Qualifications Reform Wales Digital Conference 

Ian joined WJEC in 2002. As Chief Executive, he provides overall strategic leadership for the company, working closely with the WJEC Board of Directors. He is also a member of the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) Board and represents WJEC in a range of external settings.

When he joined WJEC, Ian was initially appointed as Deputy Director for the National Grid for Learning project, before becoming Assistant Director for IT Service Management and Collaboration.

Prior to joining WJEC, Ian was Education IT Manager for a local authority, where he was responsible for the strategic development and implementation of technology that supported both administration and more importantly, teaching and learning.

Richard joined WJEC in 2013, and in 2015 was promoted to Assistant Director (Standards, Processing & Research). Richard was appointed the role of Director of Qualifications and Assessment in January 2023 and oversees our qualification design, assessment development and the delivery of each examination series.

Richard is also WJEC’s Responsible Officer, being the lead contact between us and our regulators in Wales, England and Northern Ireland.

Prior to joining WJEC, Richard worked as a senior researcher at Sport Wales, working on a range of research projects focused on increasing children and adults’ participation in sport and physical activity. He also chaired the Sport Wales Advisory Group between 2015 and 2017, advising the organisation’s board on innovation and future trends. In addition to his career progression, in 2022 Richard achieved a Distinction for his Master’s in Educational Assessment from the University of Oxford.

Rachel led WJEC’s Psychology qualification as Subject Officer, before joining WJEC’s Qualification Team in 2020. Rachel taught in Secondary and FE for 18 years. She has just gained her Postgraduate Advanced Certificate in Educational Studies: Educational Assessment, with the University of Cambridge and has extensive experience in qualification development, having played a key role in the creation of WJEC’s new Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales qualification.

Nina led the ICT and Business department at Coedcae School, Llanelli for 17 years.  She is experienced in qualifications, with roles as Principal Examiner for OCR from 2008 to 2018 and WJEC from 2018 to 2023, where she designed assessments and led the assessment process.  Nina has written several exam board endorsed educational books for a major publishing house.  While studying a Masters in Education, Nina specialised in research into assessment.

Elin Wakeham is the headteacher of Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Bryn y Môr in Swansea. Elin has been teaching since 1996 and has held a range of roles as part of her leadership journey towards headship. She is passionate about and enjoys exploring and understanding curriculum design and the importance of leadership in the design process. Within her own school, curriculum design has been described as innovative and masterful, and she shares her curriculum design journey with other head teachers and leaders through presentations and working with other schools. She leads and works very closely with the cluster schools as part of this process.  Currently, Elin has been seconded to the School Improvement Team as a school improvement advisor within the Local Authority.  She also works as a peer inspector with ESTYN

Mary Richardson is Professor of Educational Assessment at the Institute of Education (IOE), UCL. She teaches modules on assessment theory and practice for Masters students and supervises doctoral students whose work relates to a range of aspects of assessment.  She is currently focusing her research on how assessment shapes learners and is developing a theory of assessment dysmorphia: how testing negatively impacts realistic perceptions of learner identity. Mary combines sociology, philosophy and now, some psychology in her work to explore assessment from many angles. Nationally, she provides expert guidance to Qualifications Wales, AQA Examinations Board, NCFE and is a specialist convenor (Assessment) for the British Educational Research Association.  Mary is currently busy co-authoring the TIMSS Trends in Mathematics and Science Survey 2023 for England.

Dr. Alma Harris, FAcSS, FLSW, FRSA, is Professor of Leadership in Education at Cardiff Metropolitan University where she is co-director of the Centre for International Research into Leadership in Education (CIRLE)[1] at the ‘Cardiff School of Education and Social Policy’. Professor Harris has been an International Council Education Adviser (ICEA) to the First Minister of Scotland and the Cabinet Secretary for Education since 2016. Professor Harris is serving her second term of office as an elected member of the Council of the Learned Society Wales (LSW). She was a member of the team that undertook the ’Independent Review of the Arrangements to Award General Qualifications in Summer 2020’. She also led the ‘Independent Review of Leadership in Wales’ in 2021. She is an honorary professor at the University of Glasgow. She is the co-editor of the journal ‘School Leadership and Management’. Most importantly, she remains committed to all learners and all the dedicated professionals who educate and support them.

[1] Research Centre for International Research into Leadership in Education (CIRLE) (cardiffmet.ac.uk)

I am currently an acting Headteacher at St Julian’s School in Newport, having held the post of Assistant Headteacher for eight years and Deputy headteacher for three years at the school before this point. In this time, I have lead on learning and teaching, curriculum design and implementation, leadership development and school improvement.

The school has been on an improvement journey and has gone from being placed into special measures for a number of years to coming out and now providing Estyn case studies on the school’s highly effective practice. These focus on school improvement and the development of  learning and teaching. 

Dr. Stephen Atherton, Senior Lecturer in Education at Aberystwyth University, has developed a diverse research portfolio in educational studies. His initial scholarly pursuits centred on military education, gender identity, and educational assessment. Over the past five years, Dr. Atherton’s research focus has evolved to examine the integration of emerging technologies in pedagogical practices. As a member of the Wales Collaborative for Learning Design (WCLD), a Welsh Government-funded initiative, he contributes to advancing educational technology implementation. The WCLD aims to equip educators with innovative tools such as 360-degree Virtual Reality, Green Screen technology, and Generative AI for classroom application. Dr. Atherton’s work exemplifies the synergy between theoretical educational research and practical technological integration, fostering more dynamic learning environments. His evolving research interests reflect a commitment to enhancing educational practices in an increasingly digital academic landscape.

Emily has worked Menai Science Park since 2013. Originally from Caernarfon, Emily graduated from Bangor University’s school of Psychology in 2009. She worked across Wales as a research project support officer, developing Welsh language measuring tools for young children. Emily believes strongly in ensuring there is a space for women in Science and Technology, and in providing services for young people in Wales to start their own businesses. Emily’s work at M-SParc involves supporting the marketing, events, outreach (including taking M-SParc #OnTour across Conwy and Gwynedd), and leading on the STEM and Skills work.  She has experience of managing projects up to £1.5M in value.