Recommendation 64: Welsh independent school standards update
From The Residential Schools Investigation Report, published 1 March 2022.
Recommendation
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.
In brief (written by this site)
The Inquiry asked the Welsh Government to update independent school standards, registration, and reporting duties. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, summarising a June 2022 response from the Welsh Government in an update of July 2022, reported that work was ongoing to draft legislation amending independent school regulations and requiring staff to register with the Education Workforce Council (EWC) (The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Jul 2022). It also noted that the government had begun work to extend the duty to report to independent schools and intended to regulate care in residential special schools, with an implementation date to be agreed, while updating boarding school standards was not mentioned (The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, Jul 2022).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 5 Oct 2026. The record below is the sources' own words.
Government response
No government response to this recommendation is on the record yet.
Delivery
No statement on delivery from Welsh Government has been found in the sources searched (last checked 2 October 2026). This is separate from the response above.
What other bodies have found
In their own words. These do not change the delivery statement above.
Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (25 July 2022)
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.
From: Recommendations - Residential schools investigation report
Site note: These are the Inquiry's own words, from its recommendations page for the Residential Schools investigation report, captured by the Internet Archive on 25 July 2022. They are the Inquiry's account of what the body told it, not the body's own words.
Responsible bodies
Themes and tags
Who has spoken
- Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse
Finding