Are we nearly there yet? 25 years of initial teacher education policy in Wales

Initial teacher education (ITE) policy in Wales over the past 25 years has, in many ways, reflected wider global concerns around the need to produce sufficient high-quality teachers to ensure that pupil outcomes are comparable with those of other nations, in order to enable Wales to remain economically competitive. Having inherited the legacy of Westminster ITE policies in 1999, there was no sudden move by the Welsh Government to reform existing provision, but three distinct ITE reviews over the decade from 2005 to 2015 have led to significant changes both in the structure of ITE in Wales, and the pedagogical approaches underpinning all programmes. We examine each of these three sets of reforms in relation to the distinct context, content and processes involved, as well the key policy actors, and discuss the evolution of ITE policy-making over the 25 years since devolution.