Formative evaluation of the Curriculum for Wales, phase 1 synthesis report: government response

Since 2022 each school in Wales has been required to design its own curriculum to reflect their context, and to meet the needs of their learners. The Curriculum for Wales Framework sets out requirements and expectations, including the knowledge and skills that all learners should develop, the learning experiences they should have, and the progress they should make in their learning.

In 2024 Welsh Government commissioned Arad Research to lead a formative evaluation of the Curriculum for Wales. As part of a wide-ranging programme of research, Arad is working alongside AlphaPlus Consultancy, Bangor University, Cardiff Metropolitan University, the Open University in Wales, the University of Auckland and the University of Stirling.

On 18 December 2025, Welsh Government published the Government Social Research (GSR) Evaluation of the Curriculum for Wales Synthesis Report, developed as part of the formative evaluation. The report provides a synthesis of evaluation evidence collected between May 2024 and September 2025 during the first phase of the formative evaluation, to provide Welsh Government 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, and learners and their families. 

We welcome this report and the findings of the qualitative studies, as well as the surveys of senior leaders and teachers, and parents, carers and learners. The evaluation has identified some positive activity across Wales, identifying how schools are making substantial changes to their curriculum design, involving learners, and making substantial changes to pedagogical practices in response to the Curriculum for Wales.

There are synergies between the findings of the formative evaluation and what has been identified by Estyn in their Early Insights 2024 to 2025 reports and their recent thematic report on ‘Teaching the Curriculum for Wales’ (2025), for example the Synthesis report notes:

… substantial changes in schools to pedagogical practice in response to Curriculum for Wales. These changes were reported to have involved a greater focus on enquiry, experiential, and authentic learning approaches, often supported by practitioners paying closer attention to the purpose of the content being taught and the needs of their learners.

Estyn’s findings note:

Many schools we visited, particularly in the primary sector, use authentic and relevant learning contexts and the local community to deepen engagement and make learning more meaningful. These approaches support pupils to see the relevance of their learning, promote critical thinking and strengthen their sense of identity and belonging. In the most effective practice, teaching fosters curiosity about Wales and the wider world, enabling pupils to make connections across areas of their learning in ways that support pupils’ development towards the four purposes.’ (Teaching the Curriculum for Wales, 2025)

Strong teaching is underpinned by purposeful curriculum planning.’ (Estyn: Early Insights 2024 to 2025)

The Synthesis report also references the following about leadership:

Where this has been purposeful, based on a clear vision of how the curriculum can be enacted within the school and focused on appropriate learning and teaching pedagogy this has been a strong enabler, conversely, the success of new curriculum approaches was reported to be contingent on individual leadership capability, meaning that variability across the system arose where this capability was lacking, thereby constraining consistent, high-quality curriculum realisation.

While Estyn reports:

In the majority of cases, senior leaders provide purposeful leadership and communicate a clear vision that promotes high expectations among staff and pupils.

In the strongest cases, leaders ensure pupils’ learning is carefully planned to provide continuity across the full age range, they know pupils well, meet their well-being needs effectively, and provide appropriate support for their families.

Like Estyn, the formative evaluation highlights leadership, collaboration and professional learning as critical enablers, creating the conditions for effective realisation of Curriculum for Wales. However, both also identify time and budgetary constraints as ongoing challenges, particularly in limiting practitioners’ capacity to engage with professional learning.

The Curriculum for Wales is still relatively new in schools, and we expect practice to develop over time, which is why we have prioritised support that has been put in place over the last year. This is to support schools to build on the excellent progress they are making in supporting learners to embody the curriculum’s four purposes, and ensuring they have the skills, knowledge and experiences they will need when they leave school.

The synthesis report draws on findings from four qualitative studies with schools and settings published in July 2025:

• Equity and inclusion in the Curriculum for Wales
• Curriculum and assessment design and pedagogy in the Curriculum for Wales
• Realising the Curriculum for Wales in Education Other Than At School (EOTAS) provision including Pupil Referral Units (PRU)
• Health and well-being area of learning and experience in the Curriculum for Wales

The synthesis report also draws on findings from:

• A survey of 925 senior leaders and teachers
• A survey of 1,094 parents and carers and 757 of their children
• Curriculum journeys longitudinal research with a sample of 10 schools. Fieldwork so far provides a rich snapshot and so some findings have been included in the synthesis report. A stand-alone report covering the full journey of change across waves in 2024, 2025 and 2026 will be published in late 2026.

