Mirain Rhys - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Mirain Rhys

Cymraeg Ers 2008, mae pob plentyn 3-7 mlwydd oed yng Nghymru yn dilyn cwricwlwm statudol y Cyfnod... more Cymraeg Ers 2008, mae pob plentyn 3-7 mlwydd oed yng Nghymru yn dilyn cwricwlwm statudol y Cyfnod Sylfaen. Mae’r cwricwlwm yn dilyn pedagogeg datblygiadol, ac yn ennyn i’r plant ddatblygu diddordeb drwy ddysgu drwy brofiadau. Gobeithion Llywodraeth Cymru yw i bob plentyn ddod yn ddysgwr gydol-oes, ac i dynnu’r ffurfioldeb allan o addysg y blynyddoedd cynnar. Mae i’r Cyfnod Sylfaen saith ‘maes dysgu’, ac un o’r rheiny yw ‘datblygu’r Gymraeg’ (mewn ysgolion a lleoliadau cyfrwng Saesneg yn unig). Mae’r papur sy’n dilyn yn cymryd data meintiol ac ansoddol o werthusiad ehangach o’r Cyfnod Sylfaen a’i comisiynwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn 2012. Fe geir asesiad o sut mae’r Gymraeg yn cael ei defnyddio wrth weithredu’r Cyfnod Sylfaen, yn ogystal â thrafodaeth o unrhyw rwystrau a gododd. Fe geir golwg manylach ar sut mae ysgolion a lleoliadau cyfrwng Saesneg a Chymraeg yn mynd ati i ddatblygu unigolion dwyieithog, yn ol gobeithion Llywodraeth Cymru am ‘Gymru Ddwyieithog’. Saesneg Sine 2008, ev...

The Foundation Phase (introduced in 2008) provides a developmentally appropriate experiential cur... more The Foundation Phase (introduced in 2008) provides a developmentally appropriate experiential curriculum for children aged 3-7 in Wales. The Welsh Government commissioned independent evaluation (led by WISERD) aims to evaluate how well it is being implemented, what impact it has had, and ways in which it can be improved. The three-year evaluation utilises a range of mixed methods at a national and local scale.

Rationale Development of a new curriculum that links and strengthens the principles and practices... more Rationale Development of a new curriculum that links and strengthens the principles and practices of preschool 'Desirable Outcomes' with KS1 programmes of study and focus statements (NAfW, 2003a:9). Utilises developmentally appropriate practice, constructivist and socio cultural approaches to teaching and learning.

The Foundation Phase (introduced in 2008) provides a developmentally appropriate experiential cur... more The Foundation Phase (introduced in 2008) provides a developmentally appropriate experiential curriculum for children aged 3-7 in Wales. The Welsh Government commissioned independent evaluation (led by WISERD) aims to evaluate how well it is being implemented, what impact it has had, and ways in which it can be improved. The three-year evaluation utilises a range of mixed methods at a national and local scale. This is one of five papers focused on practice. It draws on 239 classroom and setting observations, 341 practitioner interviews, 604 school and setting survey responses, 37 Local Authority interviews and four non-maintained organisation interviews.

Views expressed in this report are those of the researchers and not necessarily those of the Wels... more Views expressed in this report are those of the researchers and not necessarily those of the Welsh Government All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated.

The ever-present argument that children from non-Welsh speaking backgrounds can’t reach their ful... more The ever-present argument that children from non-Welsh speaking backgrounds can’t reach their full potential in Welsh medium education has yet again come to the fore. Recent statistics obtained by the BBC under a Freedom of Information Act indicate that children who are taught through the medium of Welsh but don’t speak Welsh at home are less likely to overachieve by the time they reach the end of their primary schooling (i.e. obtaining a ‘Level 5’ or higher at key stage 2 (KS2) in the core subjects of English, Welsh First Language, Mathematics and Science).

The Foundation Phase (introduced in 2008) provides a developmentally appropriate experiential cur... more The Foundation Phase (introduced in 2008) provides a developmentally appropriate experiential curriculum for children aged 3-7 in Wales. The Welsh Government commissioned independent evaluation (led by WISERD) aims to evaluate how well it is being implemented, what impact it has had, and ways in which it can be improved. The three-year evaluation utilises a range of mixed methods at a national and local scale.

In this report we present a technical discussion of the three year evaluation (August 2011 to Aug... more In this report we present a technical discussion of the three year evaluation (August 2011 to August 2014). This includes an outline of the evaluation design, the methods used in the evaluation and other detailed information about the evaluation.

