Target audience: AoLE leads in primary schools and settings

‘Curriculum for Wales: The journey to 2022’ sets out consistent expectations for schools and settings for the process of designing and implementing their curricula. The Curriculum for Wales Implementation plan sets out shared aspirations – which describe what the education system should look like in the long-term, as a result of schools and settings designing and implementing their curricula. Practitioners should have the space to develop and use their teaching, agency and creativity to help realise their ambitions through the curriculum and enabling a space for AoLE leads within primary settings to discuss learning and teaching that enables all learners to realise the aspirations of the four purposes is key.

Only by creating opportunity for practitioners to own the reform process in their schools and settings, for them to feel valued and empowered by that process, and to feel motivated to contribute to its continuing development, can we ensure the long-term success of Curriculum for Wales.

The termly Primary AoLE Leads network will allow opportunity for all to share, discuss and enhance knowledge and understanding of the unique needs of all mandatory AoLEs and the skills to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of each AoLE within their schools. Practitioners will develop pedagogical knowledge that supports the effective delivery of each AoLE, ensuring all learnes will make progress.

• Attendees will engage with and have a better understanding of each AoLE in order to design their local curriculum.

• Attendees will have a deeper understanding of progression within each AoLE

• Attendees will develop pedagogical knowledge in order to support effective design and implementation of each AoLE.

• Attendees will develop skills and understanding to become reflective AoLE leads in order to monitor and evaluate each AoLE

• Attendees will decide content for termly networks and have opportunities to share Curriculum for Wales experiences.

Event details:

04/12/23 09:30-15:00
Cothi, Halliwell Centre, Carmarthen SA31 3EP
Book here

20/03/24 09:30-15:00
Teifi, Halliwell Centre, Carmarthen SA31 3EP
Book here

Jane Shilling Languages, Literacy and Communication AoLE jane.shilling@partneriaeth.cymru 

Emma Wright Languages, Literacy and Communication AoLE emma.wright@partneriaeth.cymru 

Lowri Davies Languages, Literacy and Communication AoLE lowri.davies@partneriaeth.cymru 

Target audience: Secondary middle leaders

These termly networks provide opportunities for leaders to collaborate across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Swansea. Attendees receive updates and training on :

1. Teaching and learning – subject specific pedagogy, resources and other school examples shared to support middle leaders in driving improvements in their own departments.

2. Curriculum –mandatory elements of Curriculum for Wales and providing practical guidance on how to implement these messages effectively as middle leaders  to support teachers in their departments. 

3. Qualifications - updates from Qualifications Wales and specific WJEC GCSE examination series. Opportunities to discuss wider qualification reform. 

4. Leadership – supporting middle leaders in undertaking their roles effectively looking at quality assurance processes, self-evaluation, GCSE and A Level administration and improvement planning.

• All delegates will have an improved understanding of their roles as middle leaders in securing and driving improvement in their areas of responsibility.

• All middle leaders will have an improved understanding around curriculum and qualification reform.

• All middle leaders will discuss and hear examples of current and effective teaching and learning strategies appropriate to their subjects.

• All middle leaders will have an opportunity to share and hear examples of effective practice of either middle leadership, teaching and learning or curriculum/qualification reform. 

Event details:

09:30-15:00

10/10/23 Swansea
Vivian Hall, Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea SA1 1RR
Book here

11/10/23 Carmarthenshire / Pembrokeshire
Queens Hall, Narberth, Pembrokeshire  SA67 7AS
Book here

22/01/24 Swansea
Vivian Hall, Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea SA1 1RR
Book here

23/01/24 Carmarthenshire / Pembrokeshire
Queens Hall, Narberth, Pembrokeshire  SA67 7AS
Book here

24/06/24 Swansea
Vivian Hall, Dylan Thomas Centre, Swansea SA1 1RR
Book here

25/06/24 Carmarthenshire / Pembrokeshire
Queens Hall, Narberth, Pembrokeshire  SA67 7AS
Book here

Jane Shilling Secondary English Specialist jane.shilling@partneriaeth.cymru

Emma Wright Secondary English Specialist emma.wright@partneriaeth.cymru

Target audience: Secondary middle leaders

These termly networks provide opportunities for leaders to collaborate across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Swansea. Attendees receive updates and training on :

1. Teaching and learning – subject specific pedagogy, resources and other school examples shared to support middle leaders in driving improvements in their own departments.

