News and Blog

Democracy & Dragons: How do we teach citizenship education in continually devolving Wales?

A recent review of the national curriculum for Wales has called for a radical reimagining of how curriculum is to be conceptualised, enacted and assessed (Welsh Government, 2015). Currently, citizenship education in Wales is philosophically framed by the Curriculum Cymreig, an initiative to develop a “Welsh ethos” in schools in Wales and delivered through the Personal…

Framing the Geographies of Higher Education Participation: Schools, Place and National identity

How young people make choices about university, where and what to study has been a question asked by many social researchers, policy-makers and practitioners alike. Research has shown that when young people make choices about going to university, a range of factors come into play including peer influences, their families’ experience of university and their…

The “Ends” or the “Means”? What lessons education research can teach pedagogical practice

On July 6th, Cardiff University hosted the Welsh Baccalaureate Conference. This event was developed through a partnership between the Welsh Government, the WJEC and Cardiff University research staff. The aim of the conference was to engage secondary and further education teachers with some of the ins-and-outs of conducting research, with a particular focus given to enabling them to better assist their…

Ann Keane speaks about the future of Welsh education

Ann Keane, former HM Chief Inspector at Estyn, delivered our first keynote address of the WISERD 2015 Annual Conference. Ann discussed what she’d learnt throughout her 5 years at Estyn, and what she regarded as the key issues for Welsh education moving forward. Ann Keane, former HM Chief Inspector at Estyn, delivered our first keynote…

The Future of Welsh Education – An Inspectorate Perspective

At the WISERD conference I talked about what people expect from an inspectorate of education and training in Wales and I outlined the methods that inspectors use to come to professional judgements about standards in education.  I also talked about standards in the education system and the challenges that continue to exist. Inspectorates offer public…

WISERD Toasts Another Successful Annual Conference

Last week the 6th Annual Wales Institute of Social & Economic Research, Data & Methods (WISERD) Conference took place at Cardiff’s iconic Millennium Stadium. The WISERD Conference is the largest of its kind in Wales, and brings together practitioners, policy makers and social scientists to discuss and debate a range of topical themes such as health; social care; wellbeing;…

Significant media coverage on WISERD Education’s report to HEFCW – Access to Higher Education in Wales 

The release of the WISERD Education’s report to HEFCW – Access to Higher Education in Wales received widespread media coverage.   The Times Higher Education –https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/university-access-wales-depends-school-attended-study-finds BBC News – http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0074hk3 Wales Online – https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/education/school-pupils-chances-getting-university-10121310?service=responsive Research Professional – http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/141953-catchment-22-school-and-local-authority-impact-university-chances

Giving, saving, spending: What would Welsh children do with £1 million?

WISERD Education has been exploring children’s responses to a single question: ‘If someone gave you £1 million today, what would you do with it?’ Although such an exploration might seem trivial, we argue that their responses provide important insights into children’s values and priorities. The data from which this paper draws derive from a self-completion survey…