USCET (Cymru)
Chair: Sarah Stewart (Open University); Vice-Chair: Lisa Taylor (University of South Wales)
The Universities and Schools Council for the Education of Teachers (USCET) was formed in the summer of 2016 following the decision by the Welsh Government, which was supported by USCET’s predecessor organisation UCET Cymru, to accredit partnerships of universities and schools as providers of initial teacher education and training. The terms of reference for USCET are in the process of being finalised and will be posted here soon. The current chair of USCET is Elaine Sharpling (University of Wales, Trinity St. Davids).
USCET will meet three times a year to discuss the full range of issues relating to teacher education and teacher supply in Wales, and will engage in collaborative dialogue with colleagues from the Welsh Government, Estyn, the Education Workforce Council, HEFCW and others. USCET is part of UCET and is serviced by UCET staff.
Chair
Sarah Stewart (BA Hons; PGCE with QTS; MA Education; FHEA) is a Senior Lecturer at The Open University in the School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport. She has worked in Higher Education (HE) for over ten years, developing a wide expertise across phases and sectors and drawing on a multi-disciplinary approach to her work. She has a particular interest in supporting initial teacher education and teacher education for practising teachers. As founding Chair of the OU ITE Partnership Committee, Sarah established the new Partnership leading to the initial regulatory accreditation of the OU routes into teaching in 2019, contributing her expertise in providing university-based alternative, pioneering forms of initial teacher education, including employment-based routes.