Many children 'failed' by teaching standards - watchdog

Urgent improvement is needed to teaching and literacy in schools or more young people in Wales will fail to reach their potential, the education watchdog says.

The warning comes in Estyn's annual report which describes a system "held back by inconsistency, mixed priorities" and with "significant weaknesses in the development of some of the basics of education, such as reading, mathematics and digital skills".

Its chief inspector Owen Evans identified "many strengths" but in secondary schools in particular he said teaching was very variable and the literacy skills of too many teachers were weak, which affected pupils' development.

The Welsh government said it would consider the findings.

The report identifies long-standing concerns about the quality of teaching, particularly in secondary schools where there was consistent high-quality teaching in only a minority of schools.

In two thirds of the secondary schools inspected, teaching was "generally satisfactory" in the majority of lessons but there was weak teaching and planning in other lessons, where "expectations were too low, and feedback was inconsistent or lacked clarity".

And the teacher training system, it said, had been "unable to ensure that we have sufficient staff with the right skills and specialism".

Literacy – made up of listening, speaking, reading, and writing – is fundamental to all learning, the report said.

But problems included "limited clarity on national expectations, and gaps in teachers' own literacy knowledge" as well as teacher training programmes which "rarely equipped student teachers with sufficient knowledge and understanding of how to plan for and teach reading effectively across age phases".

The Welsh government has previously come under fire from experts and Senedd politicians for its approach to teaching the youngest children how to read.

It said it was investing £13.2m over three years in national professional learning for literacy, and £25m annually to local authorities to support schools on numeracy and literacy.

Estyn said it would focus on a few key areas including reading for three years, from September 2026.

Another systemic concern, the report said, was the failure of schools to effectively evaluate their own strengths and weaknesses.

However, safeguarding and support for pupils' well-being was strong in many schools.

Evans said there was some cause for optimism due to examples of innovation and strong practice, but said decisive action was needed to address systemic weaknesses.

He said schools faced pressures including financial, growing numbers of learners educated outside school, and rising demand for specialist provision.

"The concerns around levels of literacy and teaching quality across Wales remain and without a sharper and more sustained focus in these areas, too many learners will continue to fall short of their potential," he said.

Despite good work with families in many schools, attendance is still a problem with absences above pre-pandemic levels.

The report says teacher recruitment remains an urgent priority.

"Shortages in mathematics, science and Welsh-medium education risk slowing reform and jeopardising ambitions for a bilingual workforce," it says.

In Welsh-medium schools, recruiting and retaining staff with strong oracy and writing skills was "a significant concern".

Many schools worked to promote good behaviour while pupils disrupted learning in a few cases, inspectors said.

By August 2025, 18 primary and 11 secondary school were in special measures with 14 primaries and 11 secondaries requiring significant improvement.

The Welsh government said: "Estyn's report provides an important, independent view on our education system and we will carefully consider the findings.

"Estyn is clear there are significant strengths to celebrate but there are also challenges."

Speaking to the BBC, Evans said mobile phone usage is something that needs to be looked at in schools.

"I'm seeing some very strong practice from some schools that have really curtailed that, but there are some instances where the use of mobile phones for educational purposes actually is a good thing," he said.

"So, would I want to ban that in a blanket ban? I'm not sure, but we have a fairly dim view I think of the maluse of social media in schools."

But he said elements such as literacy are more of a priority.

"There are some things that are still priorities, but they're not the things we are focusing on at the moment," he said.

"The debate about social media in schools is probably one of those. It's an important debate, and we're glad to be part of it, but it is just part of that systemic approach we're trying to take to schools."

Plaid Cymru spokesperson for education, Cefin Campbell MS, said Labour had "failed to get even the basics right".

"Every pupil, regardless of background, deserves the chance to reach their full potential – and that will be a core focus of a Plaid Cymru government," he said.

A Reform UK Wales spokesperson said Labour had "presided over mass functional illiteracy among our children in Wales."

"Our education system is crying out for Reform."

Welsh Conservative shadow cabinet secretary for education, Natasha Asghar MS, said too many pupils were being let down by weak literacy standards and "inconsistent teaching quality".

"The Welsh Conservatives are clear that standards must come first," it added.