This article describes the administration and governance of the education system in Wales at central level.

Overall responsibility for the education service in Wales has rested with the Welsh Government since powers were devolved to Wales by the Government of Wales Act 1998 and subsequent legislation. Since devolution, education policy has been developed to meet Welsh needs and priorities, although a number of structural features and much of the legal framework are shared with England, reflecting a common history.

The Welsh Government publishes a five-year plan for its term of office, known as its Programme for Government. The current Programme for Government, Taking Wales Forward 2016-2021, covers a number of priorities for education, including continuing to develop a new curriculum and offering an improved package of higher education student support. Taking Wales Forward is supported by Education in Wales: Our national mission 2017-21. Further information on this and the Programme for Government is provided in the article on ‘Ongoing Reforms and Policy Developments’.

Ministers

The responsibilities of the Minister for Education – the lead minister for education in Wales – include:

• school governance, organisation and admissions;
• school standards, improvement and pupil attainment;
• school funding;
• the education inspectorate's remit;
• the Foundation Phase;
• further education;
• the curriculum, assessment and qualifications, up to and including A Levels;
• Welsh-medium and bilingual education;
• the Credit and Qualifications Framework for Wales, including vocational, key skills and essential skills qualifications;
• additional learning needs;
• safeguarding and inclusion in schools;
• education workforce training and development;
• adult community learning;
• higher education policy, strategy and funding.

The Minister for Education is supported in this role by civil servants belonging to the Education and Public Services Group.

In addition, two ministers have responsibilities in related areas:

• The Minister for Health and Social Services, whose responsibilities include: children and young people’s rights and entitlements; the Flying Start initiative for disadvantaged 0-to 3-year-olds; early years and childcare; adoption and fostering services; and all social services activities of local authorities in Wales.

• The Minister for the Economy and Transport, whose responsibilities include careers policy; apprenticeship policy and delivery; youth and adult employability policy and delivery; work based learning providers; and workforce skills development.

Public bodies with responsibility for education

The Welsh Ministers are supported in their roles by public bodies with key responsibilities for education. The main bodies are described below.

• Estyn, the office of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales plays a key role in raising standards and the quality of teaching and education. It is responsible for inspecting pre-school education, schools, initial teacher training, further education, adult community learning and work-based learning. Estyn is a Crown body which was established under the Education (Schools) Act 1992. It is independent of the National Assembly for Wales, but receives its funding from the Welsh Government under Section 104 of the Government of Wales Act 1998.
• Qualifications Wales has responsibility for the regulation of general and vocational qualifications outside higher education. It is an independent statutory body accountable to the National Assembly for Wales and is funded by the Welsh Government.
• The Education Workforce Council (EWC) is the independent regulator of teachers in maintained schools, of further education teachers and of learning support staff. It maintains a register of education practitioners in Wales and provides the secretariat for the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body (see below). It is funded by practitioner registration fees and receives grant funding from the Welsh Government for certain key activities.
• The chair and members of a new body, responsible for making recommendations to the Welsh Government on the pay and conditions of school teachers in Wales, the Independent Welsh Pay Review Body, were announced in February 2019. This follows the passing of the Wales Act 2017, which devolved further powers to Wales, including control of teachers’ pay and conditions of service. Prior to the September 2019 pay award, advising government on teachers’ pay and conditions in both England and Wales had been the responsibility of the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB), the independent review body in England.
• The Higher Education Funding Council for Wales (HEFCW) regulates fee levels at higher education institutions, ensures a framework is in place for assessing the quality of higher education, and scrutinises higher education institutions' performance. The HEFCW is a Welsh Government Sponsored Body, accountable to the Welsh Government, from which it receives its funding. The Welsh Government plans to replace the HEFCW with a single, strategic authority, which will be responsible for overseeing both higher and further education. See the article on ‘Higher Education Funding’ for further information about the proposed Tertiary Education and Research Commission for Wales.

• The Student Loans Company (SLC) provides loans and grants to students in universities and colleges in the UK.

Article last reviewed December 2020.