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…
Inspired by a recent conference, Mererid Hopwood considers the lessons we can learn from our forefathers when teaching language… By now, delegates have returned home from the Athrofa’s first ‘Research in Education’ conference, having given the great cauldron of Languages, Literacy and Communication a good stir. It was almost inevitable that one of the key ingredients…
The importance of leadership in driving forward educational change in Wales has been highlighted in a new report by a guiding coalition of international experts. The second meeting of the Wales Education Commission considered the major impact leadership has on school standards and reflected on what some of the world’s highest performing education systems have…
Strengthening research in teacher education was the focus of a recent OECD workshop commissioned by the Welsh Government. Elaine Sharpling reflects on a productive meeting of minds… I certainly found the recent OECD workshop in Cardiff to be an enlightening experience. Fellow teacher educators from the international community led a series of workshops which…
The results of Wales’ first National Education Workforce Survey have been published and, according to Gareth Evans, cannot be ignored… Against a backdrop of shrinking budgets, concerns around accountability and a steady stream of negative press, it was perhaps no surprise that Wales’ first National Education Workforce Survey returned something of a mixed bag.…
As the Athrofa finishes preparations for its first research in education conference on ‘Languages, Literacy and Communication’, Mererid Hopwood revisits a report published 90 years ago: ‘Welsh in Education and Life’… 1927 It’s a significant year. This is the year the British Broadcasting Corporation was established under the leadership of Sir John Reith as Director…
Language tutor Siân Brooks takes us on a journey of discovery using virtual reality… Seeing a photograph of the Eiffel Tower is significantly different from standing opposite the Eiffel Tower itself. When you are in Paris on a school trip, the sheer joy of seeing pupils look up at the tower in front of them…
As Wales develops its new national curriculum, Gareth Evans warns that teachers will need room to innovate and we should not seek to overload those responsible for educating future generations… It is often said that the quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers. And it is little wonder, given the…
With a new National Academy for Educational Leadership currently under development, Professor David Woods considers the wider benefits of system leadership for all schools in Wales… Put at its simplest system leadership refers to the form of leadership that goes beyond the individual school to influence the education, achievement and wellbeing of children and young…