19-year-olds which provide greater focus on courses which

employers and universities value and which offer industry-relevant curriculum and work

experience. They have also introduced the Youth Engagement and Progression

Framework to identify and provide support to those at risk of disengaging and established

Careers Wales as a national, independent provider of careers information, advice and

guidance (Welsh Government, 2014c).

In 2014 the Welsh Government commissioned Professor Graham Donaldson to conduct a

review of the curriculum and assessment arrangements and develop a new curriculum and

assessment arrangements that aligns with the National Literacy and Numeracy Framework.

Donaldson’s review, ‘Successful Futures’, challenged the government to re-think its

approach to the curriculum and to focus on the purposes of education. Donaldson (2015)

suggested that the current curriculum no longer meets the needs of children and young people

in Wales. He proposed that the purpose of the curriculum in Wales should be that children and

young people develop as:

ambitious capable learners ready to learn throughout their lives;

8 See http://www.wiserd.ac.uk/news/latest-news/evaluating-foundation-phase-report/#sthash.kiAui1Ss.dpbs 9 For an evaluation of the National Literacy and Numeracy Framework see http://gov.wales/docs/caecd/research/2015/151210-evaluation-national-literacy-numeracy-programmes-interim-en.pdf

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ethical, informed citizens ready to be citizens of Wales and the world;

enterprising, creative contributors ready to play a full part in life and work; and

healthy, confident individuals ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.

Donaldson stressed the importance of literacy, numeracy and digital competence, as well as

an appropriate emphasis on the Welsh language and culture and the provision of stimulating

and engaging experiences. He recommended literacy, numeracy and digital be the three cross

curriculum responsibilities alongside six specific areas of learning and experience:

1. The expressive arts;

2. Humanities;

3. Mathematics and numeracy;

4. Health and well-being;

5. Languages, literacy and communications; and

6. Science and technology.

Donaldson also recommended a continuum of learning from ages 3 to 16 without phases and

key stages. Instead Progression Steps at five points in the learning continuum are proposed,

broadly relating to expectations at ages 5, 8, 11, 14 and 16 and including achievement

outcomes for each Progression Step contributing to each purpose. Assessment arrangements

should be simplified and aligned with the purposes of the curriculum.

In total, Donaldson made 68 recommendations, all of which have been accepted by the Welsh

Government. Work has started on implementing the suggested reforms. The approach being

taken will see schools leading the development of the new curriculum under the guidance of

a steering board chaired by Donaldson. The Welsh Government have set out high level key

milestones in the development of the new curriculum:

2015 - 2016: Pioneer Network established10

2015 - 2018: Design and development phase of the new curriculum

September 2016: Digital Competence Framework available

2017 - 2021: Practical support to schools to prepare for the new curriculum

September 2018: New curriculum and assessment arrangements available

September 2021: New curriculum and assessment arrangements in place.

10 Consortia have been invited to work with their schools across Wales—primary, secondary and special—to apply to be ‘Pioneer Schools’, leading and shaping the detailed design and the development of the new inclusive curriculum for Wales.

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Teacher training and Continuing Professional Development in Wales

In their endeavours to reach the objective of “an excellent professional workforce with strong

pedagogy based on an understanding of what works” (Welsh Government, 2015b) the Welsh

Government have sought to reform both Initial Teacher Education and Training (ITET) and the

Continuing Professional Development (CPD) of the profession.

In March 2014, Professor John Furlong was appointed as ITET Adviser for Wales. He was

asked to consider and scope the changes that are needed to bring about improvements to

ITET in Wales following a review of the quality and consistency of teacher training undertaken

by Professor Ralph Tabberer in 2013. Furlong’s report ‘Teaching Tomorrow’s Teachers’

(Furlong, 2014) suggested investing in the teaching profession requires three things:

1. attracting into the profession the best possible candidates;

2. offering them the best initial teacher education and training possible; and

3. offering continuing support so that teachers can refresh and develop throughout their

careers.

