Research on equity and inclusion in the Curriculum for Wales: government response

Research on equity and inclusion in the Curriculum for Wales: government response

Background

On 17 July 2025, Welsh Government published the Government Social Research (GSR) report, developed by the University of Stirling and Arad Research, 'Equity and Inclusion in the Curriculum for Wales: a qualitative study'. This report is part of the formative evaluation of the Curriculum for Wales, a multi-year study which will provide us with a broad qualitative and quantitative picture of how the reforms are working, how practice is changing and how these changes are being experienced by senior leaders, practitioners, learners and their families.

A summary of the report's findings has been published. The study sought to understand how equity and inclusion in the curriculum is being realised in practice, as well as how settings and practitioners are being supported in this.

Whilst there are limitations to the study (including that the sample of schools involved is small and self-selecting and thus the findings are not generalisable), the report offers rich insights to help the Welsh Government's development and prioritisation of support to practitioners and learners in the continued realisation of Curriculum for Wales.

Curriculum realisation

We are pleased that most schools in the study reported that Curriculum for Wales had led to an increased focus on equity and inclusion for all learners.

It's clear that schools and settings are embracing the agency Curriculum for Wales provides, to adapt their practice and support greater equity and inclusivity to meet individual learners' needs.

The additional learning needs (ALN) system relies on the knowledge and experience of practitioners to identify ways of providing appropriate access to the curriculum for every learner. It's positive to see schools are using learner centred practice to plan appropriate support and these approaches are being seen as beneficial in supporting equity and inclusion.

We welcome the value placed by practitioners on learner voice and, through this, that they are offering diverse, localised learning experiences that are relevant to their learners and shaped by them. We are pleased that some practitioners are observing improved learner engagement when their curriculum is designed to reflect learner interests and local communities.

We appreciate practitioners' continued efforts to engage with families to provide the right support for learners and contributing to more equitable experiences. We also welcome the spotlight on the benefits of cluster working, which we recognise as a key to effective collaboration.

Challenges

We recognise concerns that variable or inequitable resources at home, at school, or in the community, as well as different approaches in school, could lead to unequal learner experiences.

We also recognise the significant pressures schools and local authorities are under and acknowledge that significant planning and collaboration is needed for successful realisation of the Curriculum for Wales.

We also acknowledge that improvements to initial teacher education (ITE) programmes are required to strengthen student teachers' understanding to support equity and inclusion and meet the needs of all learners.

Support for schools

Some senior leaders and practitioners in the study noted challenges in relation to the time available for planning for and responding to individual learner needs. The Welsh Government recognises the time and effort that leaders and practitioners are investing in curriculum realisation.

In 2019 we introduced an additional training day to support practitioners to prepare for the Curriculum for Wales. This additional training day has been provided for the past six years, and we have announced our intention to continue to provide a sixth training day for the 2025 to 2026 academic year.

During the summer and autumn terms we will undertake a comprehensive evaluation of in-service training (INSET), including discussion with learners and practitioners, to better understand the impact of INSET on the education of our learners and in providing supportive conditions for our practitioners. This work will inform our longer-term Strategic Education Workforce Plan.

The report highlights a need for improved collaboration between primary and secondary schools to support consistency and continuity in relation to equity and inclusion. Following the review of roles and responsibilities of education partners and delivery of school improvement arrangements and through ongoing school improvement discussions with LAs across Wales, it is clear that purposeful collaboration at all levels will be fundamental moving forward. We will be issuing revised school improvement guidance later this year to help provide clarity on this. This builds on requirements around transition planning and our expectations for schools to build a shared understanding of progression across schools.

We are also placing particular emphasis on this key transition point in our national support programmes. For example, for numeracy, our 'Primed for success' project is aimed at leaders of mathematics in primary and secondary schools, and practitioners working with Year 6 and 7 learners in schools, supporting secondary and feeder primary school cluster working to provide smooth and effective transition. In literacy, the grant invitation for June 2025 includes a focus on the development of tools for evaluating language and reading skills and needs at key transition points, to support professionals with this.

The report highlighted concerns of senior leaders and practitioners regarding variability in the realisation of Curriculum for Wales and the potential impacts of this on equity and inclusion for learners across Wales. Professional learning is critical to addressing potential issues around variability. Our programme of national support for curriculum and assessment design is building on the progress that has already been made and on existing, effective support in the system. This has included bringing together guidance and supporting materials into one easily accessible place, supported by expert delivery and one to one coaching for school leaders. In due course this will be transferred to the new professional learning and leadership body we are establishing to deliver national, consistent professional learning to support practitioners along their career pathways.

