Criteria for accreditation of initial teacher education programmes in Wales: children’s rights impact assessment 2022 to 2023
Assessment of the impact of refreshing the criteria for accreditation on children’s rights.
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Summary
The Welsh Ministers are subject to a duty to have regard to the UNCRC, when exercising their functions. This duty is imposed by section 1 of the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011.
The UNCRC were originally considered under the ITE reforms and informed the published 2017 Criteria document. The refreshed Criteria makes more explicit the expectations under the UNCRC and how learners in schools are to be supported under section 5.11 of the Criteria document (this section also discusses the UNCRPD). A full Children’s Rights Impact Assessment is required and has been completed.
The following UNCRC articles are most relevant to the proposal:
- Article 3 1. In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration.
- Article 29 1. States Parties agree that the education of the child shall be directed to: (a)The development of the child’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential;
- Article 30 (children from minority or indigenous groups) In those States in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities or persons of indigenous origin exist, a child belonging to such a minority or who is indigenous shall not be denied the right, in community with other members of his or her group, to enjoy his or her own culture, to profess and practise his or her own religion, or to use his or her own language
The needs and rights of learners is one of the values and dispositions that underpin the professional standards which qualified teachers are required to meet to be able to practise in Wales. The requirement for student teachers to meet the QTS standards (as part of the broader professional standards) through their ITE qualifications has not changed.
The full assessment has determined that the Criteria document enhances children’s rights under the Articles cited above.
Children’s rights impact assessment
Policy objectives
This assessment relates to the refreshed Criteria for Accreditation of Initial Teacher Education in Wales (the ‘Criteria’). The original Criteria were published in 2017 and intended to ensure the quality of ITE for student teachers and in the longer term to support the improvement to teaching in maintained settings including teaching the new curriculum, ALN reforms and equity in education. The refreshed the Criteria have been refreshed to enable the next set of accredited ITE Programmes in Wales to fully:
- reflect the maturing educational reforms in Wales, incorporating legislative changes and references to the most up to date guidance on related issues
- reflect the lessons learned from the first accreditation process, accredited provision, and the pandemic
- embed good practice from across the ITE sector to further strengthen provision and Partnerships
- raise our ambitions and expectations for ITE programmes and Partnerships to support our ambition for world leading ITE in Wales to continue to enable institutions and individuals to flourish and build the conditions to ensure inclusive classrooms for all learners
The refreshed Criteria will inform future programmes of ITE accredited by the EWC’s Teacher Education Accreditation Board and represent the continued national commitment to the reforms and ongoing journey towards a high quality, well supported teaching profession.
This proposal forms one of many ways the Welsh Government is seeking to support practitioners, ensuring that new teachers entering the profession have the knowledge and the skills that will have a positive impact on learners in the classroom.
The intended outcomes of a successfully delivered curriculum via high quality learning and teaching will improve the education of children and young people.
Gathering evidence and engaging with children and young people
The proposal is intended to affect the lives of children positively; ensuring new teachers are ready and confident to deliver education reforms particularly for the new Curriculum, ALN Reforms and equity in education.
Children and young people were not directly involved in co-construction work to develop the Criteria however, they will be indirect beneficiaries, as the Criteria will lead to a better teaching workforce in the longer term; evidence informed, researched engaged, capable and ready to deliver the curriculum for Wales for all learners. Children and young people were able to input via the wider consultation on the refreshed Criteria document however:
- the Criteria are highly technical, requiring specific expertise
- the Criteria were considered unlikely to attract much consideration and input from those not working within the education sector
- no child or young person version of the consultation documentation was prepared given the above two points
All responses to the consultation have been considered. No responses from children or young people (or their parents/carers) were received.
The evidence utilised to refresh the Criteria ranged from commissioned ITE experts, key partners in the delivery and support of the ITE system in Wales (ITE Partnerships, EWC and Estyn) and broader education stakeholders and OECD reports related to ITE, professional learning and education in Wales.