In tandem, the Welsh Government have already increased the entry requirements to ITET,

strengthened the Practising Teacher Standards (PTS) and introduced the Teach First

Programme into Wales. To enhance the professional standing and career opportunities for

teachers they have also developed the Masters in Educational Practice programme to support

professional development in the early years of teaching. Following Professor Furlong’s review

of teacher training in Wales (Furlong, 2015), there will be further changes to ITET. Furlong’s

report suggests that we need to strengthen both the contribution of universities and schools

and how both partners work together. He also proposes that the contribution of schools to

teacher education be expanded. Furlong set out nine specific recommendations for the

Government to consider. The new approach includes a revision to professional teaching

standards and plans to drive up the quality of initial teacher training courses by overhauling

the teaching qualification and accreditation process.

The Welsh Government have also been revising and expanding opportunities to develop

teachers’ professional skills after they have qualified (especially in priority areas namely

numeracy and literacy) (Welsh Government, 2015b).

To further create a culture of continuous improvement the Welsh Government have introduced

a national model of professional learning, the New Deal for the workforce, which will see

practitioners have wider access to high-quality development activities to support their practice

(the consortia have worked closely with the Welsh Government in respect of the co-

construction of the New Deal).

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“Revised professional learning resources for teachers were launched in

September 2014 and March 2015 and these will be regularly added to. School

development plan regulations came into force in October 2014, which include

provision for staff professional development. All practitioners will have access

to a professional learning passport from September 2015. The professional

standards framework is being reviewed to set out clearly the expectations for

teachers including addressing the national priorities of literacy and numeracy”

(Welsh Government, 2015b).

In addition the Welsh Government have invested in Learning Wales, Hwb+ and professional

learning communities (PLCs) as a mechanism for sharing best practice and promoting the use

of evidence-based approaches to teaching and learning. Furthermore they have supported

action research into effective teaching and learning in further education colleges.

The Welsh Government reviewed teacher induction alongside the review of the General

Teaching Council for Wales. The Education (Wales) Act 2014 introduced a more robust

registration for the wider education workforce through a reconfigured body, the Education

Workforce Council, from 1 April 2015. The statutory accreditation criteria include initial teacher

training requirements to test trainees’ functional literacy and numeracy. The statutory teacher

induction section of Learning Wales has also been updated and external mentors of newly

qualified teachers have received updated training (Welsh Government, 2015b).

They have also invested in the Sabbatical Scheme and the Welsh in Education Grant as a

mechanism for ensuring that there are sufficient numbers of practitioners with high-quality

Welsh language skills and competence in Welsh-medium and bilingual teaching

methodologies.

Professor Donaldson proposes giving teachers much more control over what to teach, how to

teach and how to assess their students; this he argues will unleash the creativity of the

profession and raise quality in schools in Wales. The new curriculum plans will have a large

impact on the way the Welsh Government thinks about ITET and CPD. Overall, just like

curriculum reform, related teaching training and CPD reform is likely to be a challenge during

the coming assembly term.

Improving attainment and closing the attainment gap

A key driver for reform has been the comparison of attainment levels between Wales and other

OECD countries, including the home nations. Wales has participated in the OECD’s

Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) – a triennial measure of 15 year olds’

performance on literacy, numeracy and science tests – since 2006. The latest results, in 2012,

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saw Wales score below the OECD average, and below the scores achieved by the other home

nations. Partly in response to this the OECD were asked to review the Welsh education

system. The resulting report Improving Schools in Wales has been influential in shaping policy

development. Indeed, though the dominant interpretation of the PISA scores in Wales has

been challenged (see for example Rees, 2012) the relative performance of Welsh students in

PISA tests is used as a key indicator of the performance of the education system as a whole.

The ‘social gradient’ of attainment is also a key driver for reform and a focus of policy. The

Welsh Government has sought to tackle deprivation to limit the impact of poverty and

inequality on levels of attainment. The effect of deprivation on attainment in Wales is profound;

for example, by the end of secondary school in Wales only 25 per cent of 15 year old children

who are eligible for free school meals achieve the Level 2 threshold including English/Welsh

First Language and Mathematics, compared with 60 per cent of their more affluent peers

(Welsh Government, 2014b).

