The Education Workforce Council (EWC) has published its response to Welsh Government’s ‘New registration categories for the Education Workforce Council’ consultation.

The consultation offered the public and key stakeholders the opportunity to have their say on the proposals to amend the categories required to register with the EWC. Currently, anyone working in the following roles are required to register before undertaking work:

• qualified school teachers and learning support workers in maintained schools
• teachers and learning support workers working in or for further education institutions
• work based learning practitioners
• qualified youth workers/youth support workers delivering youth development services on behalf of a relevant body

The proposed changes extends these groups to teachers and learning support workers in independent schools, all qualified youth workers/youth support workers, and those working towards youth work qualifications whilst in paid employment.

The EWC welcomes the proposed changes to legislation. However, it has asked Welsh Government to revisit a number of matters to provide further clarity, including:

• a number of proposed definition changes
• the Welsh Government’s intention that school teachers could, in future, practise as school learning support workers without registering as such
• the projected number of additional registrants and fitness to practice hearings
• the impact of additional registration categories on the EWC’s fitness to practice work

Responding to the consultation, Chief Executive of the EWC, Hayden Llewellyn said “As the independent, professional regulator for the education workforce, safeguarding learners and young people, and maintaining public trust and confidence in the workforce is at the centre of everything we do.

“To ensure we can do that to the best of our ability, it’s vital that the legislation is clear so that the right individuals are registered across Wales’ education settings”.

You can read more about the EWC’s role, as well as its consultation response in full, on the website.