2. Curriculum –mandatory elements of Curriculum for Wales and providing practical guidance on how to implement these messages effectively as middle leaders  to support teachers in their departments. 

3. Qualifications - updates from Qualifications Wales and specific WJEC GCSE examination series. Opportunities to discuss wider qualification reform. 

4. Leadership – supporting middle leaders in undertaking their roles effectively looking at quality assurance processes, self-evaluation, GCSE and A Level administration and improvement planning.

• All delegates will have an improved understanding of their roles as middle leaders in securing and driving improvement in their areas of responsibility.

• All middle leaders will have an improved understanding around curriculum and qualification reform.

• All middle leaders will discuss and hear examples of current and effective teaching and learning strategies appropriate to their subjects.

• All middle leaders will have an opportunity to share and hear examples of effective practice of either middle leadership, teaching and learning or curriculum/qualification reform. 

Event details:

09:30-15:00

17/10/23 Y Llwyfan, College Rd, Carmarthen SA31 3EQ
Book here

21/02/24 Y Llwyfan, College Rd, Carmarthen SA31 3EQ
Book here

20/06/24 Y Llwyfan, College Rd, Carmarthen SA31 3EQ
Book here

Lowri Davies Languages, Literacy and Communication AoLE lowri.davies@partneriaeth.cymru 

Dyfed Williams Languages, Literacy and Communication AoLE dyfed.williams@partneriaeth.cymru 

Target audience: Secondary middle leaders

These termly networks provide opportunities for leaders to collaborate across Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Swansea. Attendees receive updates and training on :

1. Teaching and learning – subject specific pedagogy, resources and other school examples shared to support middle leaders in driving improvements in their own departments.

2. Curriculum –mandatory elements of Curriculum for Wales and providing practical guidance on how to implement these messages effectively as middle leaders  to support teachers in their departments. 

3. Qualifications - updates from Qualifications Wales and specific WJEC GCSE examination series. Opportunities to discuss wider qualification reform. 

4. Leadership – supporting middle leaders in undertaking their roles effectively looking at quality assurance processes, self-evaluation, GCSE and A Level administration and improvement planning.

• All delegates will have an improved understanding of their roles as middle leaders in securing and driving improvement in their areas of responsibility.

• All middle leaders will have an improved understanding around curriculum and qualification reform.

• All middle leaders will discuss and hear examples of current and effective teaching and learning strategies appropriate to their subjects.

• All middle leaders will have an opportunity to share and hear examples of effective practice of either middle leadership, teaching and learning or curriculum/qualification reform. 

Event details:

09:30-15:00

24/10/23 Swansea
Vivian Hall, Dylan Thomas centre, Swansea SA1 1RR
Book here

26/10/23 Carmarthenshire / Pembrokeshire
Teifi, Halliwell Centre, Carmarthen SA31 3EP
Book here

08/02/24 Carmarthenshire / Pembrokeshire
Cothi, Halliwell Centre, Carmarthen SA31 3EP
Book here

09/02/24 Swansea
Waterfront Church, Swansea SA1 8QY
Book here

24/06/24 Carmarthenshire / Pembrokeshire
Teifi, Halliwell Centre, Carmarthen SA31 3EP
Book here

25/06/24 Swansea
Vivian Hall, Dylan Thomas centre, Swansea SA1 1RR
Book here

Lowri Davies Languages, Literacy and Communication AoLE lowri.davies@partneriaeth.cymru 

Dyfed Williams Languages, Literacy and Communication AoLE dyfed.williams@partneriaeth.cymru 

Target audience: Secondary network leads.

The mandatory cross-curricular skill of literacy is essential for learners to be able to access knowledge. It enables learners to access the breadth of a school’s curriculum and the wealth of opportunities it offers, equipping them with the lifelong skills to realise the four purposes. 

Literacy is at the centre of all highly effective classrooms and plays an integral role in allowing learners to embody the four purposes and better their life chances. Therefore, Partneriaeth schools need a network that facilitates to the coordination and drive of literacy improvement across secondary schools.  

This professional learning opportunity will provide secondary literacy leads with strategies and ideas to develop literacy across the curriculum and improve the quality of teaching of literacy. Practitioners will collaborate with others, sharing good practice to ensure learners receive relevant and appropriate opportunities in literacy rich subjects. Both days will support literacy leads to develop and ensure progression in mandatory cross-curricular literacy skills in reading, writing and oracy whilst developing the four purposes.