We welcome the Synthesis report’s identification of three priorities for the next stage of curriculum realisation in Wales, and three pillars which underpin each of these priorities.

Priorities

1. Tackling variability in curriculum realisation across the system.
2. Enhancing and deepening practitioner understanding of the Curriculum for Wales Framework.
3. Strengthening and enhancing further the quality of curriculum design, pedagogy and assessment practices.

Pillars

1. A system perspective, recognising interconnectedness and interactions between different organisations and stakeholders.
2. A networked infrastructure for curriculum leadership.
3. A systematic, robust, embedded approach to professional learning.

System Perspective

The Curriculum for Wales statutory guidance was published in 2020 with the first schools required to use it from 2022. Updates have been made annually since then. These include additional sections of guidance requested by leaders and practitioners, such as the continuing the journey section (published January 2024) that provides a common set of expectations, priorities and supporting information for curriculum design. Tools and templates for curriculum design have also been published (May 2025) to help support schools and settings with curriculum design, tackling variability in curriculum realisation across the system.

As part of an ongoing cycle of review and refinement, Welsh Government will consider how well curriculum and assessment requirements and expectations are articulated in the Curriculum for Wales Framework and how best to support a shared understanding across the education system, addressing the issue of variability within curriculum realisation.

Dysgu, the leadership and professional learning body, has been established to develop and deliver high-quality, coherent and nationally available professional development opportunities for our school practitioners. We are also committed to enhancing support for the leadership of self-evaluation in schools and Dysgu will be developing a range of support for our leaders.

Through partnerships with Welsh universities, we have created opportunities for practitioners to engage in disciplined enquiry and reflective practice, ensuring that pedagogical principles are evidence-informed, grounded in classroom practice and contribute directly to school improvement and the realisation of the Curriculum for Wales.

During the 2025 to 2026 academic year, in partnership with Dysgu and local authorities, we are piloting a new approach to the National Professional Enquiry Project. This approach brings together universities, schools and local authorities building capacity to deliver a more collaborative model for developing practitioners’ research and enquiry skills, strengthening evidence informed practice and supporting continuous improvement in learning and teaching.

From September 2024, a programme of national support has been available to all schools and settings. It supports the coherent realisation of Curriculum for Wales, a curriculum guided by purpose, where learning is a dynamic and continuous process that involves exploration, experimentation, and reflection, and aims to reduce variability in standards of learning and teaching.

We remain committed to ensuring every learner can access a broad and balanced curriculum. The national support programme is available to practitioners in pupil referral units (PRUs) and education other than at school (EOTAS) provision too. We continue to work with local authorities to ensure PRUs and other EOTAS providers all have access to appropriate curriculum and assessment support and to facilitate collaboration between schools, PRUs and other EOTAS providers.

As part of the programme, a Curriculum for Wales Design Institute has been established to articulate clear expectations of curriculum and assessment design as set out in the Curriculum for Wales statutory guidance, develop a shared understanding of the Curriculum for Wales Framework, and provide exemplification for curriculum and assessment design. Additionally, specific tools and templates have been published to give schools a clear process for developing and enhancing their curriculum.

We are currently reviewing the cross curricular frameworks for literacy, numeracy, and digital competence, with the intention of placing them on a statutory footing. This aims to raise educational standards and improve consistency in how these key enablers support learning across the curriculum, reducing variability in provision for learners, to support schools to coherently plan for progressive skill development across the curriculum, and strengthening opportunities for pupils to apply and extend their skills meaningfully.

Networked infrastructure for curriculum leadership

The school practitioners involved in the National support programme, alongside school improvement advisors, will be trained to cascade this support within their own clusters, increasing capacity and understanding as part of an ongoing programme.

In addition to this support, the Camau i’r Dyfodol project, launched in June 2022, has brought together education partners to develop coherent practice to realise the long-term ambitions of Curriculum for Wales, in particular to construct a shared understanding of progression for all learners. Many teachers have reported that the project has given them clarity of designing learning within Curriculum for Wales and given them confidence to support learner progression.

Dysgu will have a key role in working with local authorities and partnerships to strengthen subject and phase-specific professional learning. This will ensure that professional development is tailored to meet schools’ curriculum and pedagogical needs and grounded in classroom practice.

Systematic professional learning

The Curriculum for Wales grant support programme of £44 million over 3 years for consistent, nationally available professional learning, aligns with nationally agreed priorities such as curriculum and assessment design, literacy, numeracy, and health and wellbeing. This is intended to support improvements to the quality of learning and teaching across our education system and to reduce its variability.

