The Welsh Government has recently announced plans to reduce the number of pupils sitting their GCSE exams ahead of schedule after a marked rise in early entries. Here, writing exclusively for Yr Athrofa, Education Secretary Kirsty Williams explains why… This summer we saw a huge increase in the number of young people being entered a…
The Welsh Government’s new education strategy has been launched by Education Secretary Kirsty Williams. Gareth Evans reflects on its content and Wales’ new long-term vision for education… Teachers, policymakers, union leaders and other key players on the Welsh education scene will have been forgiven for breaking into a cold sweat as they walked into the…
The Welsh Government has published its new national education plan. Here, writing exclusively for Yr Athrofa, Education Secretary Kirsty Williams presents her ambitious vision for education in Wales… In Welsh education, we are building on strong foundations. The global experts on education performance, the OECD, recently recognised government and the sector are working closely together…
Professor Graham Donaldson reflects on curriculum development to date and explains why teachers in Wales are at the heart of education reform… One of the most satisfying aspects of my work in Wales is the opportunity it gives me to meet young people, students and teachers and to see excellent practice at first hand. The…
ResearchED is a teacher-led organisation aimed at improving research literacy in the education community. Elaine Sharpling and Siân Brooks discuss their recent visit to one of its conferences… After an inspirational opening speech from Tom Bennett, director and founder of ResearchED (which describes itself as “a grass-roots teacher led organisation”), the conference began. Tom asked…
Gareth Evans considers the importance of positive communication in delivering Wales’ ‘national mission’ for education… Wales’ education system has, it is fair to say, withstood a fair amount of flux in recent years. It was former Education Minister Leighton Andrews who really triggered the reform agenda, ripping up and overhauling much of what had gone…
Advancements in technology are changing the world as we know it. But at what cost? Carys Jennings investigates… Children are now bombarded from infancy with a diet of fast moving sounds and images produced by gadgets. In restaurants, shopping centres, cafes and homes our youngest are being pacified with digital dummies – (a term coined…
A recent survey of school staff shone a light on the many challenges facing the Welsh education workforce. In a fascinating blog post, Nerys Defis explains the everyday reality for teachers in Wales and opens up on why she swapped the classroom for university… For almost 20 years I spent my professional life as a teacher.…
The link between physical activity and academic performance is well-documented. But changes in society have brought about new challenges, according to Dr Nalda Wainwright… We are facing issues that we have never encountered before in our society. As a result of the increased levels of inactivity in children it has been predicted that they may…
As Kirsty Williams nears an important milestone, Gareth Evans looks back on the Cabinet Secretary for Education’s first year in post… They say a day is a long time in politics. If that’s the case, a year must feel like an eternity to Kirsty Williams. When Wales’ Cabinet Secretary for Education marks her first…