Analysing the evidence and assessing the impact
Using the evidence you have gathered, what impact is your policy likely to have on children and young people? What steps will you take to mitigate and/or reduce any negative effects?
This proposal forms one of many ways the Welsh Government is seeking to support practitioners, ensuring that new teachers entering the profession have the knowledge and the skills that will have a positive impact on learners in the classroom.
The intended outcomes of a successfully delivered curriculum via high quality learning and teaching will improve the education of children and young people.
How does your proposal enhance or challenge children’s rights, as stipulated by the UNCRC articles and its Optional Protocols?
Please refer to the articles to see which ones apply to your own policy.
|
UNCRC Articles or Optional Protocol |
Enhances (X) |
Challenges (X) |
Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Article 3 1. In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration. |
X |
|
Improving the quality of ITE qualifications and the training they provide to student teachers directly benefits children and young people in maintained settings in Wales through ensuring a high quality teaching workforce. |
|
Article 29 1. States Parties agree that the education of the child shall be directed to: (a)The development of the child’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential; |
X |
|
The Criteria explicitly require ITE qualifications to ensure that student teachers meet the needs of all children in terms of learning and teaching (within their age phase and subject specialism as appropriate). This includes:
|
|
Article 30 (children from minority or indigenous groups) Every child has the right to learn and use the language, customs and religion of their family, whether or not these are shared by the majority of the people in the country where they live
|
X |
|
The Criteria explicitly require programmes to address topics covering core professional and pedagogical studies which draw explicitly on a range of theories, research, and other intellectual resources to develop student teachers’ knowledge and understanding of, inter alia, the following:
The Criteria make explicit and enhanced (from the 2018 iteration) requirements relating to the development of Welsh language provision in ITE Partnerships, the delivery of ITE qualifications through the medium of Welsh, the requirements of all student teachers regarding their Welsh language skills and the requirements of student teachers wishing to work in the Welsh medium/bilingual school sector. This will improve the learning and teaching of and through Welsh for all children and young people in maintained settings. |
Consider whether any EU Citizens Rights (as referenced in the Equality Impact Assessment) relate to young people up to the age of 18
The amendments made do not have any impacts on EU Citizens Rights nor do they relate to EU Citizens up to the age of 18. Teaching qualifications in Wales are degree level qualifications and as such are not available to persons under the age of 18.
For further information on the UNCRC and its Optional Protocols, please visit the Children’s Rights Intranet Page.
Ministerial advice and decision
How will your analysis of these impacts inform your ministerial advice?
The positive impacts will form part of the rationale for the advice to recommend that the Minister agree the changes to the refreshed Criteria and publish the document.
- Once completed, your CRIA must be signed off by your Deputy Director.
- Your CRIA findings should be integrated into your ministerial advice to inform their decision.
Communicating with Children and Young People
If you have sought children and young people’s views on your proposal, how will you inform them of the outcome?
No children or young people participated in the public consultation.
Monitoring and Review
It is essential to revisit your CRIAs to identify whether the impacts that you originally identified came to fruition, and whether there were any unintended consequences.
Where you are taking forward secondary legislation, it will not be sufficient to rely on the CRIA for the primary legislation; you will need to update the CRIA to consider how the details of the proposals in the regulations or guidance may affect children.
The policy lead can revisit the published version of their CRIA, rename it as a review of the original CRIA, and update the evidence of impact. The reviewed impact assessment should be presented to Ministers with any proposals to amend the policy, practice or guidance. This review CRIA should also be published.
Please outline what monitoring and review mechanism you will put in place to review this CRIA
A formative evaluation of the ITE reforms has been delayed due to the pandemic however is planned to follow the publication of the refreshed Criteria document. The findings will inform the next iteration of the document that will support the third round of accreditation (2028 to 2029). The CRIA will be kept under review as part of this evaluative work and it will be used to support the development of the future iteration of the document.
Following this review, are there any revisions required to the policy or its implementation?
Not at this time.