Estyn Essentials: Supporting Middle Leaders to Drive Improvement
Middle leaders play a crucial role in shaping the learning experiences of children and young people across Wales. Their work sits at the heart of teaching quality, curriculum development and learner progress.
Estyn Essentials is a new campaign which has been developed to support middle leaders, teachers, and support staff by providing clear, accessible insight into Estyn’s work — and how it can be used to strengthen practice in schools and PRUs.
Understanding inspection in practice
Inspection can sometimes feel daunting, particularly for middle leaders balancing leadership responsibilities alongside day-to-day teaching. Estyn Essentials aims to demystify the inspection process by explaining what inspection really looks like in practice, what inspectors focus on, and how inspection conversations are conducted.
Inspection is evidence-based, professional and focused on improvement. Inspectors are keen to understand the work that middle leaders do, including how they evaluate their provision, support staff, and improve outcomes for learners.
Middle leaders at the centre
Middle leaders’ knowledge of their subject, phase or area of responsibility is vital during inspection. Estyn Essentials highlights the important role middle leaders play and what effective leadership looks like across different contexts.
By sharing clear guidance and examples, Estyn Essentials supports middle leaders to articulate their impact confidently and use self-evaluation as a meaningful tool for improvement.
Using Estyn resources to strengthen practice
Estyn Essentials shows how middle leaders can use inspection feedback, thematic reports, guidance and a whole range of Estyn’s resources to inform planning, professional learning and subject development.
Drawing on national evidence can help educators reflect on their own practice, identify strengths, and plan next steps with purpose.
Learning together
Estyn Essentials shares honest reflections from schools and PRUs across Wales, highlighting common challenges and effective approaches. Learning from others helps strengthen the education system as a whole and supports continuous improvement for learners.
Through Estyn Essentials, we aim to provide middle leaders with practical tools, reassurance and insight — supporting confident leadership and meaningful improvement across all phases.
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