Whilst the impact of deprivation on educational attainment is not unique to Wales, the impact

does appear to be greater; for example those eligible for free school meals in England are

around 50 per cent more likely to achieve the Level 2 inclusive than those eligible for free

school meals in Wales at age 15 (Welsh Government, 2014b). In sum “the attainment of

learners from deprived backgrounds in Wales is far too low and progress to improve outcomes

is far too slow” (Welsh Government, 2014b).

In 2013, nearly 31,000 learners in secondary schools in Wales were eligible for free school

meals (Welsh Government, 2014b). ‘Rewriting the future: Raising ambition and attainment

in Welsh schools’ (Welsh Government, 2014b) focuses on improving educational outcomes

for learners eligible for free school meals at a faster rate to ensure a reduction in the ‘gap’ in

attainment, that currently exists. The objectives include mitigating the impact of deprivation in

early years, engaging families in children’s learning and school life and better equipping the

school workforce to understand and overcome the challenges faced by learners from deprived

backgrounds (Welsh Government, 2014b). In addition the ‘Building Resilient Communities:

Tackling Poverty Action Plan’ sets out a number of targets in this area (e.g. to narrow the

attainment gap at the end of the Foundation Phase by 10 per cent by 2017) (Welsh

Government, 2013b).

There is a considerable amount of work in place in communities to support families. For

example, strengthening community focus is a requirement for head teachers within the

National Leadership Standards, the Communities First Pupil Deprivation Grant Matched

Fund encourages schools in deprived area to work together with their communities on joint

initiatives to raise the attainment of poorer learners, and the Family Learning Programme

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grant to local authorities provides support through a structured programme of workshops and

courses at which parents/carers can develop their learning alongside their children.

In addition, the Welsh Government has made a considerable investment in supporting the

early years. Building a Brighter Future: Early Years and Childcare Plan (Welsh Government,

2013) sets out the direction of travel in this area for the next 10 years. Flying Start is the

Welsh Government’s flagship Early Years programme which aims to address children’s

developmental inequalities through early intervention. In addition the Foundation Phase

curriculum aims to offer a sound foundation for future learning whilst teachers are supported

to embed literacy and numeracy throughout the curriculum through the National Literacy and

Numeracy Framework.

The crucial role of quality learning and teaching is reflected in the high priority being given to

policies that support the development of the whole workforce as described above. In addition,

attitudes and expectations play an important part in the link between disadvantage and

children’s educational attainment. The National Literacy and Numeracy Framework raises

expectations for learner outcomes and the New Youth Guarantee, introduced as part of the

Youth engagement and progression framework which aims to help young people make a

successful first transition to a suitable offer of education or training.

Closing the attainment gap has been a long standing priority in Wales but has proven to be a

difficult challenge. There have been some improvements in closing the attainment in Key

Stages 2 and 3 over the last four years11 yet the picture for Key Stage 4 is mixed. This

challenge looks set to continue in the future. Taking stock of what we already know, what

works and what does not might help us to understand where the evidence gaps in this area

lie.

Welsh medium education

A significant minority of students all over Wales are educated either wholly or largely through

the medium of Welsh. Lessons in the language itself are compulsory for all pupils until the age

of 16. Schools have the option to teach lessons entirely or mostly in Welsh – this includes

English medium schools. Parental preferences for the language of instruction can normally be

met, either by choosing a particular school, or by choosing a particular stream within a dual-

stream school. Welsh-medium pre-school education is available, and some further and higher

education courses are also taught through the medium of Welsh. Importantly, more people

now learn Welsh at school than at home and subsequently do not find opportunities to use

11 http://gov.wales/statistics-and-research/academic-achievement-free-school-meals/?lang=en

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Welsh outside school 12 . An emerging issue which requires more investigation is the

performance of pupils from English speaking families/communities who go to Welsh medium

or bilingual schools.

