Overview
Wales has a proud tradition of education and Swansea University has played its part since its foundation in 1920. Prominent educationalists such as Charles Gittins, dean of the faculty of education and later vice-principal, chaired the landmark report on primary education in 1967 that bears his name. In more recent times, Research Professor Gareth Elwyn Jones was key to securing the place of Welsh history and culture in the curriculum. Outside mainstream schooling, the University hosts the South Wales Miners' Library, which maintains the educational traditions of the old Miners' Institutes and Welfare Halls. Researching our educational past can offer insights into the origins and development of current education policies and practices in Wales at a time of considerable change. This Centre theme is a broad one, but the initial focus is on the experience of schooling, curriculum development, and the impact of inspection.