diff --git a/core/server/data/schema/index.js b/core/server/data/schema/index.js
index 182b5e97a3..3a0607259b 100644
--- a/core/server/data/schema/index.js
+++ b/core/server/data/schema/index.js
@@ -2,3 +2,4 @@ module.exports.tables = require('./schema');
 module.exports.checks = require('./checks');
 module.exports.commands = require('./commands');
 module.exports.defaultSettings = require('./default-settings');
+module.exports.validate = require('./validator');
diff --git a/core/server/data/validation/schema.js b/core/server/data/schema/validator.js
similarity index 97%
rename from core/server/data/validation/schema.js
rename to core/server/data/schema/validator.js
index 38820cfef8..8b0dfadedf 100644
--- a/core/server/data/validation/schema.js
+++ b/core/server/data/schema/validator.js
@@ -3,10 +3,9 @@ const Promise = require('bluebird');
 
 const tpl = require('@tryghost/tpl');
 const errors = require('@tryghost/errors');
+const {validator, validate} = require('../validation');
 
-const schema = require('../schema').tables;
-const validator = require('./validator');
-const validate = require('./validate');
+const schema = require('./schema');
 
 const messages = {
     valueCannotBeBlank: 'Value in [{tableName}.{columnKey}] cannot be blank.',
diff --git a/core/server/data/validation/index.js b/core/server/data/validation/index.js
index 82d914d424..64388f4e21 100644
--- a/core/server/data/validation/index.js
+++ b/core/server/data/validation/index.js
@@ -3,6 +3,5 @@ module.exports = {
     validator: require('./validator'),
 
     // These two things are dependent on validator, not related
-    validatePassword: require('./password'),
-    validateSchema: require('./schema')
+    validatePassword: require('./password')
 };
diff --git a/core/server/models/base/index.js b/core/server/models/base/index.js
index 2b51af061b..6179f10eb6 100644
--- a/core/server/models/base/index.js
+++ b/core/server/models/base/index.js
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ const errors = require('@tryghost/errors');
 const security = require('@tryghost/security');
 const schema = require('../../data/schema');
 const urlUtils = require('../../../shared/url-utils');
-const validation = require('../../data/validation');
 const bulkOperations = require('./bulk-operations');
 const plugins = require('../plugins');
 const tpl = require('@tryghost/tpl');
@@ -312,7 +311,7 @@ ghostBookshelf.Model = ghostBookshelf.Model.extend({
      */
     onValidate: function onValidate(model, columns, options) {
         this.setEmptyValuesToNull();
-        return validation.validateSchema(this.tableName, this, options);
+        return schema.validate(this.tableName, this, options);
     },
 
     onFetched() {},
diff --git a/test/unit/data/validation/schema_spec.js b/test/unit/data/schema/validator_spec.js
similarity index 88%
rename from test/unit/data/validation/schema_spec.js
rename to test/unit/data/schema/validator_spec.js
index b377f2561f..747deae40f 100644
--- a/test/unit/data/validation/schema_spec.js
+++ b/test/unit/data/schema/validator_spec.js
@@ -3,7 +3,8 @@ const _ = require('lodash');
 const ObjectId = require('bson-objectid');
 const testUtils = require('../../../utils');
 const models = require('../../../../core/server/models');
-const validation = require('../../../../core/server/data/validation');
+
+const validateSchema = require('../../../../core/server/data/schema/validator');
 
 describe('Validate Schema', function () {
     before(function () {
@@ -13,7 +14,7 @@ describe('Validate Schema', function () {
     describe('models.add', function () {
         it('blank model', function () {
             // NOTE: Fields with `defaultTo` are getting ignored. This is handled on the DB level.
-            return validation.validateSchema('posts', models.Post.forge(), {method: 'insert'})
+            return validateSchema('posts', models.Post.forge(), {method: 'insert'})
                 .then(function () {
                     throw new Error('Expected ValidationError.');
                 })
@@ -41,7 +42,7 @@ describe('Validate Schema', function () {
                 slug: 'test'
             }));
 
