Wales Journal of Education

As Wales marks a quarter of a century of devolved policymaking in education, 'Twenty-Five Years of Devolved Education in Wales' celebrates the successes of – and grapples critically with the ongoing challenges faced by – Wales’s education system.

📚 www.uwp.co.uk/book/twenty-...

📢 Open Call for Early Career Researcher Editorial Board Members 📢

The Wales Journal of Education invites applications from Early Career Researchers to join its Editorial Board. Applications must be received by 10th March 2026.

To apply: journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/site/ope...

🎧 NEW EPISODE - WJE Podcast 🎧

Is resilience training beneficial for teachers on a PGCE? In this episode, Gary Beauchamp speaks with Julian Ayres about his article in the Focus on Practice collection.

Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/w...

Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/0so8...

Vulnerable Learner Provision and Engagement in a post-pandemic world: preliminary evidence from a Welsh local authority The purpose of this paper is to present research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Vulnerable Learners in a south Wales local authority, UK. The study looked at the changing nature of the vuln...

🔹 NEW ARTICLE 🔹

Vulnerable Learner Provision and Engagement in a post-pandemic world: preliminary evidence from a Welsh local authority

by Alex McInch and David Egan

➡️ journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/article/...

Lessons learnt: Responses to COVID-19 from the Early Years Sector in Wales from 2020 to 2023 The purpose of this study was to understand how early childhood education and care (ECEC) practitioners in Wales view the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their sector; how these perceptions have ch...

🔹 NEW ARTICLE 🔹

Lessons learnt: Responses to COVID-19 from the Early Years Sector in Wales from 2020 to 2023

by Cathryn Knight, Jacky Tyrie, Ioanna Bakopoulou, Margarida Borras Batalla

➡️ journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/article/...

Using Fluency-Building Approach to Increase the Knowledge and Fluency of Signing with Preschool Teachers: A Pilot Study Keyword signing, an augmentative communication strategy, is known to promote language acquisition in young children, yet staff in educational settings often receive insufficient training, leading to l...

🔹 NEW ARTICLE - WJE 27.2 🔹

Using Fluency-Building Approach to Increase the Knowledge and Fluency of Signing with Preschool Teachers: A Pilot Study

by Angel Jia Yiuen Tan, Bryan Wen Xiao Tang, Gray Atherton, Liam Cross, Bethan Mair Williams

➡️ journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/article/...

The Participation of Parents of Children with Additional Learning Needs (ALN) in the School Exclusion Process in Wales This study examined parents’ experiences of their child being excluded from school. Semi-structured interviews were completed with ten parents of children excluded from school; all children had an Add...

🔹 NEW ARTICLE - WJE 27.2 🔹

The Participation of Parents of Children with Additional Learning Needs (ALN) in the School Exclusion Process in Wales

by Jemma Bridgeman

➡️ journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/article/...

Twenty-Five Years of Devolved Education in Wales | UWP

Prefer a hard copy? Buy your copy in your local bookshop!

For more information, visit: www.uwp.co.uk/book/twenty-...

@andrewjamdavies.bsky.social @profgaryb.bsky.social @walesjournaled.bsky.social

*OPEN ACCESS*

As we mark a quarter of a century of devolved policymaking in education, this edited volume celebrates the successes of – and grapples critically with the ongoing challenges faced by – Wales’s education system.

📚 Read for free on our website: www.uwp.co.uk/app/uploads/...

📣 NEW ISSUE 📣

Wales Journal of Education • Volume 27 • Issue 2

Read Open Access in Welsh and English

➡️ journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/issue/43...

"We wanted to think about whether we could support using VR in the classroom in ways that align with the curriculum – the aspects of creativity, but also as an opportunity to support and develop equity and inclusion"
– WJE Podcast, ep 14

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Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/1...

As Wales marks a quarter of a century of devolved policymaking in education, this edited volume celebrates the successes of – and grapples critically with the ongoing challenges faced by – Wales’s education system.

As Wales marks a quarter of a century of devolved policymaking in education, 'Twenty-Five Years of Devolved Education in Wales' celebrates the successes of – and grapples critically with the ongoing challenges faced by – Wales’s education system.

📚 www.uwp.co.uk/book/twenty-...

🎧 NEW EPISODE - WJE Podcast 🎧

Gary Beauchamp talks with Siôn Owen and Ross Evans about their research on the integration of immersive technology in education, focusing on its potential to enhance student engagement, motivation and learning outcomes.

Listen: journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/site/pod...

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@walesjournaled.bsky.social is a Platinum open access, double-blind peer reviewed journal publishing national and international research on education policy and practice and also hosts a regular podcast! Read and listen below.

🔗 journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/

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Stay up to date with the latest research published in the Wales Journal of Education. By subscribing, you will receive emails from us with links to new issues, articles and podcast episodes.

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📑 Subject collection: Initial Teacher Education

Read a collection of research articles on the subject of ITE, published Open Access in the Wales Journal of Education.

🔹 journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/collecti...