Schools receive funding as part of the Professional learning grant (£13.5 million in 2025 to 2026) allows time for practitioners to develop skills and practice to deliver high-quality learning and teaching for all learners.

The National Professional Learning Entitlement, introduced in 2022, reinforces our commitment to ensure that every practitioner has access to high-quality professional learning throughout their career, with well-designed opportunities that combine different approaches and promote reflection, enquiry, and collaboration.

In the 2025 to 2026 academic year we agreed a further additional in-service training (INSET) day for schools and practitioners to engage with professional learning. This is the 7th consecutive year that an additional has been provided. In December 2025 we published a consultation seeking views on a proposal to provide six INSET days indefinitely from the 2026 to 2027 school year, responses to the consultation will be considered alongside a comprehensive evaluation of INSET days.

The Professional Standards for Teaching, Leadership and Assisting Teaching set out the skills, knowledge and behaviours that define excellent practice and underpin professional growth. The standards provide a shared framework for continuous improvement and high-quality practice across the education workforce. During 2025, we have worked closely with key partners across the education sector to develop a revised set of Professional Standards that reflect and underpin the key priorities for education in Wales. The consultation on the revised standards is now underway and will closes in January 2026.

In 2026, we will begin work to explore how best to provide teachers and teaching assistants with a coherent consistent pathway supporting them in the early years of their careers. This will involve creating a structured and aligned approach to professional learning, enabling teachers to build confidence and deepen their expertise and understanding as they progress in their careers.

The enabling learning section of the Curriculum for Wales statutory 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.

Fundamental to the key principles of holistic and meaningful learning are enabling adults able to provide engaging experiences in effective environments. The guidance provides senior leaders and practitioners with a practical lens to plan, design and realise their curriculum and assessment arrangements in a developmentally and pedagogical appropriate way that is inclusive for all their learners.

The new school improvement policy introduced following the Review of roles and responsibilities of education partners in Wales (‘the Review') provides a strong foundation to tackle the priorities and pillars set out above. This policy is set out in the new School Improvement Guidance (published 5 January 2026) which has been subject to significant sector engagement during 2024 to 2025 following the Review.

In respect of the priorities and pillars above, the school improvement policy:

• provides the structural and cultural conditions (collaboration, trust, openness) needed for the priorities to succeed
• operationalises the pillars through clear processes (self-evaluation, school development plans, collaborative models) and defined roles at every level
• connects local improvement activity to national priorities, ensuring alignment and sustainability

Connecting to the three priorities

1. Tackling variability in curriculum realisation across the system:

• The school improvement policy promotes vertical and horizontal collaboration, ensuring schools and settings work together across phases and contexts to align curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment.
• It embeds shared understanding and expectations for progression and encourages external perspectives to reduce inconsistency in implementation.

2. Enhancing and deepening practitioner understanding of the Curriculum for Wales Framework:

• The policy positions self-evaluation and collaborative enquiry as central, schools creating opportunities for professional dialogue around curriculum and assessment design, including progression.
• It links improvement priorities directly to professional learning needs, supported by Dysgu.

3. Strengthening and enhancing further the quality of curriculum design, pedagogy and assessment practices:

• The school improvement model focuses on curriculum, learning and teaching as one of its three core evaluation lenses.
• It promotes evidence-informed practice, peer collaboration, and systematic use of assessment to support progression rather than compliance.

Connection to the three pillars

1. A system perspective, recognising interconnectedness and interactions between different organisations and stakeholders:

• The school improvement policy establishes collective responsibility for learner progress across schools and settings, local authorities (LAs), and national partners.
• It sets out clear roles for schools and other educational settings, LAs, Welsh Government, and diocesan authorities, ensuring coherence and shared accountability.

2. A networked infrastructure for curriculum leadership:

• The collaborative improvement model creates local improvement communities (partnerships between schools working collaboratively, and their local authority) enabling distributed leadership and shared expertise.
• LAs are tasked with building capacity, identifying expertise and brokering support within the local system, reducing reliance on external interventions.

3. A systematic, robust, embedded approach to professional learning:

• Professional learning is embedded in the improvement cycle, linked to school development plan priorities and statutory professional development review processes.
• Dysgu ensures consistency and quality across Wales in key priority areas.
• The additional learning needs (ALN) system relies on the knowledge and experience of practitioners to identify ways of providing appropriate learning and teaching for every learner. 

The table below sets out current spend projections for activity that is directly attributable to the implementation of the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021 over the 2025 to 2026 financial year.