Yr Athrofa: Professional Learning Partnership has submitted three programmes of initial teacher education for accreditation with the Education Workforce Council (EWC).
In doing so, the APLP has signaled its intention to be part of an exciting new ITE offer that takes into consideration a series of new education policies being rolled-out by the Welsh Government.
Partnerships in Wales had until December 1 to submit their proposed programmes of ITE, against detailed criteria put forward by the Welsh Government.
New programmes will go live in September 2019 and have been drawn with the demands of the new national curriculum and Professional Teaching Standards in mind.
The development of the APLP heralds a new and innovative approach to teacher education, with Yr Athrofa and partner schools jointly responsible for the construction and delivery of all ITE programmes.
As such, the APLP combines the expertise of the school sector and all its practical, hands-on experience with the expertise of the higher education (HE) sector, from the understanding of careful research design and delivery to the highly-skilled art of teaching teachers and would-be teachers.
Together, the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD) and partner schools have a strong track-record in successfully teaching and mentoring undergraduate and postgraduate students on programmes that have stood the test of time.
Professor Dylan Jones, Dean of Yr Athrofa, said: “In order to prepare student-teachers for the coming changes in Wales’ education system, several productive meetings of Yr Athrofa staff and more than 150 schools have been held to develop a shared understanding of the best-performing teacher education programmes both nationally and internationally.
“The net result of such wide co-construction has been the development of a comprehensive core curriculum that spans the suite of our ITE provision with a clear definition of the roles and responsibilities for schools and the university.
“This ensures that APLP is in a strong position to provide ITE programmes which are both rigorously practical and intellectually challenging.”
The APLP model of ITE has at its core an understanding that schools and universities are equal partners, and each have an integral role to play in the development of teacher education, the governance of the partnership and the processes needed for rigorous quality assurance.
Russell Dwyer, headteacher of St Thomas Community Primary School, Swansea, said: “As someone who has worked closely with Yr Athrofa, as an equal partner in the co-construction of the APLP programmes, I am delighted with the final submissions.
“They are the culmination of many months of joint and honest collaboration between the university and schools, and this effective partnership approach has been a real strength of the process.
“The opportunity for schools to be central to developing the future direction of ITE with the university has been very inspiring and I am excited to take this partnership further, as a Lead School.”
Prof Jones added: “UWTSD has a long tradition of teacher education. It is one of the pillars of our mission and we are committed to the process of building professional capital.
“We are very proud of what we have created together with schools and are excited by the opportunities that lie ahead.”
- A small ‘roadshow’ of introductory events designed to showcase the APLP’s shared vision for ITE will take place in January. These informal events are aimed primarily at governors, school staff and anyone not fully abreast of APLP developments. Please contact partnership@uwtsd.ac.uk for more information.