🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿A significant shift in Welsh education policy this week. After resisting for 20 years, the Welsh government now says systematic synthetic phonics (SSP) should be a key part of teaching children to read & pupils should not be guided to guess words from pictures or context.

I’ve written about reading again (sorry). There’s another sobering report on poor literacy in Welsh schools today. But how can a country get to grips with a problem if it has no reliable data on how bad things actually are? www.itv.com/news/2026-02...

1/ You may remember our @ITVNews reporting on reading standards in Welsh schools, including the resignation of literacy expert Elizabeth Nonweiler from a Welsh Government panel. Tomorrow, the Senedd’s CYPE committee will discuss the letter she wrote explaining why she stepped down.

No words after that. I love this team #wrexham #limbs

Went to Clyne Tip early this morning. Was reminded once again why it's one of the finest places in Swansea/Gower (as argued here by Adrian Chiles). Beautifully efficient. Angel Rangel was there recycling a substantial amount of cardboard. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Not sure I could ever get on board with "hacking my gut" - sounds awful... "I spent months trying to find out if hacking my gut health could help me age better" www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Busy first week back. Say what you like about my dress sense but you can’t say I don’t get around the patch 🧤🧣

I’ve had to drive up the heads of the valleys road from Swansea to Abergavenny three times this last week. Since the road was finished it has genuinely become one of the greatest joys of my life. It’s turned a 90 minute plus journey into around an hour.

At Edgar Street. Last time I was here Gareth Evans skied the ball into the stands and I caught it. Someone shouted sign him up and I was thrilled. Dad was with me, Mum visited Hereford Cathedral. We lost 2-0 but survived that season #wrexham

Back in work today after a great stint of paternity leave. With 2 under 2 in the house (+a recent house move), “refreshed” may be the wrong word...but I’m looking forward to getting stuck back in! Catching up on emails and messages over the next few days - do drop me a line if we need to catch up.

Wales' schools watchdog has announced today it will have a three year "enhanced focus on reading" from September 2026. Read more here: estyn.gov.wales/reading-for-...

The latest episode of the Impact Podcast is out now. Episode 211 - "Why I quit". Literacy Expert Panel Member, Elizabeth Nonweiler speaks out about why she has resigned from the Welsh Government panel & what's going wrong. Listen here: open.spotify.com/show/778EJMB...

That was incredible. I wish we could have seen how Alan managed to persuade them.

What does an email sent in error by Wales' schools inspectorate tell us about how it believes reading should be taught? 👇 www.itv.com/news/2025-11...

🚨 UPDATE - Dog attack Gwent Police have confirmed the dog involved in the attack that killed a 9 month old baby has been put down. Officers say enquiries to confirm the breed are ongoing. No arrests have been made, and the family are being supported by specialist officers.

Exclusive: A member of the Welsh Government’s expert literacy panel has resigned, warning the new £8.2m national programme to improve reading is “flawed” and “not fit for purpose”. Full story below 🧵 1/

If you've appetite for more Caerphilly content - then there's more coming up shortly on @itvnews.bsky.social

“In what the polls show is a growing contest between Plaid Cymru and Reform to wrestle control of Wales away from Labour, Plaid has landed the first punch.” 👇👇 www.itv.com/news/2025-10...

This is excellent reporting from Rhys on the sorry state of reading standards & guidance for schools in Wales. It clearly shows Welsh Government saying one thing but doing another 😡 whilst children are being failed.

Every parent in Wales should be interested in and alarmed by this report from @rhyswilliamsnews.bsky.social. Literacy rates among Welsh children should be a far bigger scandal than it is - and with some fixes so readily at hand (phonics work!) it’s a needless crisis www.itv.com/news/2024-09...

On News At Ten tonight on ITV a report from Caerphilly as voters prepare to go to the polls in what could be an historic Senedd by-election.

Report from Swansea today as Rhun ap Iorwerth tells Plaid Cymru Conference says his party stands ready to “replace” Labour in leading the next Welsh Government 👇 www.itv.com/news/2025-10...

1/ This week the Welsh government announced £8m of funding for a national centre of excellence for literacy teaching - but a year since we raised concerns over reading provision in early reading it's not clear how much has changed in practice👇 www.bangor.ac.uk/news/2025-10...

