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.

--------------------------------------

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.

——————————————

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.

-----------------------------------------

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/

------------------------------------------

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.

———————————————————————————

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.

-----------------------------------

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

We’ve reached the end of another year of podcasting, and ready to give you all a summer break from our dulcet tones. To wrap up our seventh year in front of the microphones, we’re delighted to welcome back Richard West from Stanwell School. Richard’s here to contribute to our occasional series of episodes unpacking the nature of different subjects as they are experienced by pupils in the classroom. This time around, it’s the turn of physics: a subject with a fearsome reputation, a shortage of teachers and a whole host of myths that Richard’s keen to take on.

In the course of our in-depth discussion, Richard shares his passion for the subject, his pitch for why we should study it, a call for more physicists to consider teaching it, and plenty of interesting goodies to make us all think.

Thanks to Richard for giving up his Friday evening to record, and to you for sticking with us for another year of podcasting. We’ll be back (hopefully…) in September with version 3 of our So You Think You Want to be a Teacher episode. Join us then!

——————————————————

Recorded in studio B2.15 at Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Cyncoed Campus on 9th May 2025

When we heard that Finola Wilson from our friends at Impact Wales had published a book, our first reaction (after congratulations!) was to realise how ridiculously long it’s been since we last spoke to our fellow Welsh education podcasters. Long-time listeners will know that we visited their HQ in Caerphilly (and Tom has particularly fond memories of hauling the sound equipment through an incredible downpour of rain) just before Covid to talk about the sterling work that they do in schools.

Now, Finola has made a trip in the opposite direction to visit our studio and talk about how we support disadvantaged pupils to achieve the best they can. As she explains, disadvantage covers so much more than poverty (though this is an important angle, as several of our past episodes cover) and the keys to mitigating disadvantage lie not only with those in charge of strategy and policy, but with individual teachers in their classrooms.

In this extended interview, Finola gives us some golden bits of information from the book, as well as a few controversial opinions. Enjoy it!

Finola’s book is Closing the Disadvantage Gap in Schools: A Visual Workbook, and is out now, published by Routledge. You can find Finola and Jane on the web at impact.wales

———————————

Recorded in studio B2.15 at Cardiff Metropolitan University’s Cyncoed Campus on 21st May 2025