The Foundation Phase (introduced in 2008) provides a developmentally appropriate experiential cur... more The Foundation Phase (introduced in 2008) provides a developmentally appropriate experiential curriculum for children aged 3-7 in Wales. The Welsh Government commissioned independent evaluation (led by WISERD) aims to evaluate how well it is being implemented, what impact it has had, and ways in which it can be improved. The three-year evaluation utilises a range of mixed methods at a national and local scale. This is one of four papers focused on impact. It draws on 239 classroom/setting observations, 341 practitioner interviews, 604 school/setting survey responses, 1,008 parent/carer survey responses, 37 Local Authority interviews and four non-maintained organisation interviews.

Review of Education, 2018

Debates on how best to educate young children have been raging over the last 100 years-more often... more Debates on how best to educate young children have been raging over the last 100 years-more often fuelled by ideological preferences rather than empirical evidence. To some extent this is hardly surprising given the difficulty of examining pupil progress in a systematic and comparative way. However, the introduction of a new child-centred curriculum in Wales provides the opportunity to undertake just such an examination. The Foundation Phase curriculum, introduced in 2008, is designed to provide all 3-to 7-year-olds with a developmental, experiential, play-based approach to learning. Evidence from a major 3-year evaluation of this intervention finds that, overall, pupil progress and well-being is fostered in those settings where the principles of the Foundation Phase have been most closely followed. However, the evidence also suggests that even within these contexts, progress is uneven and that some kinds of children seem to gain more from this approach than others. The 'losers' appear to be boys and those living in poverty. Drawing on the theories of Basil Bernstein, the paper explores why this may be the case and examines the relative significance of teacher dispositions, teacher-learner dynamics and the availability of resources. The paper concludes by arguing that these issues will need to be addressed if the benefits of child-centred approaches are to benefit all.

Review of Education, 2018

The importance of child-centred approaches for well-being The research provides compelling eviden... more The importance of child-centred approaches for well-being The research provides compelling evidence that child-centred approaches-such as the Foundation Phase-foster well-being in young learners. Given contemporary

British Journal of Educational Studies, 2019

How should academic staff engage in outreach with communities outside of the university? The need... more How should academic staff engage in outreach with communities outside of the university? The need of academics to answer this question has intensified in the UK given the changing priorities of academic job roles, shaped by increasing institutional concern for widening participation, graduate employability and research impact in an era of austerity and high tuition fees. While university outreach professionals, such as those in widening participation, have access to a range of networks, resources and support mechanisms for outreach activity, academics often face a series of professionspecific pressures that make engagement in outreach complex and contingent. This article draws upon the experience of twenty five academics from eighteen different subject areas and eighteen institutions to examine and provide responses to key challenges faced by academics involved in outreach in the UK. We examine such issues as: the conceptualisation of outreach; funding; recognition and management of workload; nurturing relationships with internal and external partners; capacitybuilding; commercial interests, payment and responsibility; pedagogical style and content; integration of outreach into curricula, and evaluation of programmes. The examination offered is not all encompassing, but acts as a series of reference points to consider the challenges faced by UK academics in an evolving outreach sector.

Oxford Review of Education, 2016

The Foundation Phase is a Welsh Government flagship policy of early years education (for 3 to 7ye... more The Foundation Phase is a Welsh Government flagship policy of early years education (for 3 to 7year old children) in Wales. Marking a radical departure from the more formal, competency-based approach associated with the previous Key Stage 1 National Curriculum, it advocates a developmental, experiential, play-based approach to teaching and learning. The Learning Country: a Paving Document (NAfW 2001) notes that following devolution, Wales intended to take its own poli di e tio i o de to get the est fo Wales. Buildi g o a th ee-year mixed methods independent evaluation of the Foundation Phase we discuss in detail the aims and objectives of the Foundation Phase, including the context to its introduction, the theory, assumptions and evidence underlying its rationale, and its content and key inputs. We then contrast this with how the Foundation Phase was received by practitioners and parents, how it has been implemented in classrooms and non-maintained settings, and what discernible impact it has had on young hild e s edu atio al out o es. The pape o ludes ith a iti al a al sis of the poli p o ess and identifies a number of contextual issues during the inception of the Foundation Phase that has, it could be argued, constrained its development and subsequent impact. We argue that these constraints are associated with an educational policy landscape that was still in its infancy. In order fo futu e edu atio poli to get the est fo Wales a u e of i po ta t lesso s ust e learnt.

Overall, head teachers and funded nonmaintained leaders were generally satisfied with the trainin... more Overall, head teachers and funded nonmaintained leaders were generally satisfied with the training, support and guidance given, although when asked what they would most like to change about the Foundation Phase with hindsight, 'support materials' and 'training' were ranked highly in both cases. Case study observations revealed that teachers who reported completing more Foundation Phase training modules had a better understanding and more positive views of the Foundation Phase. With the exception of Year 1, 66% of all observed teachers and 100% funded non-maintained leaders reported completing all 8 Welsh Government Foundation Phase training modules.

