The report ‘Evidence Needs and the Welsh Education System’ released by the Public Policy Institute of Wales, focuses on understanding gaps in the evidence base and how it is used by policy makers and practitioners. It raises a number of important issues. Engaging practitioners with an evidence base One such…
Brexit will dominate political debates for the foreseeable future. However there are some fundamental policy challenges in Wales that aren’t going away whatever the outcome of the UK negotiations with the EU. How to secure economic growth and high quality jobs? How to satisfy increasing demand for health and social…
Schools can be more than a place where children are educated. They can also be a focus for community life, particularly in small communities where there are few other centres or amenities. They can be a place where children, parents, carers, grandparents, support networks and local clubs come together to…
Is evidence like petrol? This was the unexpected question I was left with after our anniversary event on Monday 21st March. It was prompted by something one of our speakers, Professor Jon Shepherd said about the ‘users’ of evidence: decision makers just want to be told how best to achieve…
On Monday 21st March, 2016, PPIW was delighted to welcome colleagues to celebrate our Second Anniversary, at the Glamorgan Building, Cardiff University. This event marked PPIW’s achievements over the last year, and examined the current evidence ecosystem in Wales, and the potential needs of the next Welsh Government. Joining us…
Wellbeing research is finding that our social and emotional state is a powerful predictor of our wellbeing over many years and it is an area that we know comparatively little about how to improve. This is not to say that our wellbeing is entirely down to how well we have…
Yesterday we published a report requested by the Minister for Education and Skills on supporting emotional health, well-being and resilience in primary school children. In this blog, Matthew van Poortvliet from the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) offers his view. There has been a surge of interest recently in what schools…
Effective support and guidance in schools has a positive impact on the achievement of learners and prepares them for the challenges they will face in life. The Welsh Government is encouraging an important debate about how to provide effective pupil support which will impact on the achievement of young people…
The publication of the PPIW report Fostering High Quality Vocational Further Education in Wales provides a welcome opportunity to reflect on the huge change that the FE sector in Wales has been through over recent years, and also to consider the role and purpose of high quality vocational education as…
Last week we published a report by Professor Chris Day on the role of Continuing Professional Development in closing the attainment gap. Today, Professor Tommy MacKay offers his view. Breaking the link between educational attainment and poverty has come to centre stage not only in Wales but in other parts of…
