Equity and inclusion in the Curriculum for Wales: a qualitative study

The formative evaluation of Curriculum for Wales adopts a mixed methods approach including surveys of senior leaders and practitioners, surveys of parents/carers and learners, longitudinal case studies to understand schools’ curriculum realisation journeys, and several topic-based qualitative studies exploring specific elements of Curriculum for Wales. It aims to provide a broad qualitative and quantitative picture of how the reforms are working, how practice is changing and how these changes are being experienced by practitioners, learners and their families.

This report sets out the findings of one of the evaluation’s topic-based qualitative studies. The research involved fieldwork with 9 schools and 1 PRU (5 primary schools, 3 secondary schools, 1 special school and 1 PRU), conducted between June and October 2024. It was led by Cardiff Metropolitan University and supported by Arad Research.

The report presents findings on: 

• changes to a child or young person’s experiences of learning through Curriculum for Wales
• reviewing curriculum learning and experiences offered
• identifying individual needs and providing appropriate support
• system capacity to support equity and inclusion
• variability of practice

The Welsh Government has considered the findings of the report and published a response.