Cymraeg Ers 2008, mae pob plentyn 3-7 mlwydd oed yng Nghymru yn dilyn cwricwlwm statudol y Cyfnod... more Cymraeg Ers 2008, mae pob plentyn 3-7 mlwydd oed yng Nghymru yn dilyn cwricwlwm statudol y Cyfnod Sylfaen. Mae’r cwricwlwm yn dilyn pedagogeg datblygiadol, ac yn ennyn i’r plant ddatblygu diddordeb drwy ddysgu drwy brofiadau. Gobeithion Llywodraeth Cymru yw i bob plentyn ddod yn ddysgwr gydol-oes, ac i dynnu’r ffurfioldeb allan o addysg y blynyddoedd cynnar. Mae i’r Cyfnod Sylfaen saith ‘maes dysgu’, ac un o’r rheiny yw ‘datblygu’r Gymraeg’ (mewn ysgolion a lleoliadau cyfrwng Saesneg yn unig). Mae’r papur sy’n dilyn yn cymryd data meintiol ac ansoddol o werthusiad ehangach o’r Cyfnod Sylfaen a’i comisiynwyd gan Lywodraeth Cymru yn 2012. Fe geir asesiad o sut mae’r Gymraeg yn cael ei defnyddio wrth weithredu’r Cyfnod Sylfaen, yn ogystal â thrafodaeth o unrhyw rwystrau a gododd. Fe geir golwg manylach ar sut mae ysgolion a lleoliadau cyfrwng Saesneg a Chymraeg yn mynd ati i ddatblygu unigolion dwyieithog, yn ol gobeithion Llywodraeth Cymru am ‘Gymru Ddwyieithog’. Saesneg Sine 2008, ev...

The Foundation Phase (introduced in 2008) provides a developmentally appropriate experiential cur... more The Foundation Phase (introduced in 2008) provides a developmentally appropriate experiential curriculum for children aged 3-7 in Wales. The Welsh Government commissioned independent evaluation (led by WISERD) aims to evaluate how well it is being implemented, what impact it has had, and ways in which it can be improved. The three-year evaluation utilises a range of mixed methods at a national and local scale.

Rationale Development of a new curriculum that links and strengthens the principles and practices... more Rationale Development of a new curriculum that links and strengthens the principles and practices of preschool 'Desirable Outcomes' with KS1 programmes of study and focus statements (NAfW, 2003a:9). Utilises developmentally appropriate practice, constructivist and socio cultural approaches to teaching and learning.

The Foundation Phase (introduced in 2008) provides a developmentally appropriate experiential cur... more The Foundation Phase (introduced in 2008) provides a developmentally appropriate experiential curriculum for children aged 3-7 in Wales. The Welsh Government commissioned independent evaluation (led by WISERD) aims to evaluate how well it is being implemented, what impact it has had, and ways in which it can be improved. The three-year evaluation utilises a range of mixed methods at a national and local scale. This is one of five papers focused on practice. It draws on 239 classroom and setting observations, 341 practitioner interviews, 604 school and setting survey responses, 37 Local Authority interviews and four non-maintained organisation interviews.

Views expressed in this report are those of the researchers and not necessarily those of the Wels... more Views expressed in this report are those of the researchers and not necessarily those of the Welsh Government All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated.

The ever-present argument that children from non-Welsh speaking backgrounds can’t reach their ful... more The ever-present argument that children from non-Welsh speaking backgrounds can’t reach their full potential in Welsh medium education has yet again come to the fore. Recent statistics obtained by the BBC under a Freedom of Information Act indicate that children who are taught through the medium of Welsh but don’t speak Welsh at home are less likely to overachieve by the time they reach the end of their primary schooling (i.e. obtaining a ‘Level 5’ or higher at key stage 2 (KS2) in the core subjects of English, Welsh First Language, Mathematics and Science).

The Foundation Phase (introduced in 2008) provides a developmentally appropriate experiential cur... more The Foundation Phase (introduced in 2008) provides a developmentally appropriate experiential curriculum for children aged 3-7 in Wales. The Welsh Government commissioned independent evaluation (led by WISERD) aims to evaluate how well it is being implemented, what impact it has had, and ways in which it can be improved. The three-year evaluation utilises a range of mixed methods at a national and local scale.

In this report we present a technical discussion of the three year evaluation (August 2011 to Aug... more In this report we present a technical discussion of the three year evaluation (August 2011 to August 2014). This includes an outline of the evaluation design, the methods used in the evaluation and other detailed information about the evaluation.

