Research projects

Aim The project has these two primary aims: Promote engagement with the School Governors Reflections Resource; Ensure the sustainability of the resource over the medium term (next 12 – 24 months). We also hope the project will allow us to explore further opportunities to research how school governors in Wales can be more effectively supported…

Children and young people’s rights: formal and informal constructions of citizenship utilises an international comparison of the civic expansion of children’s rights in four Western countries (including Wales), and how this can rebalance the civic deficits associated with childhood. Start date provided is that of the WISERD Civil Society Centre. Work packages will have their…

Excluded Lives is a multi-disciplinary project across the four jurisdictions of the UK led by the Department of Education at the University of Oxford and in partnership with the universities of Oxford, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Queen’s Belfast, and the LSE. The overarching aim of this project is to provide a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary view of the…

Significant changes are happening in Wales through the development of a new curriculum together with a wide range of enabling education reforms. These are set out in the Welsh Government’s action plan ‘Education in Wales: Our National Mission 2017-2021. In recognition of the importance of Estyn’s role in the success of the reform programme, Her…

Research Questions How can a mindfulness approach contribute to the development of the Health and Wellbeing AoLE in a pioneer primary school? What processes support such an intervention? What are the perceptions of pupils, teachers and parents regarding the approach? What is the impact of such an approach on pupil views of themselves as confident…

This research will seek to add value to the Welsh Government’s existing evaluation of the progress of the Pioneer Schools in developing the new 3-15 curriculum in Wales. The Successful Futures programme offers an exciting and radical departure for education in Wales, and it is important that its benefits and opportunities are made available to…

Research Questions How are Pioneer Schools developing the new curriculum in a way which benefits all learners? What are Pioneer Schools doing to ensure that the implementation of the new curriculum benefits all learners, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds? What are teachers’ perceptions of the new curriculum, preparation and support for its full implementation and…

Research Questions Primary question: What are the organisational implications for leaders in rural schools of the way the new curriculum is being developed? Secondary aims: Identification of challenges and opportunities in respect of teacher recruitment and retention. Identification of opportunities to develop curriculum provision which reflects the needs of learners in rural areas. Identification of…

Research Questions In what ways are additional learning needs being considered in the process of curriculum development? What are the opportunities and challenges of curriculum development for ALN learners? How far is there perceived alignment between curriculum reform and the ALN transformation programme? Aims The primary aim of this research is to investigate how ALN…

Research Questions How are pioneer schools and teachers are building and shaping the Expressive Arts AoLE? What are the implications for disadvantaged learners and schools? How does impact vary between primary and secondary teachers?   Aim This study aims to provide insight  into the construction of one aspect of the new  curriculum (Expressive Arts AoLE)…

Research Questions To evaluate how schools are implementing computational thinking in the classroom. What classroom tools do practitioners use to develop computer coding. Evaluate any differences in provision that might exist between different schools, such as internet speed, device allocation etc. To evaluate any socio-economic factors that might exist between different demographics and settings, such as…

This project, facilitated through WISERD and the Ecole Normale Superieure, Lyon, is exploring the contrasting relationship between education, the state and civil society in Wales and France. France and the UK provide two important contexts in which to explore these issues as the relationship between the state, the education system and civil society is very…

The Super Ambassadors programme is a scheme for primary schools in Wales. The scheme has been running for 14 years with 412 schools currently enrolled across Wales. Typically, two pupils from years five or six are elected by their peers each year and undertake Special Missions for the Children’s Commissioner. These either involve raising awareness…

Overview The project used interviews and questionnaires to investigate the types of civic participation and conceptions of language and identity promoted within the statutory education system, and within civil society organisations working with young people, in both Wales and Scotland. In the project’s initial stages the four co-Is undertook around a total of 15-20 interviews with national-level elite…

Overview This project explored the relationships between participation in higher education and engagement in civil society, especially at the local level. Do university graduates play a distinctive role in the institutions of civil society? More specifically, it examined the extent to which the institutional shift from an elite to a mass system of higher education has…

The overall aim of the project was to provide an analytical review of the research literature on graduate employability and skills, with due attention to the diversity of the approaches that have been adopted. In particular, the review was designed to draw out the implications of the general literature for the specific circumstances of Wales. It also…

Overview Supporting children in their early years is seen as central to reforms to improve educational standards and raise the educational achievement of children in Wales, particularly amongst children from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The distinct and novel approach of the Welsh Government has led to major policies such as Flying Start, the creation of a…