News and Blog

Better evaluation and funding can improve plans to promote minority languages

Efforts to promote minority languages among children and young people would benefit from improving the way projects are evaluated, and from adequate funding. These are among the key findings of research into minority language promotion activities in the Celtic nations. Academics at Aberystwyth and Edinburgh Universities conducted research into the activities of organisations in Scotland,…

£2.55m funding boost for research into impact of UK school exclusions

New ESRC grant will see first-time multi-disciplinary research conducted on consequences of school exclusions across the UK, led by the Department of Education at the University of Oxford. Professors Sally Power and Chris Taylor are part of a team of researchers operating across Oxford, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast, Reading and the London School of Economics (LSE)…

WISERD hosts 10th Annual Conference

On the 3rd and 4th July, WISERD held its 10th Annual Conference in the Medrus Conference Centre at Aberystwyth University. This year’s theme was Civil Society and Participation, and as Wales’ largest social science conference, the event attracted over 100 delegates from across academic, policy, public, private, and third sectors. The conference began with two…

Dr Nigel Newton talks about closing the attainment gap on BBC Radio Wales

Following on from the previous Eye On Wales programme last month, when Dr Nigel Newton was involved in a discussion which introduced the new education system, Dr Newton now discusses whether or not the new curriculum will help to close the attainment gap. Almost two-thirds of teachers at schools that have trialled Wales’ new curriculum feel it will…

WISERD Annual Conference 2019 to take place 3rd-4th July

In two weeks’ time, WISERD will be holding its Annual Conference in the Medrus Conference Centre at Aberystwyth University. This year’s theme is Civil Society and Participation. Delegates will have the opportunity to discuss cutting-edge, inter-disciplinary research from Wales and beyond, focusing on approaches to civil society and participation that have been adopted in a…

How well is Wales monitoring its fulfilment of the Convention on the Rights of the Child? A view from Dr Rhian Barrance and Sally Holland, Children’s Commissioner for Wales

Sally Holland, the Children’s Commissioner for Wales and Dr Rhian Barrance, WISERD Research Associate, discuss how Wales has gone further than any other UK country in implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) by introducing the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure in 2011. This requires that ministers…

Why are primary school children in Wales so worried about tests?

WISERD recently conducted a survey of almost 10,000 children aged between 7 and 18 years-old in Wales for the Children’s Commissioner for Wales. The aim of the survey was to identify the most significant issues facing children in Wales in order to guide the Commissioner’s 3 year workplan for children and young people. The 11-18…

Live on BBC Radio Wales – Dr Rhian Barrance discusses the impact of national tests on children in Wales

Dr Rhian Barrance talks on BBC Radio Cymru and BBC Radio Wales about new research findings from her work with the Children’s Commissioner for Wales on the impact of national tests on children in Wales. BBC Radio Cymru, ‘Post Cyntaf’, 8am, 09/05/19: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0004rn5 BBC Radio Wales, ‘Good Evening Wales’, 5pm, 09/05/19: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/live:bbc_radio_wales_fm