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. Estyn provided a response to the Committee’s letter on 28 March 2024.

The Committee published its report on Wednesday 11 December 2024. The Welsh Government responded to the Committee’s report on 5 February 2025; Committee members discussed the response at its meeting on 19 February 2025.

The Committee held an oral evidence session with senior Welsh Government officials at its meeting on 22 January 2026.