A Class Apart

Essential reading for all involved in the educational sector in Wales (and beyond), A Class Apart investigates the effectiveness of educational policies, such as the Foundation Phase and Welsh Baccalaureate, introduced by the Welsh Government since devolution and assesses whether they have really created the potential for Wales to become a 'small, clever nation'. Spanning all major policy developments, from Primary to Higher Education, since 1999, Gareth Evans also assesses the legacy of the two main protagonists, former Education Ministers Jane Davidson and Leighton Andrews. He investigates the issues that some policymakers wished were swept under the carpet and delves deeper to analyse the big issues effecting educational practitioners in Wales, including: Welsh education's place on the world stage The growing funding gap between Wales and England The role of schools inspectorate Estyn The truth behind Wales' ambitious PISA target The 2012 GCSE grading fiasco Secrecy and personality clashes in the higher education merger saga His chronological account also includes the events up to and following the PISA results of 2013 and his close proximity to the key protagonists in Welsh education provides him with the perfect position to judge the situation in which Wales' education system finds itself today.