‘Who taught you?’: A currere exploration The poem ‘Who taught you?’ is the product of the currere method of curriculum theorizing written during a Currere Cymru retreat. The accompanying commentary discusses the currere method and its value ...

📝 NEW ARTICLE - FOCUS ON PRACTICE

‘Who taught you?’: A currere exploration

by Susan Chapman

➡️ journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/article/...

Resilience training to support teachers on a post-compulsory education and training programme This study evaluates the implementation of a resilience training programme within a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (Post-Compulsory Education and Training). The research aims to address low ret...

📝 NEW ARTICLE - FOCUS ON PRACTICE

Resilience training to support teachers on a post-compulsory education and training programme

by Julian Ayres

➡️ journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/article/...

🎧 NEW PODCAST EPISODE 🎧

Tom Crick talks to Elin Arfon and Glesni Owen about their article, which seeks to understand the factors influencing learner perspectives on studying languages at GCSE other than Welsh and English.

Listen to the full episode: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1...

💡 Subject collection: Curriculum for Wales

Read a collection of research articles on the Curriculum for Wales, published Open Access in the Wales Journal of Education.

🔹 journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/collecti...

An Exploration of the Potential Link Between Attendance and Inclusivity in Education and the Impact on Children and Young People with ALN: A Parental Perspective This study aimed to identify themes and concerns to inform practice and influence positive change in school attendance, particularly for young people with Additional Learning Needs (ALN). Post-pandemi...

📝 NEW ARTICLE - FOCUS ON PRACTICE

An Exploration of the Potential Link Between Attendance and Inclusivity in Education and the Impact on Children and Young People with ALN: A Parental Perspective

by Hayley Thomas

➡️ journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/article/...

How do our past experiences—both personal and professional—influence how we use technology in education?

This WJE article uses currere to examine shifting learning landscapes, with insights from the Wales Collaborative for Learning Design.

journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/article/...

#Currere #wje

A Critical Evaluation of Writing Instruction and Leadership Strategies to Transform English Education: A Case Study The Curriculum for Wales (CfW) aims to prepare future generations with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed. Using a mixed methods case study approach, this small-scale study explored reformi...

📝 NEW ARTICLE - FOCUS ON PRACTICE

A Critical Evaluation of Writing Instruction and Leadership Strategies to Transform English Education: A Case Study

by Catherine Louise Clements

➡️ journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/article/...

How are students grouped within Welsh classrooms—and what informs these decisions?

This study critically explores the pedagogical and policy rationales underpinning grouping practices and their implications for equity and educational outcomes.

journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/article/...

@cylchgrawnaddysg.bsky.social
How does education shape a nation's identity?

This piece looks at how Curriculum for Wales, grounded in the Welsh idea of cynefin—a deep connection to place and culture—is redefining teaching as a powerful act of national belonging.

journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/article/...

Using currere to consider past and future landscapes of technology use in learning and teaching: a view from the Wales Collaborative for Learning Design (WCLD) This article examines the prior lived experiences and future potential aspirations of technology use through the perspective of a Welsh Government-funded project. The Wales Collaborative for Learning ...

🔹 NEW Open Access article - WJE 27.1 🔹

Using currere to consider past and future landscapes of technology use in learning and teaching: a view from the Wales Collaborative for Learning Design (WCLD)

by Sammy Chapman et al.

➡️ journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/article/...

What does the Curriculum for Wales mean for how we understand community, nation and the world? Some thoughts at the link below ...

From Cynefin to Cymru and beyond – debating the Curriculum for Wales and locating nation This review article considers curriculum reform and implementation in Wales and its relationship with national identity and identities. The Curriculum for Wales is perhaps the most significant develop...

🔹 NEW Open Access article - WJE 27.1 🔹

From Cynefin to Cymru and beyond – debating the Curriculum for Wales and locating nation

by Andrew James Davies (Swansea University)

➡️ journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/article/...

Exploring Classroom Grouping Practices in Wales Grouping practices in classrooms are under-researched within the Welsh context. This exploratory research aimed to provide information about grouping practices for those with additional learning needs...

🔹 NEW Open Access article - WJE 27.1 🔹

Exploring Classroom Grouping Practices in Wales

by Charlotte Wanda Greenway (UWTSD), Carmel Conn (USW), Cathryn Knight (University of Bristol), David Vittle Thomas (Swansea University), Lisa Formby (Wrexham University)

➡️ journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/article/...

Where is the ‘New’? Teachers’ perceptions of the opportunities and challenges for the Expressive Arts AoLE in the Curriculum for Wales (2022) The new Curriculum for Wales officially began its national roll-out in September 2022 after a five-year period of consultation and co-construction. This ambitious educational reform is underpinned by ...

🔹 NEW Open Access article - WJE 27.1 🔹

Where is the ‘New’? Teachers’ perceptions of the opportunities and challenges for the Expressive Arts AoLE in the Curriculum for Wales (2022)

by Merris Griffiths, Eve Oliver, Chaminda Hewage, Kate North, Jon Pigott

➡️ journal.uwp.co.uk/wje/article/...