The Foundation Phase (introduced in 2008) provides a developmentally appropriate experiential cur... more The Foundation Phase (introduced in 2008) provides a developmentally appropriate experiential curriculum for children aged 3-7 in Wales. The Welsh Government commissioned independent evaluation (led by WISERD) aims to evaluate how well it is being implemented, what impact it has had, and ways in which it can be improved. The three-year evaluation utilises a range of mixed methods at a national and local scale. This is one of four papers focused on impact. It draws on 239 classroom/setting observations, 341 practitioner interviews, 604 school/setting survey responses, 1,008 parent/carer survey responses, 37 Local Authority interviews and four non-maintained organisation interviews.

Review of Education, 2018

Debates on how best to educate young children have been raging over the last 100 years-more often... more Debates on how best to educate young children have been raging over the last 100 years-more often fuelled by ideological preferences rather than empirical evidence. To some extent this is hardly surprising given the difficulty of examining pupil progress in a systematic and comparative way. However, the introduction of a new child-centred curriculum in Wales provides the opportunity to undertake just such an examination. The Foundation Phase curriculum, introduced in 2008, is designed to provide all 3-to 7-year-olds with a developmental, experiential, play-based approach to learning. Evidence from a major 3-year evaluation of this intervention finds that, overall, pupil progress and well-being is fostered in those settings where the principles of the Foundation Phase have been most closely followed. However, the evidence also suggests that even within these contexts, progress is uneven and that some kinds of children seem to gain more from this approach than others. The 'losers' appear to be boys and those living in poverty. Drawing on the theories of Basil Bernstein, the paper explores why this may be the case and examines the relative significance of teacher dispositions, teacher-learner dynamics and the availability of resources. The paper concludes by arguing that these issues will need to be addressed if the benefits of child-centred approaches are to benefit all.

Review of Education, 2018

The importance of child-centred approaches for well-being The research provides compelling eviden... more The importance of child-centred approaches for well-being The research provides compelling evidence that child-centred approaches-such as the Foundation Phase-foster well-being in young learners. Given contemporary

British Journal of Educational Studies, 2019

How should academic staff engage in outreach with communities outside of the university? The need... more How should academic staff engage in outreach with communities outside of the university? The need of academics to answer this question has intensified in the UK given the changing priorities of academic job roles, shaped by increasing institutional concern for widening participation, graduate employability and research impact in an era of austerity and high tuition fees. While university outreach professionals, such as those in widening participation, have access to a range of networks, resources and support mechanisms for outreach activity, academics often face a series of professionspecific pressures that make engagement in outreach complex and contingent. This article draws upon the experience of twenty five academics from eighteen different subject areas and eighteen institutions to examine and provide responses to key challenges faced by academics involved in outreach in the UK. We examine such issues as: the conceptualisation of outreach; funding; recognition and management of workload; nurturing relationships with internal and external partners; capacitybuilding; commercial interests, payment and responsibility; pedagogical style and content; integration of outreach into curricula, and evaluation of programmes. The examination offered is not all encompassing, but acts as a series of reference points to consider the challenges faced by UK academics in an evolving outreach sector.

Oxford Review of Education, 2016

The Foundation Phase is a Welsh Government flagship policy of early years education (for 3 to 7ye... more The Foundation Phase is a Welsh Government flagship policy of early years education (for 3 to 7year old children) in Wales. Marking a radical departure from the more formal, competency-based approach associated with the previous Key Stage 1 National Curriculum, it advocates a developmental, experiential, play-based approach to teaching and learning. The Learning Country: a Paving Document (NAfW 2001) notes that following devolution, Wales intended to take its own poli di e tio i o de to get the est fo Wales. Buildi g o a th ee-year mixed methods independent evaluation of the Foundation Phase we discuss in detail the aims and objectives of the Foundation Phase, including the context to its introduction, the theory, assumptions and evidence underlying its rationale, and its content and key inputs. We then contrast this with how the Foundation Phase was received by practitioners and parents, how it has been implemented in classrooms and non-maintained settings, and what discernible impact it has had on young hild e s edu atio al out o es. The pape o ludes ith a iti al a al sis of the poli p o ess and identifies a number of contextual issues during the inception of the Foundation Phase that has, it could be argued, constrained its development and subsequent impact. We argue that these constraints are associated with an educational policy landscape that was still in its infancy. In order fo futu e edu atio poli to get the est fo Wales a u e of i po ta t lesso s ust e learnt.

Overall, head teachers and funded nonmaintained leaders were generally satisfied with the trainin... more Overall, head teachers and funded nonmaintained leaders were generally satisfied with the training, support and guidance given, although when asked what they would most like to change about the Foundation Phase with hindsight, 'support materials' and 'training' were ranked highly in both cases. Case study observations revealed that teachers who reported completing more Foundation Phase training modules had a better understanding and more positive views of the Foundation Phase. With the exception of Year 1, 66% of all observed teachers and 100% funded non-maintained leaders reported completing all 8 Welsh Government Foundation Phase training modules.