-            return validation.validateSchema('posts', postModel, {method: 'insert'})
+            return validateSchema('posts', postModel, {method: 'insert'})
                 .then(function () {
                     throw new Error('Expected ValidationError.');
                 })
@@ -56,7 +57,7 @@ describe('Validate Schema', function () {
         });
 
         it('should pass', function () {
-            return validation.validateSchema(
+            return validateSchema(
                 'posts',
                 models.Post.forge(testUtils.DataGenerator.forKnex.createPost({slug: 'title'})),
                 {method: 'insert'}
@@ -67,7 +68,7 @@ describe('Validate Schema', function () {
             const post = models.Post.forge(testUtils.DataGenerator.forKnex.createPost({slug: 'test', featured: 0}));
             post.get('featured').should.eql(0);
 
-            return validation.validateSchema('posts', post, {method: 'insert'})
+            return validateSchema('posts', post, {method: 'insert'})
                 .then(function () {
                     post.get('featured').should.eql(false);
                 });
@@ -77,7 +78,7 @@ describe('Validate Schema', function () {
             const post = models.Post.forge(testUtils.DataGenerator.forKnex.createPost({slug: 'test', featured: true}));
             post.get('featured').should.eql(true);
 
-            return validation.validateSchema('posts', post, {method: 'insert'})
+            return validateSchema('posts', post, {method: 'insert'})
                 .then(function () {
                     post.get('featured').should.eql(true);
                 });
@@ -92,7 +93,7 @@ describe('Validate Schema', function () {
             }));
 
             // NOTE: Fields with `defaultTo` are getting ignored. This is handled on the DB level.
-            return validation.validateSchema('webhooks', webhook, {method: 'insert'})
+            return validateSchema('webhooks', webhook, {method: 'insert'})
                 .then(function () {
                     throw new Error('Expected ValidationError.');
                 })
@@ -114,7 +115,7 @@ describe('Validate Schema', function () {
 
             postModel.changed = {uuid: postModel.get('uuid')};
 
-            return validation.validateSchema('posts', postModel)
+            return validateSchema('posts', postModel)
                 .then(function () {
                     throw new Error('Expected ValidationError.');
                 })
@@ -133,7 +134,7 @@ describe('Validate Schema', function () {
 
             postModel.changed = {created_at: postModel.get('updated_at')};
 
-            return validation.validateSchema('posts', postModel)
+            return validateSchema('posts', postModel)
                 .then(function () {
                     throw new Error('Expected ValidationError.');
                 })
diff --git a/test/unit/data/validation/index_spec.js b/test/unit/data/validation/index_spec.js
index 1e1b52cce1..134030d8ee 100644
--- a/test/unit/data/validation/index_spec.js
+++ b/test/unit/data/validation/index_spec.js
@@ -8,12 +8,11 @@ describe('Validation', function () {
         should.exist(validation);
 
         validation.should.have.properties(
-            ['validate', 'validator', 'validateSchema', 'validatePassword']
+            ['validate', 'validator', 'validatePassword']
         );
 
         validation.validate.should.be.a.Function();
         validation.validatePassword.should.be.a.Function();
-        validation.validateSchema.should.be.a.Function();
 
         validation.validator.should.have.properties(['empty', 'notContains', 'isTimezone', 'isEmptyOrURL', 'isSlug']);
     });
diff --git a/test/unit/models/user_spec.js b/test/unit/models/user_spec.js
index 5ebdb570ad..1aba7da2ef 100644
--- a/test/unit/models/user_spec.js
+++ b/test/unit/models/user_spec.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ const Promise = require('bluebird');
 const errors = require('@tryghost/errors');
 const models = require('../../../core/server/models');
 const permissions = require('../../../core/server/services/permissions');
-const validation = require('../../../core/server/data/validation');
+const schema = require('../../../core/server/data/schema');
 const security = require('@tryghost/security');
 const testUtils = require('../../utils');
 
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ describe('Unit: models/user', function () {
             sinon.stub(security.password, 'compare').resolves(true);
 
             // NOTE: Add a user with a broken field to ensure we only validate changed fields on login
-            sinon.stub(validation, 'validateSchema').resolves();
+            sinon.stub(schema, 'validate').resolves();
 
             const user = models.User.forge(testUtils.DataGenerator.forKnex.createUser({
                 status: 'warn-1',