We have published our response to the Welsh Government consultation on revised professional standards for assisting teaching, teaching and leadership.
The consultation, which closed on 30 January 2026, invited views on proposed updates to the professional standards originally introduced in September 2018. As the independent, professional regulator for the education workforce in Wales, we regularly contribute to discussions around topics affecting our registrants, drawing on our unique data and insights.
In our response, we welcome Welsh Government’s decision to review the standards and recognise a number of positive features within the revised draft. These include alignment with national priorities such as anti-racism and Cymraeg 2050, and a clear intention to support professional reflection and development across the education workforce.
Alongside these positive elements, our response emphasises the importance of ensuring that safeguarding is clearly embedded within professional standards, together with explicit reference to our Code of Professional Conduct and Practice. We believe this clarity is essential in supporting safe practice, maintaining public trust and confidence, and ensuring that regulatory frameworks work together effectively.
More broadly, we have also highlighted areas where further refinement could help strengthen the standards and support their effective use in practice. In particular, we note that clearer structure and more explicit expectations would help practitioners better understand what is required of them, and support greater consistency and fairness when the standards are applied across the system.
Commenting on the consultation, Chief Executive Lisa Winstone said “We welcome Welsh Government’s decision to review the professional standards and recognise the positive intent behind the revised draft.
“Professional standards play a vital role in setting expectations, supporting safe practice, and reinforcing trust in the education workforce. To be most effective, they need to be clear, accessible, and capable of being applied consistently across a wide range of contexts.
“The EWC remains committed to working constructively with Welsh Government to strengthen existing frameworks, clarify roles and responsibilities, and support the development of professional standards that are both aspirational and achievable, in the interests of learners, practitioners, and the wider education system.”
Our response also reiterates our longstanding view that responsibility for holding and promoting professional standards should sit with us as the independent professional regulator. We believe this would help strengthen consistency and confidence across the education system, while providing clearer accountability for the profession.