Inclusive Practice and Education: Comparing the Curriculum Policies of Wales and England

This chapter explores curriculum policies in Wales and England, two countries in the United Kingdom with notably different education histories, policies, and education practices. Referring to empirical research, policy documents and other key texts from the literature (Apple, 2018, HWB (Welsh National Learning Platform), 2022; Davies, 2022; Race, 2024), we highlight not only differences between Welsh and English curricula, but particularly how these differences have interacted with notions of equity and inclusion within the two national contexts. We include consideration of inspection systems, as well as community and values, exploring these within the debates about 'Fundamental British Values' (DfE, 2014). While located in the United Kingdom, our findings have wider international application in relation to monocultural understandings about curriculum, and the implications of these for inclusive policies and practice.