One of the principles underlying the Curriculum for Wales is that we should situate learning within authentic contexts in order to make it more meaningful. We thought it was worth digging a little more into what that might actually look like, so we convened a panel discussion for our PGCE Secondary student teachers, bringing in guests with experience of doing this from different perspectives.

While logistical pressures on the day meant we weren't able to record the panel discussion live, two of our guests kindly agreed to come in front of the microphones afterwards for a chat about what we'd discussed.

Katie Berrisford works for Money Ready, a charity providing financial education to young people in schools, and Elizabeth Berry is a headteacher working in a primary school in a socio-economically deprived area on the outskirts of Cardiff. Their different perspectives were really helpful to get our secondary student teachers thinking about what's possible, the benefits and the challenges of making learning authentic.

Thanks to both for taking part!

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Recorded at Cardiff Metropolitan University's Cyncoed Campus in studio B2.15 on 15th April 2025 (Katie Berrisford discussion), studio B2.10A on 11th July 2025 (final section) and at Bryn Celyn Primary School on 3rd July 2025 (Elizabeth Berry discussion).

For this episode, we welcome back Professor Brendan Cropley, and since we’re no longer in the grip of Covid restrictions, we can actually meet face to face this time!

Brendan works at the University of South Wales where his background is in sport psychology, and his particular specialism is reflective practice. Digging a little deeper into the specifics this time, we wanted to look at what the world of sport makes of reflective practice, and what that world can tell us over in education.

Brendan’s got lots of clear, straightforward things for us all to think about (which is why we like to book him to speak to our students whenever we can!) and hopefully there’s something for everyone in here.

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Recorded in studio D0.12 at Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Cyncoed Campus on 22nd July 2025

The autumn term is a long one, and to mark half-time in the long march to the Christmas break, we like to kick back with one of our 'light' episodes (though to be fair they're not always entirely light!) in which we bring some randomly-selected pieces of content with which to surprise, delight and horrify one another.

Regular listeners may remember that we will be hearing less of Emma during season 8, so this is an ideal opportunity to soft-launch her 'stunt double', Sian Wickersham into a low(ish) stakes environment, so this is our first three-presenter episode.

We've got a mix of hardcore educational content, musings on the personal qualities of teachers and thoughts on AI amongst other things. We hope you find something interesting in there to pass some time during the half term break. We'll be back with our normal service in two weeks' time.

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Recorded in studio D0.12 at Cardiff Metropolitan University's Cyncoed Campus on 22nd July 2025

It’s time to take another dive into what makes a classroom subject tick, and this time around we’re going for art. In a slight twist to the usual format, we’ve paired a discussion with a subject specialist with an excellent example of how professional enquiry coupled with top-notch subject knowledge can lead to meaningful impact on pupils.

We’re joined by Daisy Wilson from our friends at Yr Athrofa, an ITE partnership at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, to discuss what art is all about as a subject, what it’s for, and where its red lines, myths and misconceptions lie.

After that, Jack Siddall, who has just graduated from our own PGCE Secondary Art & Design programme, joins us to discuss what happened when he decided to spend some time to develop an art curriculum bringing his pupils into contact with artists whose lived experiences they could identify with. Jack’s ability to avoid heavy-handed tokenism while using his in-depth knowledge of the subject to engage pupils had profound impacts on the pupils he taught, as you’ll hear in this episode.

Thanks to Daisy and Jack for joining us, and we’ll be back in two weeks’ time.

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Recorded in studio D0.18 on 28th November 2024 (Daisy Wilson discussion) and in studio B2.15 on 20th June 2025 (Rest of episode) at Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Cyncoed Campus.

Planning and evaluating lessons is at the core of what teachers do. Deciding what we want our pupils to know or be able to do, how we'll know whether they've managed it, and how we'll be able to tell is the key to selecting a sequence of activities that will get them there and allow us to judge how they're doing.

But this is one of the hardest skills for a new teacher to grasp, as an experienced teacher looks like they're just stringing together activities and it's all just happening as if by magic. Breaking down those complex thought processes is hard, and supporting student teachers to think about the learning of their pupils is a vital part of the work of those who look after them in school (as well as us in university).