1/4 Gwlad, an independent Welsh rugby forum, has published the results of a survey of 1,279 fans on the WRU’s consultation. It found that 92% of respondents felt the WRU was not doing a good job in running the game. gwladrugby.wordpress.com

Too good not to share! Really special to see my 97 yo grandad honoured this weekend for 60 years of unbroken service for Swansea Male Choir. He’s been a stalwart in the second tenors since my mum was born and still rehearses twice a week in the hall he built for the choir 👏🏻🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

The Home Secretary was in Cardiff today to announce the expansion of live facial recognition technology. Is big brother watching you, or your police force protecting you? Opinions are split - more on ITV News soon

Such is the varied life of a reporter in August I'll have some Taylor Swift business on @itvnews shortly

I've been reading this study about Curriculum for Wales. www.gov.wales/sites/defaul...

How much would this gaff set me back do you reckon?

I’m at Caernarfon Crown Court where Dean Mears has just been found guilty of the brutal murder of defenceless pensioner Cathy Flynn in Rhyl. More on @itvnews this evening 'I was hysterical, it just plays over and over': Daughter witnessed mum's murder on doorbell camera www.itv.com/news/2025-05...

There is hope for the young after all

An unexpected stay in Montgomery tonight led to a poignant evening at the town’s war memorial, where a beacon was lit at 21:30 to mark #VEDay

New @ITVWales poll puts Labour in THIRD in Wales, behind Plaid Cymru and Reform UK. If Labour don’t win next year’s Welsh elections, it’ll be first time they’ve not won an election there since 1922. 🟢PLAID 30 🌐REFORM 25 🔴LABOUR 18 🔵CONSERVATIVES 13 🟡LIB DEMS 7 🟢GREEN 5

Devastated not be at the Cae Ras tonight 🥲 Whatever the result, the atmosphere will be special 🔴 Fingers crossed for an historic occasion 🤞🏻 Ymlaen Wrecsam! #COYR

Great atmosphere and great win for Cardiff at the Arms Park tonight #CARvMUN

What's happened to the Ospreys attack in the last few weeks? So much time in the oppo 22 with so little to show for it. #OSPvCAR #JudgmentDay

Missed unit day :( Need to log on more

One of the world's biggest classical music stars, Katherine Jenkins, has told ITV News that Wales could lose a generation of performers if cuts to musical institutions and declining participation aren't addressed. More on the ITV Evening News shortly🎵🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Devastating piece. Great reporting.

Bach (h) tomorrow night at St Mary's Church, Swansea City Centre. Looking forward to performing probably the greatest work of art ever produced (JS Bach's B Minor Mass) with the Swansea Bach Choir. You can buy tickets at the link below 👍 eventbrite.co.uk/e/mass-in-b-...

Labour's first minister Eluned Morgan has criticised her party's Welsh Secretary Jo Stevens for saying she supported cuts to disability and sickness benefit

Very high tide at Langland Bay this morning was

Spins my bonce that people say classical music is elitist. £20 for front row seats with mum to watch a world leading violinist play one of the best violin concertos ever written (Max Bruch). Within walking distance of my house too…compare that with what I’d have to fork out for Oasis in Cardiff 😱

Heathrow Airport fire: What went wrong? ITV News Science Correspondent Martin Stew looks at how the fire started, why wasn’t there a better power backup and how long will it take to recover? www.itv.com/news/2025-03...

Hapus iawn bod ein gwaith ar ddarllen mewn ysgolion Cymru wedi ei enwebu ar gyfer gwobr RTS Cymru Very happy that our work on the way reading is taught has been nominated for an RTS Cymru award - especially alongside some excellent work by @gwynloader.bsky.social, Rhodri Llywelyn and Lucy Owen

PSA to anyone who, like me, stupidly resisted downloading the Wales Online app for so long. Downloading it a few months ago has genuinely changed my life. Now I can actually read some of the great journalism unmolested by pop ups and adverts :)

Nice live shot you have there. Would be a shame to shove a gormless mug in front of it

The @impactwales.bsky.social podcast discussed the recent comments made by HMCI on reading on their podcast today 👇

This joke deserves more appreciation