An Interview with Professor Graham Donaldson

We've got a very special treat for you this episode - an exclusive half hour interview with none other than Professor Graham Donaldson, author of the Successful Futures report in 2015 that made 68 recommendations for reform of the education system in Wales. His name is used as a shorthand for the new curriculum that was finally published in draft in the summer of 2019, and somehow, we're still not sure how, we managed to grab an extended interview with the man himself. In it, we discuss how the report came to be written, what it's like being the lightning-rod for endless Twitter debate, where our lovely student teachers fit into the picture, and - of course - how Professor Donaldson himself looks after his wellbeing.

The interview itself was recorded in a conference venue that was being packed away around us, so please forgive us for the background noise!

Huge thanks to Professor Donaldson for his generosity. Thanks also to the coffee shop employee who didn't throw us out when we turned our table into a temporary studio to record the opening and closing segments of this episode.

We'll be back for half term with something for the holidays. See you then!

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This episode was recorded at the Park Inn Hotel, Cardiff (and Starbucks, The Hayes, Cardiff!) on 3rd October 2019