• All leaders will have an opportunity to share effective practice around high quality literacy initiatives - including classroom practice, literacy interventions and whole school leadership. 

• All leaders will receive up to date messages around effective literacy development, which are informed by current research and practical classroom ideas.

• All leaders will have a better understanding of their roles in driving and improving literacy in their settings. 

• All leaders will use the resources and messages from these meetings to improve the quality of teaching and learning of literacy within their settings. 

• When appropriate, all leaders will have opportunities to take part in quality assurance processes to monitor and evaluate standards of literacy and plan for improvements.

• All leaders will have opportunities to network with other leaders of literacy across the Partneriaeth region.

Event details:

13th November 2023 09:30-15:00
Taf, Halliwell Centre, Carmarthen SA31 3EP

Book here

Jane Shilling Languages, Literacy and Communication AoLE jane.shilling@partneriaeth.cymru 

Emma Wright Languages, Literacy and Communication AoLE emma.wright@partneriaeth.cymru 

Lowri Davies Languages, Literacy and Communication AoLE lowri.davies@partneriaeth.cymru 

Target audience: Primary and secondary practitioners / AoLE leads for LLC / EAL Co-ordinators / Literacy Co-ordinators / MFL leads / Senior management

Following our first conference in November, we would like to  invite you to a second one day in person conference on April 17th in the Halliwell Centre, Trinity St David, Carmarthen SA31 3EP. 9am to 3pm - Embedding Multilingualism - Developing Translanguaging.

In order to meet the vision of Curriculum for Wales, the conference will provide an opportunity for practitioners to engage with the pedagogies that support multilingualism, a passion for languages, and the inclusion of varying perspectives in our classrooms. Languages are not only a tool for social cohesion, but have a transformational power in our classrooms. 

As part of the conference Eowyn Crisfield, an expert in linguistics, who has worked extensively with schools to support multilingualism, will join us to talk about ‘Language Explorers’. ‘Language Explorers’ is a resource for schools, designed collaboratively with schools in the region, for Partneriaeth schools, to support the introduction of a third language. 

Following on from the work shared in the first conference, there will be time to work with others to consider how to embed multilingualism in your school, and develop a plan for your context, supported by practitioners from the bilingual to multilingual project.

This one day conference will provide an opportunity: 

• to engage with the power of multilingualism to support the development of a curriculum that promotes cynefin, anti-racism and diversity.

• to develop a strategic plan for your context

• to see the Language Explorers resource in action and learn how it can support the introduction of the third language within your school

• to attend workshops led by the Partneriaeth Bilingual to Multilingual project schools

The workshops will enable practitioners to hear from the pilot schools and provide practical strategies and teaching ideas for the classroom. The schools have worked to create multilingual learning environments, fostering a love of languages in their learners, and celebrating the diversity of their communities. The schools have a wealth of practical information and experience to share, and are offering workshops on:

• ‘Translanguaging in the Secondary Classroom – It Can Be Done!’

• Languages connect us to each other - translanguaging in a Welsh medium setting

• Going Round in Circles: Getting Started with the Translanguaging Cycle in the Classroom  

• ¡Vámonos! Foundation Phase to KS2: Igniting a love for International Languages

• Our Journey to Translanguaging – The story from one primary school 

The conference will provide an opportunity for practitioners to come together and gain an insight into how multilingualism can be embedded into our curriculum, its impact on learners and its transformational power to enrich our school communities.

Event details:

Embedding Multilingualism – Developing Translanguaging
17 April 2024
Halliwell Centre, Carmarthen SA31 3EP

Book here

Jane Shilling Secondary English Specialist jane.shilling@partneriaeth.cymru

Target audience: Primary and secondary practitioners in Welsh medium and bilingual settings. Also teachers of Welsh in English medium schools.

What’s in a word? Explicit vocabulary instruction for Welsh medium practitioners.

Vocabulary is integral to all learners’ social, emotional and academic development. A rich vocabulary enables our learners to make sense of the world around them, and to become ambitious, capable and confident thinkers, speakers, readers and writers who can become ethical, informed and creative citizens.  

Whilst many learners will develop a large, high-quality vocabulary independently, many will not. Vocabulary development and acquisition is key to reading comprehension and wider educational attainment to be merely left to chance. 

