
CEPRA (Centre for Education Policy Review and Analysis) is currently involved in a number of projects, including:
- International, pan-university study into co-operative learning and inclusion
- Global Leadership Programme in Wales
- Research supporting the National Approach to Professional Learning
- Accountability in education
- Developing cycles of inquiry in schools
- Developing new understandings of learner progression (Camau i’r Dyfodol)
A number of events are planned for the coming months and will be promoted here as they are confirmed.
- Spring 2023 – Education in Wales: A policy perspective
- Summer 2023 – A clear line of sight? Developing a new approach to post-compulsory education.
Contributions to CEPRA are drawn from staff from across Yr Athrofa: Institute of Education and result in a number of different outputs, relating to a variety of disciplines.
CEPRA also has representation on a range of international advisory groups and panels, including:
- International Education Assessment Network (IEAN)
- International Teacher Education Research Collective (ITERC)
- International Professional Development Association (IPDA)
- European Early Childhood Education Research Association (EECERA)
- Universities Council for Education of Teachers (UCET)

Research
- October 2020: The value of asymmetric school weeks: Lessons learned from schools in Wales (National Academy for Educational Leadership Wales)
- September 2019: Going global: Teaching outside of the box. Comparing education in Wales and the Netherlands (British Council Wales)
- May 2019: Research project on teacher professional enquiry in Wales (Welsh Government)
- October 2018: Strategic context of professional learning in Wales (Welsh Government)
- October 2018: Collaborative networks of professional learning in Wales – literature review (Welsh Government)
- October 2018: Collaborative networks of professional learning in Wales – focus groups (Welsh Government)
Blogs
- June 2022: My journey towards becoming anti-racist educator in Wales (Lilian Martin)
Published by: Diversity and Anti-Racist Professional Learning (DARPL)
- March 2022: Developing practice through collaboration – recognising the crucial role of mentors in teacher education (Laurence Thomas)
Published by: Yr Athrofa: Institute of Education
- March 2021: Smiley faces and thumbs-up: Teacher Education’s response to the work of PGCE student reps in the pandemic (Elaine Sharpling, Julia Holloway, Gabriella Blenkinsop)
Published by: Yr Athrofa: Institute of Education
- June 2020: School’s out? (Gareth Evans)
Published by: Institute of Welsh Affairs (IWA)
- March 2020: ‘Red stripes’ – how do we support student-teachers through a journey of reform? (Elaine Sharpling)
Published by: Yr Athrofa: Institute of Education
- December 2019: Points mean prizes in PISA’s education rankings rat race (Gareth Evans)
Published by: Institute of Welsh Affairs (IWA)
- November 2019: A liberated curriculum risks entrenching inequality (Gareth Evans)
Published by: Institute of Welsh Affairs (IWA)
- April 2019: A rising tide lifts all boats – using Wales’ new national curriculum to reduce the attainment gap (Elaine Sharpling)
Published by: Yr Athrofa: Institute of Education
- April 2019: Have your say on Wales’ new national curriculum – managing expectation and a place for essential knowledge (Gareth Evans)
Published by: Institute of Welsh Affairs (IWA)
- February 2019: An innovative curriculum led by transformative teachers – developing an education system fit for the 21st Century (Dylan E. Jones)
Published by: Yr Athrofa: Institute of Education
- February 2019: A curriculum belonging to the people of Wales – grasping the opportunity to revitalise Welsh education (Mererid Hopwood)
Published by: Yr Athrofa: Institute of Education
- January 2019: Melting snowflakes for a new era in education – a pragmatic approach to teacher education (Elaine Sharpling)
Published by: Yr Athrofa: Institute of Education
- July 2018: Afraid to be brilliant? – Changing the mindset of teachers in Wales (Gareth Evans)
Published by: Education Workforce Council (EWC)
Journal articles
- Evans, G., Llewellyn, S. & Lewabe, J. 2022. Towards a research-engaged teaching profession: insider reflections on a collaborative approach to developing teachers in Wales as professional enquirers. Practice: Contemporary Issues in Practitioner Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/25783858.2022.2109987
- Rekers, A. & Waters-Davies, J. 2021. Chapter 9: ‘All of the Wild’: Cultural Formation in Wales Through Outdoor Play at Forest School. pp.145-160, In: Grindheim, L.T., Hanne Værum Sørensen, H.V. & Angela Rekers, A. [Eds] Outdoor Learning and Play: Pedagogical Practices and Children’s Cultural Formation. Switzerland: Springer. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-72595-2
- Evans, G., 2021. Back to the future? Reflections on three phases of education policy reform in Wales and their implications for teachers. Journal of educational change. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10833-021-09422-6
- Waters, J. & MacDonald, N. 2020. Exploring the use of a rating scale to support professional learning in early years pre-school staff: the experience of one local authority in Wales, Early Years: an international research journal. https://doi.org/10.1080/09575146.2020.1742666
- Tinney, G., MacDonald, N., Waters, J. & Gealy, A-M. 2020. A socio-constructivist approach to developing a professional learning intervention for early childhood education and care practitioners in Wales, Professional Development in Education https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2020.1742187