The School Curriculum in Wales and

Devolution: Evidence Informed Policy?

David Egan
University of Wales Institute Cardiff

ECER 2010
Helsinki
 Context
• Role of the Welsh Office before
devolution: ‘delivery of programmes
and services’ decided at Whitehall

• National Assembly for Wales took over

devolved power in 1999

• The Learning Country (Welsh

Assembly Govt, 2001)
– communitarian, state provided education
system
– move away from high stakes testing
– moved away from prescriptive pedagogies
e.g. National Strategies
 Curriculum reform in Wales
• abandonment of national testing at ages 7,
11 and 14
• introduction of the Foundation phase , 3-7
years olds
• reform of 14-19 education
• introduction of a Welsh baccalaureate
• initial work scoping 8-14 phase in education
• School Effectiveness Framework
implemented from September 2010

Completed within the reformed National

Curriculum through greater freedom to
innovate.
 Evidence Informed Policy?
Foundation Stage
• Expert Adviser produced recommendations (2000);
• development work involving civil servants,
practitioners, academics and special interest groups
• consultation period (2002)
• pilot in 41 schools (September 2004)
• guidance information for practitioners
• nursery and reception children from 2009
• all 3-7 years olds from 2011
 Evidence Informed Policy?
Assessment
• decision to end testing for 7 year olds based on evidence
from Inspectorate, practitioners and officials within
Education Dept.
• review of curriculum and assessment arrangements by
former Chief Inspector in 2003 – questionnaires and
stakeholder interviews.
• further expert review by Prof Richard Daugherty (ARG)
in 2004
Pedagogy
• pilot of Assessment for Learning and thinking skills
strategies with groups of schools
• Pedagogy Strategy and School Effectiveness
Framework
 Evidence Informed Policy?
14-19 Education and Training
• broader curriculum offer from September 2009
• Review Group formed 2007, Prof Adrian Webb
• collaboration between providers needs to improve
• policy development led by WAG officials with practitioner
secondees
• initial development and scoping work involved 170
individuals from a wider range of stakeholder groups
• 14-19 Learning Networks in the 22 LAs of Wales
• less involvement of academic research
• high political engagement
 Evidence Informed Policy?
Welsh Baccalaureate
• broaden curriculum for 14-18 year olds
• review of international evidence
• pilot undertaken between 2003-2006
• pilot received a positive evaluation by
University of Nottingham
• target: 40% of all 14-19 years involved by
2010
 Evidence Informed Policy?
Review of 8-14 Education in Wales
• Task Group established in early 2009 led by Prof Egan
• strong stakeholder engagement: headteachers, Local
Authority personnel, school governor, school inspector
• recommendations:
– creation of discrete 8-14 phase with discrete policy for pedagogy
leadership, transition, assessment, literacy and inclusion
– development of 8-14 workforce
– changes to school governance and organisation
– changes to inspection framework
– commissioning of educational research on 8-14 achievement
– more equal distribution of funding between phases
 Conclusion
• stakeholder interaction strongest in Foundation Phase and
weakest for 14-19 reform
• greatest impact where there is a strong personal commitment
and involvement of senior politicians in networks with
practitioners
• WAG draws on educational research in Wales
– Issues of capacity and dissemination
• what counts as evidence?
– quantitative and qualitative approaches
– practitioner input and research-based evidence

Informal brokerage –
Bridging the divide between policy makers and researchers
Strong involvement of practitioners