Rooted firmly in the research evidence on the effective teaching of vocabulary, and drawing upon the works of recent influential writers, this course aims to equip teachers with a wide range of practical strategies to utilise in their everyday teaching. Teachers will be introduced to a comprehensive framework for selecting and embedding vocabulary instruction across the curriculum, and they will learn about key features that make vocabulary teaching effective - including harnessing etymology and morphology. 

Ultimately, this course will focus on training teachers to become confident in instilling in their learners the knowledge that words are not static. Through Explicit Vocabulary Instruction, learners may begin to embrace the polysemous – shifting – nature of words, sparking curiosity and potentially igniting a lifelong interest in vocabulary.

Following feedback from practitioners and schools after Partneriaeth provided this training earlier in the year, schools have asked us to provide the session again so that more practitioners have the opportunity to attend.

• Identify strategies that enable learners to expand their vocabulary in order to enrich their literacy skills across the curriculum.

Event details:

02.10.23 09:30-15:00
Y Llwyfan, Carmarthen SA31 3EQ
Book here

Lowri Davies Languages, Literacy and Communication AoLE lowri.davies@partneriaeth.cymru 

Dyfed Williams Languages, Literacy and Communication AoLE dyfed.williams@partneriaeth.cymru 

Target audience: NQTs, Early career teachers, non-specialist teachers, teachers returning to teach the specification. 

To support local authority and Welsh Government’s priorities to ensure excellent learning and teaching, and support schools with professional development for teachers, a day of professional learning on key aspects of delivering English within the classroom, specifically designed for NQTs, early professional development teachers, and non-specialists.  

This professional learning opportunity will ensure practitioners have a clear understanding of the demands of delivering English in the classroom together with the essential skills that learners need to develop. Practitioners will develop effective approaches to explicitly teaching aspects of reading, writing and oracy within Curriculum for Wales.

This professional learning opportunity will develop an understanding of how to effectively structure an English lesson, using questioning for deeper meaning, reading, analysis and the use of PEE/PEA/PQE, and the development of the writing process. 

• Practitioners will have a better understanding of the English subject skills: reading, writing and oracy.

• Practitioners will have developed a clearer understanding of the strategies to improve the learning and teaching of these in the classroom, particularly via use of teacher questioning.

• Practitioners will have experience of reflecting on how to structure a lesson in line with best practice. 

• Practitioners will leave with a range of strategies to improve the engagement of learners and varied approaches to use in the classroom to support learners to make progress in reading and writing.

• Practitioners will develop confidence, skills and strategies to support improved learner outcomes. 

• Practitioners will share resources and strategies departmentally.

Event details:

19th October 2023 09:30-15:00
Tywi Room, National Botanic Gardens SA32 8HN
Book here

7th March 2024 09:30-15:00
Teifi, Halliwell Centre, Carmarthen SA31 3EP
Book here

Jane Shilling Secondary English Specialist jane.shilling@partneriaeth.cymru

Emma Wright Secondary English Specialist emma.wright@partneriaeth.cymru

Target audience: NQTs, Early Career teachers, non-specialist teachers, teachers returning to teach the specification. 

To support local authority and Welsh Government’s priorities to ensure excellent learning and teaching, and support schools with professional development for teachers, a day of professional learning on key aspects of delivering Welsh within the classroom, specifically designed for NQTs, early professional development teachers, and non-specialists.  

This professional learning opportunity will ensure practitioners have a clear understanding of the demands of delivering Welsh in the classroom together with the essential skills that learners need to develop. 

Practitioners will develop effective approaches to explicitly teaching aspects of reading, writing and oracy within Curriculum for Wales.

This professional learning opportunity will develop an understanding of how to effectively structure a Welsh lesson, using questioning for deeper meaning, reading, analysis, and the development of the writing process. 

Practitioners will leave with a range of practical classroom strategies to improve learning and teaching. 

• Practitioners will have a better understanding of the Welsh subject skills: reading, writing and oracy.

• Practitioners will have developed a clearer understanding of the strategies to improve the learning and teaching of these in the classroom, particularly via use of teacher questioning.

• Practitioners will have experience of reflecting on how to structure a lesson in line with best practice. 

• Practitioners will leave with a range of strategies to improve the engagement of learners and varied approaches to use in the classroom to support learners to make progress in reading and writing.

• Practitioners will develop confidence, skills and strategies to support improved learner outcomes. 

• Practitioners will share resources and strategies departmentally.

