Publications

It draws on: 239 classroom and setting observations 341 practitioner interviews 604 school and setting survey responses 37 Local Authority interviews 4 non-maintained organisation interviews.

The Foundation Phase is a Welsh Government flagship policy of early years education (for 3 to 7-year-old children) in Wales. Marking a radical departure from the more formal, competency-based approach associated with the previous Key Stage 1 National Curriculum, it advocates a developmental, experiential, play-based approach to teaching and learning. The Learning Country: a Paving…

Since devolution, the Welsh Government has implemented a range of progressive curriculum reforms that have sought to foster enthusiasm for learning, to develop key academic skills and competencies and to promote a strong sense of citizenship. The Welsh Government has now committed itself to a fundamental and independent review of the national curriculum and assessment…

The rising cost of higher education to individuals and reduced graduate job prospects in many countries have renewed debate about the value of higher education. These have, however, focused on the private gain or rate of return of higher education to individuals, rather than on its broader public benefits. Even defenders of the intellectual, cultural…

Introductory presentation to the ‘Impact and Effectiveness of Widening Access to Higher Education’ project.

This paper aims to replicate analysis conducted by Chowdry et al. (2013) which considers the determinants of participation in higher education (HE) in England. Using linked individual level data, for both participants and non-participants in HE, Chowdry et al. track 2 cohorts of young people from age 11 through to age 20. They demonstrate that…

The Foundation Phase (introduced in 2008) provides a developmentally appropriate experiential curriculum for children aged 3-7 in Wales. The Welsh Government commissioned independent evaluation (led by WISERD) aims to evaluate how well it is being implemented, what impact it has had, and ways in which it can be improved. The three-year evaluation utilises a range…

The Foundation Phase (introduced in 2008) provides a developmentally appropriate experiential curriculum for children aged 3-7 in Wales. The Welsh Government commissioned independent evaluation (led by WISERD) aims to evaluate how well it is being implemented, what impact it has had, and ways in which it can be improved. The three-year evaluation utilises a range…

This study is concerned with the substantive representation of disabled people (SRDP) in legislative settings; in other words, addressing disabled people’s needs and concerns in policy and lawmaking. Mixed methods analysis of post-1940 Acts of the UK Parliament, backbench MPs’ use of early day motions (EDMs) and written parliamentary questions (WPQs) reveals long-standing institutional ableism….