On behalf of British Council Wales, British Council Kenya and our colleagues at the Ministry of Education in Kenya, we would like to thank the staff and pupils at Fitzalan High School for such a warm welcome this week. The visit was insightful and offered valuable perspectives on school practice, leadership, and learning.

Kenya’s Presidential Working Party on Education Reform highlighted the need to strengthen quality assurance and standards in basic education, including a review of the National Education Quality Assurance and Standards Framework to better align it with international practice. Building on the long-standing relationship between the Ministry of Education and the British Council in Kenya, discussions since May 2025 led to an immersive study visit to Wales. The visit supports officials from the Directorate of Quality Assurance and Standards and the Teacher Service Commission to reflect on inspection frameworks, reporting approaches, use of data and inspector training, drawing on learning to inform ongoing reforms in Kenya.

As part of the visit to Wales, the delegation is engaging with Estyn, local authorities and four schools, including Fitzalan High School. These visits provide opportunities to observe quality assurance processes in practice, explore approaches to school evaluation and performance management, and consider how inspection systems support improvement, staff wellbeing and effective communication with stakeholders.