This week I attended the North of England Education Conference in my role as Lib Dem county spokeperson for Children Young People & Families. Despite the conference’s name it was held in Cardiff! This is the third year running that I have attended what is the premier Education conference in the UK.

Although overall I felt this year’s conference was less good than the previous two, I nonetheless came away with some good ideas. In Wales they are introducing a completely new 4-7 play-based curriculum, moving away from formal learning in this foundation phase. This is a bold move, based on international best practice, and it will be interesting to see how it develops. I was also impressed with the rigour that the Welsh system demands in transition planning for pupils moving between primary and secondary schools. We could definitely learn from this.