ABSTRACT
Over the past decade the British education system has become something of a “social laboratory” for scholars and policymakers keen to observe the operations of public services restructured on the basis of market principles. This is especially so in the case of education, where “choice” and “competition” have been the watchwords. Moreover, the British state has developed powerful instruments to hold schools accountable to the center and to parents. But what happens in subnations, regions, or territories within national systems where there are aspirations to create and maintain educational provision that is sensitive to the local needs, priorities, and values? And what arises where these issues are further complicated when local identities, as in the case of Wales, are in part created around language differences? In light of this, to what extent has Wales been able to forge an autonomous system of education? The purpose of this chapter is to provide some answers to these questions.
