Transforming teaching and learning for the benefit of all in Wales

IMAGINE a world without the internet, mobile phones, and social media.

That is the world in which our national curriculum was created. But education in Wales is changing. A new national curriculum is being developed to better meet the needs of our children and young people. And teachers are leading the way. The opportunity to craft something innovative and world-leading does not come along often.

Now is your chance to join that journey.

There has never been a better time to be a teacher in Wales and Yr Athrofa: Institute of Education, at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD), is ready to support you to achieve your goals.

As Wales’ biggest provider of teacher education, UWTSD provides primary and secondary training to hundreds of student-teachers – people of different ages, backgrounds and experience.

Only they all have one thing in common – they all want to be the difference to the pupils in their care; they all want to inspire future generations to reach for the stars.

But Athrofa recognise that with a new curriculum, comes new expectations – and a group of committed teachers and school leaders have joined together to create a model of teacher education that is forward-thinking, yet rooted in best practice.

The Athrofa: Professional Learning Partnership (APLP) provides the vehicle through which we do this, and brings together the very best of what partner schools and higher education has to offer.

The Athrofa suite of transformational programmes have been designed to ready the schools workforce in Wales for an exciting new era.

The APLP has been established to bridge theory and practice, and is built firmly around the four purposes of our new curriculum, that children and young people develop as:

Ambitious, capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives

Enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work

Ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world , ready to be citizens of Wales and the world

And healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society

Each of these qualities is, in its own right, of paramount importance – but together they shape a generation of inspirational future leaders.

By giving our children and young people the best possible start in life, we will ensure Wales as a nation thrives beyond its relatively small boundaries and makes an even bigger mark on the world stage.

Six ‘Areas of Learning and Experience’ (AoLEs) have been established to help schools achieve the four purposes, and span the entire age range from three to 16.

They promote and underpin continuity and progression, and encourage teachers to work creatively and collaboratively across traditional subject boundaries.

AoLEs, and their supporting draft materials, are available for comment and include:

Expressive arts

Health and wellbeing Humanities Languages, literacy and communication Mathematics and numeracy Science and technology

Pioneer schools have developed ‘what matters’ statements for each of the AoLEs that set out the most important knowledge and skills to be gained and aim to make what children and young people learn of greatest relevance to the world we live in today.

Yr Athrofa: Institute of Education has been front and centre during this process of evolution.

Its expert teaching and research staff have supported pioneer schools in developing the AoLEs and a framework designed to chart learners’ progression.

Allied to that, its colleagues are currently working with teachers to identify the professional learning implications arising from the new arrangements, in preparation for first delivery of the curriculum in 2022.

No other Welsh university has had the same level of involvement in the reform process and it is extremely proud of its contributions to date.

Professor Dylan Jones, Dean of Yr Athrofa, said: “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 significant and lasting impact teachers have on the pupils in their care.

“Teachers are the agents of change and, without them, there is little chance of Wales reaching the heights to which we all aspire.

“The teachers I know are passionate, resilient and reflective and it is these qualities that will enable them to take forward purposefully the new and exciting education system we are in the process of co-constructing.

“But universities also have a significant role to play and it is imperative that future and existing teachers have the requisite skills and knowledge to deliver Wales’ new national curriculum.

“Improving the quality of training available, at all stages of career development, will be crucial and maintaining the status quo is no longer an option.

“That is why the new suite of teacher education programmes have been designed with Wales’ ambitious reform agenda firmly in mind.”

Together, the APLP offers three innovative programmes resulting in Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) – the qualification needed to teach in state schools in Wales and England. These include:

Postgraduate – PGCE Primary (with QTS)

Postgraduate – PGCE Secondary (with QTS)

Undergraduate – BA Education (with QTS)

In order to give student-teachers the best possible experience, the APLP is proud to be working with more than 100 partner schools spanning the entire breadth of South Wales.

From Pembrokeshire in the west to Monmouthshire in the east, to provide access to a broad and diverse range of primary, secondary and special schools.

This ensures that student-teachers need not relocate to its new state-ofthe-art facilities in Swansea’s waterfront, or the historic Carmarthen campus, with school placements available much closer to home.

The expertise, knowledge and understanding of the staff embedded within these schools is matched only by their passion to transform education, and transform lives.

Russell Dwyer, headteacher of St Thomas Community Primary School in Swansea, said: “Now is such an exciting time to be involved in education in Wales.

“Yes, there are many changes taking place and yes, it will take time, effort and commitment to adapt to these changes.

“However, for the first time, it is the profession which is being asked to shape the future and I have no doubt that the education workforce as a whole are willing to take on the challenge for the benefit of every pupil in Wales; after all, it is why we do what we do every single day. As a teacher you are constantly encouraging, supporting and guiding individuals to be the best they can possibly be. This is why teaching is such a worthwhile profession because the positive impact you can have on the lives of children and indeed the wider school community, should not be underestimated.

“As a school we are proud of our contributions in driving forward change and most notably our role in developing Initial Teacher Education (ITE).

“In this new world, where partnership between schools and ITE providers must become stronger, we have been at the forefront of such an