The Welsh Government’s Programme for Government made a commitment to “build on

existing achievements such as the expansion of Welsh medium early years provision and we

will deliver the Welsh Medium Education Strategy” (Welsh Government, 2015b). “As reported

in the Welsh Medium Education Strategy Annual Report for 2013-14, the Welsh Government

has taken steps to implement all the allocated actions in the Strategy’s Implementation

Programme. This has led to the introduction of new policies, planning mechanisms and the

development and funding of projects to improve specific elements of the Welsh medium

education and training system. They also committed to putting “‘Welsh in Education Strategic

Plans’ on a statutory basis” (Welsh Government, 2015b). As a result, Welsh in Education

Strategic Plans (WESPs) were incorporated into the School Standards and Organisation

(Wales) Act 2013.

Another commitment required the Welsh Government to continue to encourage English

medium schools to offer the choice of taking some subjects through the medium of Welsh. In

light of this commitment, two clusters of English-medium schools have piloted teaching Welsh

across the curriculum instead of discrete Welsh lessons.

Donaldson’s (2015) independent review of curriculum and assessment arrangements in

Wales included Welsh medium education. Regarding the Welsh language, Donaldson

recommends that Welsh be statutory to the age of 16 and focused on communicating in real-

life situations.

Whist there is evidence that there are educational benefits of learning Welsh (see for example

Donaldson, 2015), encouraging Welsh language use is a cross cutting issue for the Welsh

Government and an issue that will continue to present challenges in the area of education13.

Key elements of the Education ‘Evidence Ecosystem’ in Wales

The way that evidence informs policy and practice is complex, and has been characterised as

an ‘ecosystem’ (Shepard, 2014). In seeking to make sense of the way in which evidence is

generated and used, it is helpful to consider the different ‘functions’ in the system (see Figure

1 below), and how they interact.

12 http://gov.wales/statistics-and-research/welsh-language-use-survey/?lang=en 13 Welsh language evidence activity goes beyond the remit of the Minister for Education and Skills and the Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology to the remit of the First Minister (DfES, 2015).

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Figure 1: The evidence ecosystem for education

Source: Shepherd (2014, p.41)

While Figure 1 suggests a linear process, the interaction between key players in the education

evidence ecosystem is complex, dependent on capacity and driven by multiple processes.

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In Wales, the key bodies collecting and analysing data are:

Welsh Government, who publish a range of statistics and research reports in the area of

education (see Annex 1 for a list of statistical publications and ongoing research activity),

and are the principal funder of Wales-focused research.

Estyn, who collect and analyse data and undertake inspections across their remit, as well

as conducting ‘thematic reviews’ on key issues.

The main bodies conducting research include:

Academic institutions – For example, WISERD-ED and the Wales Centre for Equity in

Education.

What Works Centres – These include the Education Endowment Foundation which

focuses on breaking the link between family income and educational attainment14, the

Early Intervention Foundation which focuses on early years and the Public Policy Institute

for Wales which works across Welsh Ministerial portfolios.

Qualifications Wales.

Regional Education Consortia.

Welsh Government’s Knowledge and Analytical Service (KAS) - In addition to activity

stipulated in the DfES Evidence Plan, KAS undertakes additional in-year activity subject

to need and available resources.

Private and third sector organisations commissioned directly by the Welsh Government

to provide research and analytical work.

14 The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) do not currently undertake any substantive research work in Wales.

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References

Estyn. (2015). Improving schools through regional education consortia. Retrieved from:

http://www.torfaen.gov.uk/en/Related-Documents/Performance-Improvement/Regulatory-

and-Inspection-Work/Improving-schools-through-regional-education-consortia-National-

Report.pdf

Eurydice. (2012). Overview of education system in Wales. Retrieved from:

https://www.nfer.ac.uk/shadomx/apps/fms/fmsdownload.cfm?file_uuid=F0943FAA-C29E-

AD4D-02BA-AA5A783AED68&siteName=nfer

Rees, G. (2012). PISA and the Politics of Welsh Education. WISERD Policy Briefing

Series. Retrieved from: http://www.wiserd.ac.uk/files/4913/9574/4727/WISERD_PBS_007_-

_PISA_and_the_Politics_of_Welsh_Education.pdf

Shepherd, J. (2014). How to achieve more effective services: the evidence ecosystem.

