This chapter outlines the organisation and structure of primary education in Wales. It covers pupils from age 4/5 up to the age of 11, when they transfer to secondary school.
Full-time primary education is compulsory from the school term following a child’s fifth birthday (terms begin in September, January and April). Admission authorities must, however, allow children to be admitted to primary school in the September following their fourth birthday. Most primary schools therefore provide education for pupils between the ages of 4 and 11.
Four-year-olds are admitted into the reception class, which forms part of the Foundation Phase. This is the phase of education from age 3 to age 7, which spans early education (ages 3-5, ISCED 0) and Years 1 and 2 of compulsory primary education (ISCED 1).
There are some variations in the age range catered for. Many primary schools also provide education for children from age 3 in a nursery unit or class (see the chapter on ‘Early Childhood Education and Care’). In some areas, there are combined nursery and ‘infant schools’ for pupils aged 3 to 7 and ‘junior schools’ for pupils aged 7 to 11. There are also some ‘middle schools’, educating pupils aged 3 or 4 to 16 or 19.
Curriculum and assessment
The curriculum in maintained primary schools in Wales must be balanced and broadly based, and include both English and Welsh.
For pupils in Years 1 and 2 (ages 5-7), the school curriculum must cover the requirements set out in the Foundation Phase Framework, which also covers early years provision from age 3.
For pupils in Years 3-6 (Key Stage 2), ages 7-11, the school curriculum must include the national curriculum (Curriculum for Wales).
There are also national assessment arrangements for children in compulsory primary education. These begin with baseline assessment on school entry, and include compulsory national tests in reading and numeracy each year from Year 2 to Year 6 (ages 6/7 to 10/11). There is statutory teacher assessment at the end of the Foundation Phase (age 6/7) and at the end of Key Stage 2 (age 10/11) in addition.
Types of school
Most children attend maintained schools, funded via the local authority (LA). Maintained schools are subdivided into:
For more information on these different legal categories of school, see the article on ‘Administration and Governance at Local and/or Institutional Level’.
A minority of children attend a fee-paying independent school (see the article on the ‘Organisation of Private Education’).
Maintained primary schools are mixed sex, educating girls and boys together. They generally cater for considerably smaller numbers of pupils than secondary schools.
Primary schools can be English- or Welsh-medium. Welsh-medium schools include dual stream (bilingual) schools and transitional schools (mainly Welsh-medium but with some English). Whatever the medium of instruction, all children must learn Welsh either as a first or second language throughout compulsory education (ages 5-16).
Maintained primary schools in Wales can also be faith schools. Faith schools are mostly run like other publicly funded schools but they may teach their designated religion as part of the curriculum and, where the school is oversubscribed, they may give priority in their admissions criteria to pupils of their faith. They may also take religion into account in their staffing policies. Most faith schools in Wales are associated with either the Roman Catholic Church or the Church in Wales (Anglican).
Statistics on primary schools by legal category and religious character, and types of Welsh-medium primary school are available in the Address List of Schools (August 2019).
Some primary age children may also be educated at home. See the subheading ‘Home education’ in the article on the ‘Organisation of the Education System’.
Legal framework
The National Assembly for Wales has the power to legislate in devolved areas of responsibility, including nearly all aspects of education. This responsibility was devolved by the Government of Wales Act 1998 and subsequent legislation. Since devolution, education policy has been developed to meet Welsh needs and priorities.
The Wales Act 2017 further extended the powers of the Welsh Government, enabling it to pass laws in any policy area other than those expressly reserved for the UK Parliament. Further information on devolution and the legislative framework in Wales is provided in the article on the ‘Main Executive and Legislative Bodies’.
Although overall responsibility for the education service in Wales rests with the Welsh Government, much of the legal framework for education is shared with England, reflecting a common history.
There is no single framework Act for primary education. Most legislation for schools applies to both primary and secondary schools. Key aspects of compulsory education, school structures, and curriculum and assessment are underpinned by the Acts of Parliament summarised briefly below.
The Education Act 1996 is a consolidation Act that repealed and re-enacted schools legislation from the Education Act 1944 onwards. Section 7 of the 1996 Act places the responsibility for a child’s education on his / her parents:
‘The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable—
(a) to his age, ability and aptitude, and
(b) to any special educational needs he may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise.’
The Education Reform Act (ERA) 1988 introduced a national curriculum for Wales with the aim of giving pupils an entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum, and with a view to setting standards for pupil attainment and to support school accountability.
The School Standards and Framework Act 1998 established a new system for the categorisation of maintained schools as community, voluntary (aided or controlled), or foundation schools. It also placed local authorities under a duty to promote high standards of education; extended their power to intervene in failing schools; and set out their duties in relation to the provision of childcare and nursery education.
