Wales’ education system is part-way through an extensive journey of reform. This contextual paper explores the evolution of that journey, from the establishment of the Welsh Parliament in 1999 to late 2020, as Wales readies itself for the launch of a radical, new national curriculum. Drawing from a range of international literature and experience, it provides an overview of key policy developments and insight into the rationale for decisions taken by the Welsh Government to effect change. To do this, it separates reform into three core phases, each with its own characteristics borne out of landmark events that helped shape contemporary political and public discourse. In particular, the paper examines the impact of Wales’ shifting approach to policy development on the teaching workforce and considers implications for those at the site of practice. Ahead of forthcoming parliamentary elections, the paper resolves that a new, long-term approach to policy reform and teacher development is needed if Wales is to realise its ambitious vision for education.

威尔士的教育体系正在进行广泛的改革。这篇背景论文探讨了从 1999 年威尔士议会成立到 2020 年底威尔士准备推出激进的新国家课程这一历程的演变。它借鉴了一系列国际文献和经验，概述了关键政策的发展，并深入了解了威尔士政府为实现变革而做出的决策的基本原理。为此，它将改革分为三个核心阶段，每个阶段都有自己的特点，这些特点源于帮助塑造当代政治和公共话语的里程碑事件。特别是，本文探讨了威尔士政策制定方式的转变对教师队伍的影响，并考虑了对实践现场人员的影响。在即将举行的议会选举之前，该文件决定，如果威尔士要实现其雄心勃勃的教育愿景，就需要采取新的长期政策改革和教师发展方法。