Retrieved from: http://orca.cf.ac.uk/69077/

Statistics for Wales. (2015). Key Education Statistics – Wales 2015. Retrieved from:

http://gov.wales/docs/statistics/2015/150429-key-education-statistics-2015-en.pdf

Welsh Government. (2013). Commission on Public Service Governance and Delivery.

[Online]. Available from: http://gov.wales/topics/improvingservices/public-service-

governance-and-delivery/?lang=en

Welsh Government. (2013b). Building Resilient Communities: Taking forward the

Tackling Poverty Action Plan. Retrieved from:

http://gov.wales/docs/dsjlg/publications/socialjustice/130703takeforpovactplanen.pdf

Welsh Government. (2014). Schools Challenge Cymru: introduction for Pathways to

Success schools. Retrieved from: http://gov.wales/docs/dcells/publications/140620-schools-

challenge-cymru-introduction-brochure-en.pdf

Welsh Government. (2014b). Rewriting the Future: Raising ambition and attainment in

Welsh Schools. Retrieved from: http://gov.wales/docs/dcells/publications/140616-rewriting-

the-future-raising-ambition-and-attainment-in-welsh-schools-en.pdf

Welsh Government. (2014c). Qualified for Life. Retrieved from:

http://gov.wales/docs/dcells/publications/141001-qualified-for-life-en.pdf

Welsh Government. (2015). National Model for Regional Working. Retrieved from:

http://gov.wales/docs/dcells/publications/140217-national-model-for-regional-working-en-

v2.pdf

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Welsh Government. (2015b). Chapter 3: Education – Update on Commitments in the

Programme for Government. Retrieved from: http://gov.wales/docs/strategies/150616-

annex-chap3-en.pdf

Welsh Government. (2016). Planning, funding and school management. Retrieved from:

http://gov.wales/topics/educationandskills/schoolshome/fundingschools/?lang=en

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Annex 1

Welsh Government statistical publications and ongoing research activity

Each year, the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) identify research and statistical

work in line with priorities. This is a ‘bottom-up’ process supported by the Welsh Government’s

Knowledge and Analytical Services (KAS) and Estyn. A small number of outputs are funded

by central Welsh Government budgets where outputs are closely aligned to the DfES remit

(e.g. the inclusion of questions in the National Survey of Wales and the Health Behaviour of

School-Aged Children Survey).

Welsh Government statistical publications include: School Census, Foundation Phase &

National Curriculum Teacher Assessments, National Reading and Numeracy Test Results,

GCSE and A Level examination results, Pupil Level Attendance, Primary and secondary

school categorisation, My Local School, Statistical analyses for annual reports of the Welsh

Medium Education Strategy, Welsh Medium education attainment, Not in Education,

Employment or Training Status statistics, FE, Work Based Learning & Adult Community

Learning statistics, Skills performance measures, Student finance analysis, Jobs Growth

Wales Statistics, HE Statistics, Education Data-linking and Youth work audit.

Ongoing research activity includes:

Research related to schools such as the Foundation Phase evaluation; National Literacy

& Numeracy Programme evaluation; Pupil Deprivation Grant evaluation; School Challenge

Cymru Evaluation; Lead & Emerging Practitioner Project evaluation; Learning in Digital

Wales Programme evaluation.

Research related to post 16 including European Social Fund supported programme

evaluations (e.g. Pathways to Apprenticeship evaluation; Jobs Growth Wales; Enhancing

Leadership and Management Skills; Single Adult Employability Programme pilot; Essential

Skills in the Workplace; etc.); Formative evaluation of the Youth Engagement &

Progression Framework; Learner Voice Survey.

Research related to Welsh medium education: Evaluation of the Welsh Medium Education

Strategy; mainstream Welsh language in research; and

Cross-cutting research such as Confidence in Qualifications qualitative research; Wales

boost of the Millennium Cohort Study (UK-wide); Children and Young People’s Wellbeing

Monitor; PISA assessment (OECD); National Survey of Wales education topics.