Covering Teachers’ Absence

In 2013, Audit Wales examined the arrangements for covering teachers’ absence in schools in partnership with Estyn – HM Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales.

Estyn’s report focused on the impact of teachers’ absence on learners’ progress, and the Audit Wales report drew on Estyn’s findings and sought answers to the broader question of whether learners, schools and the public purse are well served by arrangements to cover teacher absence.

The Auditor General for Wales published a report in November 2020 which followed-up on the work of his predecessor in 2013.

In October 2023, the Auditor General wrote to the Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee to set out key findings from his follow-up work on covering teachers’ absence.

The letter concludes that the Welsh Government has taken a range of relevant actions in response to the recommendations made in the November 2020 report, however, that some issues remain.

The Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee have agreed to undertake work to explore this issue further.

The Committee held an evidence session with the Welsh Government on 21 February 2024. Subsequently, the Committee wrote to Estyn to seek their views on the current position in Wales, with reference to their own functions and inspection work.