Moving the Discourse from Problems to Possibilities: Contributing to a National ITE Strategy for Wales

Drawing on interviews with eighty participants across six Initial Teacher Education (ITE) partnerships in Wales, this report synthesises key strengths and future aspirations identified through an appreciative inquiry approach. Teacher educators, school partners, ITE leaders and student teachers from across Wales actively contributed insights that form the foundation of this report.

Through the inquiry process, participants articulated the significant progress ITE partnerships in Wales have made in developing authentic collaborative approaches that provide high-quality teacher education. Strong foundations in partnership working, student support, theory-practice integration and responsive programme design are identified as key strengths. The integration of research and enquiry within programme design is a distinctive feature of ITE in Wales, providing a robust platform for future development.

Partnerships demonstrate clear vision for building on these strengths while making targeted improvements to enhance effectiveness and sustainability. They aspire to deepen practice in several interconnected areas: practitioners’ engagement with research, professional learning beyond initial qualification, and implementation of educational reforms in Wales. Across these areas, participants emphasised the affordances of authentic partnership working, effective communication channels, growing mentorship capacity, and experience in promoting research-informed approaches in diverse school settings.

The reconfiguration of ITE in Wales has created new collaborative capabilities to serve evolving system needs. However, sustained attention and investment is required in key areas including recognition of mentoring as a strategic professional role and the development of sustainable funding models for partnership activities. As partnerships evolve, attention turns to expanding impact through wider professional learning while maintaining the core purpose of developing high-quality new teachers for the national school system.

ITE partnerships are well-positioned to enhance professional learning opportunities from the early career phase, building on their existing relationships, and curriculum and pedagogical expertise. Their ambitions align with wider policy priorities around career-long professional learning and building system capacity, reflecting the commitment of ITE partnerships to realising the national vision for a high-quality teaching profession.