Emma & Tom Talk Teaching All About Inspection with Julia Longville
There's a bonus episode 22 this year because we started our PGCE late, so we're finishing later than usual. And that means we've reached the final episode of season 3! In another pandemic-disrupted year, we've still managed to have a great time interviewing the great, the good and the knowledgable in the education world about their specialist subjects. Today we've managed to get the boss herself, Dean of Cardiff School of Education and Social Policy Julia Longville, to talk about a subject that can strike fear into the hearts of teachers up and down the land: inspection.
Julia worked for the Welsh education inspectorate, Estyn, in a past life, and has plenty to say about what inspectors are for, what they do, and how we should approach their inevitable appearance in our schools. There's lots of great advice for those who haven't had a brush with the inspectorate before, and although much of the conversation is focused on Estyn, we also touch on inspection more generally.
We also take a look at the way the relationship between Estyn and educators has evolved in the light of education reform in Wales, and look to the future of the inspectorate under a new curriculum.
STOP PRESS: Estyn got in touch with us just before this podcast came out to pass on their latest guidance on inspection for schools and PRUs. You can check it out here: Our new inspection arrangements for schools and PRUs | Estyn (gov.wales)
For our final set of short slots this season, Julia has some tips for us on the usual topics of wellbeing, something interesting and something to try.
And that's a wrap for the 2020-21 academic year! Thanks for being with us as we grappled with remote recording, al fresco podcasting and finally a joyful return to our beloved studio. We'll be in touch over the summer, and then return with more podcast goodness in September. Thanks for listening!
Best wishes from Emma and Tom
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Recorded in studio D0.12 at Cardiff Metropolitan University's Cyncoed Campus on 17th May 2021