The University of Glasgow’s School of Education has signed a strategic partnership with the University of Wales Trinity St David.

UWTSD’s Yr Athrofa – Institute of Education – is working closely with the University of Glasgow to enhance its provision and help meet the demands of Wales’ new national curriculum.

The partnership includes the Knowledge Exchange Wales (KEW) Project aimed at building capacity for the design, development and delivery of educational research.

This work will support the development of research-informed partnerships between the universities and schools in the provision of initial teacher education and professional learning.

Led by senior staff from the University of Glasgow and Yr Athrofa, KEW is contributing to the CAMAU Project, a major initiative commissioned by the Welsh Government to map out the progression steps and assessment strategies required to underpin the implementation of Professor Graham Donaldson’s blueprint for curriculum reform.

The strategic partnership is founded on the common objectives of implementing a new curriculum and assessment arrangements; innovative approaches to the delivery of initial teacher education and professional learning; new accountability measures for schools; and a commitment to improving capacity to support system-wide change.

The University of Glasgow’s School of Education is ranked 1st in the UK in the prestigious Times Good University Guide and 2nd in the latest Complete University Guide.

Professor Jones said: “The University of Glasgow is renowned for its initial teacher education and educational research capacity and we are therefore delighted to be working so closely together.

“It is important that educators in Wales learn from best practice across the UK and internationally – and our partnership with the University of Glasgow is already paying dividends, with colleagues in both institutions sharing ideas and understandings of the challenges we face.

“As well as providing a valuable sounding board for our work, colleagues in Glasgow are supporting the development of our new initial teacher education and professional learning programmes – as well as strengthening Yr Athrofa’s research capacity.

“We look forward to a long and fruitful relationship, with the best interests of Wales’ education system and its pupils at its heart.”‌

Professor Trevor Gale, Head of the School of Education at the University of Glasgow, said: “We are excited to be working with UWTSD’s Yr Athrofa, which is emerging as an innovator and leader in teacher education in Wales.

“Strong, respectful partnerships between schools and universities are at the core of their fresh approach. This is what drives us as well. It is what we are known for.

“Research is key to creating new ways of preparing quality teachers for the future so we are really excited about working alongside our UWTSD colleagues to build collaborative agendas.

“We are also looking forward to welcoming our Yr Athrofa colleagues to Glasgow in May for our national forum on Building Partnerships in Teacher Education.”

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Media enquiries: liz.buie@glasgow.ac.uk / 0141 330 2702

First published: 12 April 2017