Gareth Evans

Director: Education Policy
Gareth Evans headshot

Background

Dr Gareth Evans specialises in the design, development and implementation of education policy, particularly in the Welsh context, and has written extensively on Wales’ education system since devolution. He leads the university’s Centre for Education Policy Review and Analysis (CEPRA), which offers considered commentary, commissioned and centre-led research, and consultancy on a wide range of topics pertinent to the field. 

He lectures on a range of postgraduate programmes, is a master’s and doctoral supervisor, and works with more than 100 schools across Wales on matters related to curriculum development, teacher professional learning and accountability. A prolific writer and regular contributor to national print and broadcast media, Gareth was an education journalist for 10 years prior to joining the university in 2016. 

Specialist Subjects

  • Education policy
  • Research and enquiry
  • Research methods
  • Curriculum
  • Teacher education

Professional and/or Research Experience

Gareth is a leading voice on Welsh education policy and has given evidence, as an expert witness, to both the UK and Welsh parliaments. He is a member of the International Educational Assessment Network (IEAN), which brings together international research and policy experts interested in educational assessment, and leads the university’s involvement in the National Professional Enquiry Project (NPEP), a multi-agency project supporting the development of teachers as researchers. He has led study visits to Canada, Netherlands and Ireland and is well-published, with peer-reviewed articles in a range of leading education and social science journals. His current research activity includes matters related to teacher professional learning and accountability in schools. Most recently, in late 2024, he was invited to join the Ministerial Schools Expert Advisory Group, which meets quarterly to provide strategic advice to Wales' Cabinet Secretary for Education.

Qualifications

  • Doctor of Education (2023)

Languages Spoken

English

Professional Membership or Roles

Ministerial Schools Expert Advisory Group (Wales), member
International Educational Assessment Network (IEAN), member

Link to Orcid Profile

ORCID Research profile

Professional Publications

  • Evans, G. (2015) A class apart: Learning the lessons of education in post-devolution Wales. Cardiff: Welsh Academic Press.
  • Evans, G. (2018) Afraid to be brilliant? – Changing the mindset of teachers in Wales. Cardiff: Education Workforce Council.
  • Evans, G. (2019) ‘Scotland’s mistakes will shape Welsh education reform’. TES, February 18. Available at: https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/scotlands-mistakes-will-shape-welsh-education-reform
  • Evans, G. (2019) Have your say on Wales’ new national curriculum – managing expectation and a place for essential knowledge. Institute of Welsh Affairs, April 29. Available at: https://www.iwa.wales/agenda/2019/04/have-your-say-on-wales-new-national-curriculum/
  • Evans, G. (2019) A liberated curriculum risks entrenching inequality. Institute of Welsh Affairs, November 5. Available at: https://www.iwa.wales/agenda/2019/11/a-liberated-curriculum-risks-entrenching-inequality/
  • Evans, G. (2019) Points mean prizes in PISA’s education rankings rat race. Institute of Welsh Affairs, December 2. Available at: https://www.iwa.wales/agenda/2019/12/points-mean-prizes-in-pisas-education-rankings-rat-race/
  • Evans, G. (2020) School’s out? Institute of Welsh Affairs, June 19. Available at: https://www.iwa.wales/agenda/2020/06/schools-out-2/
  • Evans, G. (2022) Back to the future? Reflections on three phases of education policy reform in Wales and their implications for teachers. Journal of Educational Change, 23: 371-396.
  • Evans, G., Llewellyn, S. & Lewabe, J. (2022) Towards a research-engaged teaching profession: Insider reflections on a collaborative approach to developing teachers in Wales as professional enquirers. Practice: Contemporary Issues in Practitioner Education, 4(3): 171-190.
  • Evans, G. (2023) Scratching beneath the surface: Using policy archaeology to better understand education reform in Wales. Management in Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/08920206231160646
  • Jones, K. & Evans, G. (2023) 'Co-constructing a new approach to professional learning in Wales: Implementing a national vision', in Jones, K., Ostinelli, G. & Crescentini, A. (Eds). Innovation in teacher professional learning in Europe: Research, policy and practice. Oxon: Routledge, 103-116.
  • Evans, G. (2023) Wales’ Pisa results have ‘an air of inevitability’. TES, December 8. Available at: https://www.tes.com/magazine/analysis/general/wales-pisa-results-air-inevitability
  • Evans, G. (2023) A new dawn or false hope? Exploring the early implementation of Curriculum for Wales. Education Inquiry. https://doi.org/10.1080/20004508.2023.2297506
  • Evans, G. (2024) Why Curriculum for Wales must empower teachers. TES, February 20. Available at: https://www.tes.com/magazine/analysis/general/why-curriculum-wales-must-empower-teachers-succeed-schools
  • Evans, G. (2024) ‘Liberating’ teachers essential for Welsh reforms to succeed. TES, April 29. Available at: https://www.tes.com/magazine/analysis/general/liberating-teachers-essential-welsh-education-reform-success
  • Evans, G. (2024) What Wales must do to address its attainment gap. TES, July 17. Available at: https://www.tes.com/magazine/analysis/general/what-wales-must-do-address-its-disadvantage-gap-attainment-education-schools-poverty
  • Evans, G. (2024) Why we should change pessimistic narratives around teaching. TES, October 25. Available at: https://www.tes.com/magazine/analysis/general/why-we-should-change-pessimistic-narratives-teaching
  • Evans, G. (2025). An inspector calls! School leaders’ perceptions of inspection in Wales. Policy Futures in Education. https://doi.org/10.1177/14782103251320826
  • Evans, G. (2025). Education in devolved Wales: A story of contradiction. Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, 31: 51-71.
  • Evans, G. (2025) Classroom-based research builds a ‘culture of curiosity’ in schools. TES, July 23. Available at: https://www.tes.com/magazine/analysis/general/classroom-based-research-culture-curiosity-schools
  • Sharpling, E. & Evans, G. (in press, exp. 2026) 'Teachers as policy makers: A warning against a ‘big bang’ approach to decentralisation', in Skerritt, C. (Ed). Opportunities and Challenges for Policy Advice and Policy Making in Education: Future Possibilities. London: Bloomsbury.

Available to Supervise Doctoral Students

Yes