Welsh schools show improvement to teaching, new report shows

Despite Welsh schools improving, teachers need more help from other staff, according to a new report.

Research carried out by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), shows that commitment to improving teaching and learning in schools in Wales is “visible at all levels of the education system”.

However, the report shows that Wales’ performance in the Pisa (Programme for International Student Assessment) did worse than average in 2009, and were also below average for maths, reading in Science in the most recent results in December.

The research comes after Wales embarked on a large-scale school improvement reform and as a result, the Welsh government invited the OECD to conduct a review of its school system. This is now its second report, with the previous findings being published in 2014.

The 2017 report highlighted that there has been a shift in the approach to school improvement, moving away from “piecemeal and short-term policy orientation to one with a long-term vision involving key stakeholders”.

It recommends that support staff and continuing professional development be provided to schools as well as a coherent career structure.

In addition to this, it has been suggested that high expectations should be set and the use of “differentiated” teaching should be promoted.

The OECD also stated that the focus of continuing reforms should be on “developing high-quality teaching profession, making leadership a key driver of education reform, ensuring equity in learning opportunities and student well-being, and moving towards a new assessment, evaluation and accountability that aligns with the new 21st-century curriculum”.

Andreas Schleicher, OECD director for education and skills, who launched the report alongside Wales’ cabinet secretary for education, said: “Sustaining this commitment, deepening investments in key policy areas and strengthening the implementation process will be central to realising the country’s ambitions for education and society over the long term.”