Event details:

15th November 2023 09:30-15:00
Y Llwyfan, College Road, Carmarthen SA31 3EQ
Book here

14th March 2024 09:30-15:00
Y Llwyfan, College Road, Carmarthen SA31 3EQ
Book here

Lowri Davies Languages, Literacy and Communication AoLE lowri.davies@partneriaeth.cymru 

Dyfed Williams Languages, Literacy and Communication AoLE dyfed.williams@partneriaeth.cymru 

Target audience: NQTs, Early career teachers, non-specialist teachers, teachers returning to teach the specification. 

To support local authority and Welsh Government’s priorities to ensure excellent learning and teaching, and support schools with professional development for teachers, a day of professional learning on how to successfully deliver the elements of GCSE English Language. 

This professional learning opportunity will ensure practitioners have a full understanding of the demands of the subject specification and how this is realised in the classroom. 

• Practitioners will have a better understanding of the subject specification.

• Practitioners will have developed a clearer understanding of the demands of the high tariff reading questions and will have strategies to improve the learning and teaching of these in the classroom.

• Practitioners will have experience of marking a range of exemplar answers which can be used with learners to exemplify standards. 

• Practitioners will have a range of strategies to improve the quality of writing for both Units 2 and 3, supported with exemplar. 

• Practitioners will develop confidence, skills and strategies to support improved learner outcomes. 

• Practitioners will share resources and strategies departmentally. 

• Practitioners will have an improved understanding of WJEC resources to support learning and teaching and up to date messages from the examination board. 

Event details:

29/01/24 09:30-15:00
Y Llwyfan, College Road, Carmarthen SA31 3EQ
Book here

Jane Shilling Secondary English Specialist jane.shilling@partneriaeth.cymru

Emma Wright Secondary English Specialist emma.wright@partneriaeth.cymru

Target audience: NQTs, Early career teachers, non-specialist teachers, teachers returning to teach the specification. 

To support local authority and Welsh Government’s priorities to ensure excellent learning and teaching, and support schools with professional development for teachers, a day of professional learning on how to successfully deliver GCSE English Literature. 

This professional learning opportunity will ensure practitioners have a full understanding of the demands of the Literature subject specification and how this is realised in the classroom. 

• Practitioners will have a better understanding of the subject specification.

• Practitioners will have developed a clearer understanding of the demands of the questions types for both examined Units and will have strategies to improve the learning and teaching of these in the classroom.

• Practitioners will have experience of marking a range of exemplar answers which can be used with learners to exemplify standards. 

• Practitioners will leave with a range of strategies to improve the engagement of learners with the texts, and varied approaches to use in the classroom to reading extended literature texts. 

• Practitioners will develop confidence, skills and strategies to support improved learner outcomes. 

• Practitioners will share resources and strategies departmentally.

• Practitioners will have an improved understanding of WJEC resources to support learning and teaching and up to date messages from the examination board.

Event details:

30/11/23 09:30-15:00
Y Llwyfan, College Road, Carmarthen SA31 3EQ
Book here

Jane Shilling Secondary English Specialist jane.shilling@partneriaeth.cymru

Emma Wright Secondary English Specialist emma.wright@partneriaeth.cymru

Target audience: Humanities and Literacy leads

The purpose of this project is to provide opportunities for learners to engage with stories of the past from many perspectives. The wide range of titles now available to schools allow learners to look at history through the lens of young people from the global majority, from Black and Asian backgrounds. They tell stories of times which might have previously only been told from a Eurocentric perspective. Based on research evidence, this project follows the ‘Just Reading’ approach which aims to develop literacy in learners in primary and secondary settings whilst engaging interest in historical periods. 

This project forms part of our working to support schools in their approaches to decolonising the curriculum in line with the Anti-racist Wales Plan, the National Mission and the Welsh Government report into Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic Communities, Contributions and Cynefin in the New Curriculum to ensure a more inclusive curriculum which tells the whole story and one in which all learners can see themselves.

• Participants will have an understanding of the ‘Just reading’ approach to developing literacy.

• Participants and their learners will read stories from a global perspective told by authors from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

• Participants will receive a class set of books of a title which suits their curriculum.

Event details:

If you would like to get further Information on this project please contact: 

Jane Shilling Secondary English Specialist jane.shilling@partneriaeth.cymru

Julian Nicholds Secondary History Specialist julian.nicholds@partneriaeth.cymru