We sat down with some colleagues from both school and university to make some materials that student teachers and their school mentors can watch or listen to to help get them thinking about the best ways to make it happen. Today, we're brining you a taste of those materials and discussing why planning and evaluating is such a vital part of the magic of teaching.

Whether you work with us at the Cardiff Partnership or not, you're very welcome to take a look at all our resources to support mentors at https://studio.youtube.com/@cpmentors

Thanks to James Wise from Cardiff High School, Kate Haynes from Danescourt Primary School and Dr Anne Hodgson from Cardiff Met for their sterling work in the studio.

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Recorded in studio B2.15 at Cardiff Metropolitan University's Cyncoed Campus on 29th April 2025 (resources) and 18th June 2025 (main episode)

Just as we were shutting up the podcast shop for the end of the academic year, Estyn (the school inspectorate in Wales) published a thematic report on the teaching of maths in Wales's schools. It concluded that there was too much variability in the quality of teaching, and not enough subject-specific support for those teaching maths.

This reminded us in some ways of the ITV news story back in September 2024 which prompted us to turn around a rapid-reaction episode.

In this case, we decided to hold on until the new year and release a 'normal' episode featuring some expert discussion of the report and its implications. We're joined in our temporary studio by Cameron Stewart (programme leader for PGCE Secondary Maths), Sian Wickersham (PGCE primary maths specialist) and Laurence Hooper (just graduated with a PGCE in secondary maths), and they have plenty to tell us! We chose to extend a bit beyond our normal one hour limit and hope you find this useful.

You can find the Estyn report here: https://estyn.gov.wales/improvement-resources/unlocking-potential-insights-into-improving-teaching-and-leadership-in-mathematics-education/

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Recorded in studio D0.12 at Cardiff Metropolitan University's Cyncoed Campus on 24th July 2025.

Welcome to season 8 of the podcast! So…. You want to become a teacher? You’ve come to the right place. In the third iteration of this popular topic, we’re joined by our colleague Rhian Wyn Griffiths to talk about becoming a teacher. While we’re quite focused on how to come and be a teacher with us in Wales (after all, it’s what we know best), there’s plenty here that’s relevant to people elsewhere. So pour yourself a cuppa and settle down to hear us discuss why you’d want to do it, what the job is, what it ISN’T, how you can make sure you really know it’s what you want to do, and how you can prepare.

Rhian’s also got news of a brand-new programme here at Cardiff Met: The PGCE Secondary Route to QTS for School-Based Employees. Available to those currently employed in schools in Wales but without Qualified Teacher Status, this provides yet another route into one of the most exciting professions there is.

To find out more about our own programmes, you can look here.

The Educators Wales website is here.

Thanks to Rhian for joining us, and we’ll be back in a fortnight with more interesting things for your ears.

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Recorded in studio B2.15 at Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Cyncoed Campus on 7th May 2025

One of our podcast traditions is to take a moment to reflect on the season that's just been (season 7) and get ready for the one that's about to land in your feeds (season 8)! After a hasty move across campus to avoid our power-tool wielding enemies, this episode was recorded in a temporary studio at the end of four straight days of recording. We've got plenty we're pleased with from the last year, and lots of interesting things lined up for your ears from 5th September onwards.

Emma's not going to be around quite so much next year, and indeed, this was her last recording session for about a year, though listeners will hear her for a good while yet because of the way our recording and release schedule works. When she elegantly fades out in a few months' time, our colleague (and friend of the podcast) Sian Wickersham will be keeping her seat warm. Sian is a primary specialist, and was formerly in a senior role at the Ark Schools multi-academy trust in England, so has plenty of interesting perspectives to bring.

Huge thanks to everyone who appeared on the podcast this year, our friends at Cardiff Met Sport Broadcast & Media who keep our regular studio ticking over, and to you for listening. We'll be back soon.

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Recorded in studio D0.12 at Cardiff Metropolitan University's Cyncoed Campus on 24th July 2025.