Clarity of support is critical here and we have also published tools and templates to model processes for school-level curriculum development, including additional detail on progression and assessment and what this looks like in practice.

In literacy and numeracy, the Cabinet Secretary has committed to more granular detail to support professionals' understanding of the essential building blocks of progression in these areas, giving greater clarity about expectations. This will be available initially as professional learning and will inform further guidance in due course. More broadly, we are considering how additional detail can help provide greater clarity about essential knowledge and skills to support curriculum design and progression, within the principles of the Curriculum for Wales.

The report raises ITE as an area of focus, calling for an increased focus on equity and inclusion within ITE. Improvements to our ITE programme are identified through our ITE monitoring and inspection processes. We have refreshed the Criteria for Accreditation of ITE programmes for programmes starting after September 2024. The Criteria now include specific requirements addressing equity and inclusion. Student teachers should develop values, knowledge, skills, and attitudes to meet the needs of all learners in respect of literacy, numeracy, digital competence, social inclusion, tackling the impact of poverty on educational attainment, and equity more widely.

Programmes of ITE are required to cover core professional and pedagogical studies which will draw explicitly on a range of theories, research, and other resources to develop student teachers' knowledge and understanding of, among other things:

• the diverse and changing nature of the school population in Wales and the relevance of this to learning and teaching
• understanding and managing the diverse barriers which learners' face at school affecting educational attainment and impacting equity
• meeting the needs of learners from diverse cultural, linguistic, and religious backgrounds
• meeting the needs of learners from diverse socio-economic backgrounds
• meeting the needs of learners with ALN
• person centred practice, as per the ALN code, to ensure:
  • the views, wishes and feelings of the child and the child's parent, or the young person, are at the heart of the decision-making process to identify their needs and support to meet those needs, and
  • school learners' rights in Wales, including their right to a voice in matters that relate to their lives
• safeguarding all learners

One area for consideration noted in the report is for more specific guidance on how curriculum approaches can help meet the needs of learners with ALN, More Able and Talented (MAT) learners, learners experiencing poverty, and those with protected characteristics. Our 'Enabling learning' guidance has a critical role in supporting a wide range of learners with different needs to access the curriculum and forms part of the national programme of support currently available to schools and settings. It is rooted in child development which is fundamental to understanding and effectively supporting all our learners as they progress on their learning journeys. We are currently working with practitioners, senior leaders, HEIs and middle tier partners to strengthen Enabling learning guidance and consider what further support, including exemplification, might be needed to support practitioners in all contexts with children of all ages, and to inform future review and refinement of the curriculum guidance.

To ensure schools and settings have effective environments to support their learners, we have committed additional funding to improve facilities for learners with ALN. We have invested £20 million in schools and settings to create more accessible and inclusive learning environments such as quiet or sensory areas, to upgrade facilities to improve accessibility, and purchase new equipment. The ALN legislative framework has also been reviewed for clarity and accessibility. The focus is to improve consistency of understanding and delivery of the ALN system across Wales. 

Beyond curriculum and assessment reform, collaboration across the Welsh Government is underway to provide increased support for diverse groups of learners, including learners from low-income households. Our ambition is for all schools in Wales to be Community Focused Schools, responding to the needs of their community and building strong partnerships with families. Family Engagement Officers (FEOs) play an important role within schools and this financial year we are investing £9.5 million to increase the number of FEOs employed by schools. Funding of around £128 million has been allocated to the Pupil Development Grant this financial year to raise the attainment of children and young people from low-income households. Alongside this, the School Essentials Grant (SEG) is supporting many lower income families across Wales.

Further research on Curriculum for Wales' role in improving equity and inclusion is an area for consideration put forward in the report. As the formative evaluation continues, we will continue to explore how the curriculum is being implemented, and how it is being experienced by learners, parents and carers, through a lens of equity and inclusion. This will include conducting in-depth qualitative fieldwork with learners, parents, and carers, and analysing our survey data to understand trends and patterns in relation to different demographic factors.

Welsh Government will continue to work with practitioners and other partners to provide the best possible education for every child in Wales.