Yr Athrofa: Professional Learning Partnership (referred to throughout this document as the APLP) was launched in 2018 to prepare the next generation of teachers ready for a new curriculum in Wales. The APLP combines the expertise of the school sector and all its practical, hands-on experience with the expertise of the higher education (HE) sector, from the understanding of careful research design and delivery to the highly-skilled art of teaching teachers and would-be teachers.

The geographic spread of the APLP’s component parts means that we look east and west and know rural and urban Wales. Proud of our heritage and the distinctive nature of the nation we serve, the APLP is unashamedly ambitious, drawing upon international best practice to inform our work at home and, vice versa, it is eager to share our expertise in both local and global classrooms.

The APLP model of initial teacher education (ITE) is transformative in essence. In our view, teachers who are transformative actively seek opportunities to gain new insights and use these to influence their own practice to enhance education in Wales and beyond.

A summary of the key features of the Partnership:

•   Student-teachers are placed in networks consisting of a Lead School and a number of Partner Schools;

•   Student-teachers will engage in a range of activities and experiences that support critical thinking and shared reflection and identification of next steps for development, e.g. bridging;

•   Assessment of Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) will be shared between the school-based teacher educator and the university-based teacher educator;

•   The governance of the APLP reflects joint ownership and accountability;

•   Networks are supported by a named University Tutor (Professional) and University Tutor

  (Curriculum).