Watchdogs or Visionaries?: Perspectives on the History of the Education Inspectorate in Wales

Disgrifiad Cymraeg / Welsh Description

Cyfrol arloesol, sy'n olrhain swyddogaeth arolygwyr ysgolion a cholegau yng Nghymru dros gyfnod o flynyddoedd, gan gynnig mewnwelediad ar ddadleuon am effaith arolygwyr ar ansawdd addysg a chwestiynu patrwm arolygu ysgolion yn y dyfodol.

Disgrifiad Saesneg / English Description

This ground-breaking book, which traces the changing role of school and college inspectors in Wales over time, offers insights into debates about the impact of inspectors on the quality of education and questions the future pattern of inspection in schools.

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Cynnwys / Table of Contents

Notes on contributors Preface Glossary Introduction - Ann Keane 1 The origins and development of the inspectorate in Wales, 1839–1907 - Russell Grigg 2 Owen Edwards, the Welsh Department and the curriculum, 1907–25 - Ann Keane 3 The inspectorate between 1925 and 1970: responses and reactions - Alun Morgan 4 Inspecting and reporting in a changing educational climate, 1970–92 - Roy James 5 Challenge and transition: the inspectorate in Wales, 1992–2020 - Barry Norris 6 Women in the inspectorate in Wales - Sian Rhiannon Williams 7 Devolution, education policy and inspection in Wales: a policy analysis - David Egan 8 Inspection in Wales and internationally: some comparisons - Russell Grigg and Ann Keane The future - Ann Keane Appendix I The statutory basis of the inspectorate Appendix II List of Wales senior or chief inspectors Appendix III List of key milestones Selected bibliography Index

Bywgraffiad yr Awdur / Author Biography

Ann Keane taught in secondary, further and higher education sectors, in Wales and England, before joining HMI (Wales) in 1984. Since her retirement as chief inspector in 2015, she has been a Welsh Government Board member and has undertaken consultancy and research work.

Adolygiad y Cyhoeddwr / Publisher Review

At a time when educational reforms and the evolving role of the school inspectorate, now embodied in Estyn, are constantly subject to intense discussion, scrutiny and debate in Wales, this collection of scholarly essays is to be welcomed by all those involved in the education sector. Its editor Ann Keane is a former teacher herself who joining HMI (Wales) in 1984 and later served as Chief Inspector of Schools in Wales. She has succeeded in assembling a formidable team of historians and former educational inspectors to provide a compelling overview of a previously rather neglected field of study. All the contributions are based on extensive research, making use of primary source materials and background secondary reading. They remind us of the vital role played by the school inspectorate since its formation in 1839. Since their beginnings, HMI have steered a careful course between being instruments of the state and independent influencers of education policy and practice. The first chapter takes the story from the inception of the inspectorate in 1839 up to 1907, when the Welsh Department of the Board of Education was set up, and Owen M. Edwards was appointed its first chief inspector, a major step forward. The key contribution of certain outstanding individual inspectors like Longueville Jones and Edward H. Short are pointed up, as is the impact of the critical Blue Books report (1847). The Welsh language began to be accorded some prominence during this formative period. These themes are further dissected in chapter 2 which covers the period 1907 – 1925 when 'a new cadre' of Welsh inspectors made their influence felt. It also discusses the sometimes fractious relationship between the Welsh Department, the CWB, set up in1896, and the Whitehall-based Board of Education which was frequently antagonistic to Welsh aspirations. Emphasis is placed on the outstanding commitment and contribution of Owen Edwards himself who fought relentlessly for the increased use of the Welsh language both as a school subject and as a medium for teaching more generally. As is shown in chapter 3 (1925 – 1970), the massive changes in Welsh social and political life were reflected in the evolving role of the schools inspectorate, both in its organisation and role. One of the major achievements of this period was the setting up of Welsh-language primary and secondary schools. But the exact role of the inspectorate remained unclear, even by the end of the period. The role of the inspectorate became much more focussed and important during the period 1970 to 1992. The Secretary of State for Wales was kept fully informed of the state of Welsh schools, good teaching practice was encouraged and enforced, and weaknesses in provision identified and tackled. The changes which ensued during the age of Welsh devolution form the theme of chapter 5. During this period independent inspectors, who stood apart from the HMIs, assumed an important role, and generally inspections were intensified. From 2010 onwards Estyn took the major responsibility for school inspections. In the final three chapters, Sian Rhiannon Williams examines the way in which women became inspectors of schools from 1890 onwards, and to a large extent the analysis is based on a programme of questionnaires, correspondence and interviews with many retired female HMIs in Wales. Major changes were to take place in the role and contribution of women inspectors after the Second World War when the removal of the marriage bar and of pay differentials did much to enhance the status and increase numerically the role of women inspectors. The author rightly underlines the need for further much needed research work on this compelling subject. Chapter 8 by David Egan is devoted to an analysis of the changes which took place in the role of the inspectorate during the post-1999 devolutionary period, principally the far-reaching reforms which took place within the inspectorate, and the enhanced role of Estyn. And a final chapter takes as its theme comparisons between the inspectorate system within Wales and other countries, mainly within the United Kingdom (above all England), with occasional references to developments within other European countries. The book contains useful appendixes listing relevant pieces of legislation, followed by the names of senior or chief inspectors in Wales and of the numerous key milestone developments which occurred between 1839 and 2020. The full endnote references, the detailed bibliography of the sources used, and the index are all helpful to the reader. At a time when the inspectorate itself is under review, this analysis is a timely reminder of its wide-ranging services over a long time-scale. Most importantly of all, it highlights, from a historical perspective, the challenges that remain in Wales as we embark on a new phase of school education.