Welsh independent school standards update
IICSA · The Residential Schools Investigation Report · Issued 10 March 2022 · Addressed to: Welsh Government
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation, E
The Welsh Government should: update the Independent School Standards as a matter of urgency; update the national minimum standards for boarding schools as a matter of urgency; legislate so that all residential special schools are judged against the quality standards in place for care homes in Wales; ensure that all teachers and learning support staff in independent schools in Wales are required to register with the Education Workforce Council; and consider extending the duty to report a child at risk of harm in section 130 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 to independent school staff.
IICSA, The Residential Schools Investigation Report · 10 Mar 2022 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- No published updated independent school standards or legislation as specified in this recommendation for Wales has been identified to March 2026.
Response — verbatim from government
●UK Government
On 30 June 2022, the Welsh Government stated that it will amend and strengthen the independent school regulations, and that work is ongoing to draft the legislation. The Welsh Government also stated that it will use regulation-making powers to regulate the care and support aspect of residential special schools in Wales. The date for this to come into force is to be agreed; however it could be December 2023. In addition, the Welsh Government stated that it will update the requirements for staff in independent schools to register with the Education Workforce Council (EWC). Work is currently ongoing to draft legislation to require teaching staff and learning support workers at independent schools to register with the EWC. The Welsh Government also stated that it is aware that the Duty to Report needs updating to include areas not previously included. It has begun work to amend legislation to extend the duty of care provision to areas that were not previously included, including independent schools.
UK Government · 22 May 2023 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
No published activity has been recorded against this recommendation yet.
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.