The Education Act 2002 included:
- the re-enactment of the curriculum requirements for Wales introduced by the ERA (1988)
- provisions to introduce the Foundation Phase in Wales
- a modernised framework for teachers’ pay and conditions, appraisal, qualifications, and provision about misconduct
- revised inspection and registration regimes for childcare, daycare and nursery education
- new arrangements for school governance
- a new regulatory regime for independent (privately-funded) schools.
The Explanatory Notes on the Act provide further information.
Following the Wales Act 2017, in September 2018, the Welsh Government acquired responsibility for setting pay and conditions of service for teachers in Wales. Previously, the UK Secretary of State had the power to make provision for the determination of the pay and conditions for teachers in both England and Wales.
For a fuller list of the legislation that provides the legal framework for education in Wales, see the ‘Legislation’ chapter.
More detailed information on the legal framework for particular aspects of education is provided in the various articles within this chapter.
Policy objectives
The Welsh Government’s long-term aims, vision and objectives for education are guided by the Programme for Government - Taking Wales Forward 2016-2021 and by the overarching education improvement plan – Education in Wales: Our national mission 2017-21.
Taking Wales Forward outlines the Welsh Government’s aims to drive improvement in the Welsh economy and public services, and its vision for a Wales which is ‘prosperous and secure, healthy and active, ambitious and learning, united and connected’ (page 2). The ‘ambitious and learning’ priorities (pages 9-11) include:
- continuing to invest in improving school standards, and in closing the attainment gap between the poorest pupils and their peers
- continuing to develop a new curriculum, with the aim of ensuring that young people gain the skills, knowledge and experiences needed to develop creativity and a broader understanding of the world
- supporting the roll-out of digital competence in schools
- reducing infant class sizes
- supporting teachers to develop their skills.
The Programme for Government also confirms the Government’s commitment to the Foundation Phase of education for 3- to 7-year-olds. It was followed by the November 2016 Foundation Phase Action Plan, setting out actions for the continuous improvement of education during this phase.
Education in Wales: Our national mission 2017-21 sets out how the school system will develop as the new school curriculum is implemented across Wales. It includes four enabling objectives, aimed at successfully delivering the new curriculum (page 23):
- developing a high-quality education profession
- inspirational leaders working collaboratively to raise standards
- strong and inclusive schools committed to excellence, equity and well-being
- robust assessment, evaluation and accountability arrangements supporting a self-improving system.
It also includes a number of key actions and milestones over the four-year period.
A new Curriculum for Wales for children and young people aged 3-16 is to be used throughout Wales by 2022. The new curriculum aims to support children and young people to be:
- ambitious, capable learners
- enterprising, creative contributors
- ethical, informed citizens
- healthy, confident individuals.
It aims to make learning more experience-based and the assessment of progress more developmental, and to give teachers more flexibility to be creative in their teaching in response to their learners. The new curriculum will include six areas of learning and three cross-curricular responsibilities: literacy, numeracy and digital competence, as supported by the National Literacy and Numeracy Framework and the Digital Competence Framework .
The White Paper, Our National Mission: a Transformational Curriculum, published in January 2019, set out proposals for legislation on the structure of the new curriculum. It also explained the Welsh Government’s wider intentions for pupil assessment and evaluation of schools.
The above policy priorities take account of Wales’ underperformance in the PISA 2012 international survey of educational achievement; of Wales’ performance in PISA 2015; of the 2014 OECD review of education in Wales; of the 2013 Hill report on the education system; and of the recommendations of the 2015 Donaldson report, Successful Futures, which reviewed the curriculum and assessment arrangements.
Policy for Welsh-medium education
Cymraeg 2050: a million Welsh speakers, the Welsh language strategy, sets out the Welsh Government’s long-term approach to achieving the target of a million Welsh speakers by 2050. The principal aim for compulsory education is to increase the number of confident Welsh speakers.
To help achieve this aim, local authorities (LAs) will need to reconfigure school provision to create more Welsh-medium places and, over time, ensure that more bilingual schools introduce a higher proportion of the curriculum in Welsh. In addition, the new Curriculum for Wales intends to embed the acquisition of Welsh language skills across the curriculum, and places an emphasis on learning Welsh as a means of communication. The strategy was launched in July 2017.
In addition, in December 2017, the Welsh Government published its Welsh in education: Action plan 2017-21. This establishes the direction for the development of compulsory Welsh-medium and Welsh language education and is aligned with the Cymraeg 2050 strategy. It includes six principles to provide the foundation for future policy developments and enable the vision of all learners being able ‘to develop their Welsh language skills and to use the language confidently in everyday life’ (page 14).
Article last reviewed April 2021.