Abstract Schools are increasingly positioned as key settings for promoting health behaviours and well‐being. Curriculum for Wales (CfW) represents major national reform of the Welsh education system, placing unprecedented focus on health and well‐being for learners in compulsory education (aged 3–16). Qualitative case studies across four schools in Wales explored staff perceptions of, and preparation for, roll out of CfW from September 2022. Interviews (n = 13) were conducted with a range of staff, including senior management, health and well‐being leads and newly qualified teachers. Thematic analysis was used to summarise data into five overarching themes: ‘reframing the system’; ‘operationalising the reform’; identifying ‘expectations for success’; ‘national level barriers and facilitators’; and ‘community and school‐level barriers and facilitators’. Findings highlighted ‘traditional’ pressures on schools to maintain high academic performance, which were at odds with a ‘holistic’ view of life‐long pupil development and health and well‐being encouraged by the reforms. Where ‘top‐down’ governance and professional culture were perceived to be leading factors influencing national implementation, support for partnership working was perceived to be a critical facilitator of delivery at the school level. Results suggest a need to support health and well‐being practice of schools across multiple levels of the system, to develop structures that enable professional development and effective partnership working, and equip schools with the appropriate resources to respond to a changing environment.

Abstract The role of field education for social work students is fundamental to linking students' theory to practice. Field education refers to the practical component of educational programmes where students gain hands‐on experience in their field of study. In Australia, field education is 1000 hours and is an essential part of social work training, allowing students to apply theoretical knowledge in real‐world settings under supervision. This practical experience is crucial for developing the skills and competencies required for professional practice. Integral to the success of the field education placement is the relationship between the student and their supervisor; however, challenges have been identified in the difficulty students face when commencing placement and developing these relationships. Recent advances in technology have afforded educators the opportunity to engage students in new ways to develop the skills and competencies they require for job readiness. This study used a four‐stage mixed‐method approach to conceptualise and design a suite of interactive animations (IA) in consultation with students, social work practitioners and animators to investigate how IA could impact work integrated learning (WIL) success. Mixed‐method data collected from 113 undergraduate and postgraduate social work students found that using IA supported students' understanding about field education relationships and engaged students in developing the ongoing practices that will support them into their future social work careers. The design features that were well regarded by students included interactive questions, self‐paced learning options and embedded hyperlinks. Conversely, the element that was less supported included the use of animal characters to represent diversity.

Abstract This article presents findings, from a case study with a cohort of third‐year undergraduate pre‐service teachers (PSTs) in Scotland, regarding their ideas about inclusion and curricular justice, as they concurrently encountered practice and theory. Dawson's three lenses, infrastructure access, literacies and community acceptance based on Fraser's understanding of social justice provided a useful theoretical framework, through which to understand the strength of PSTs' orientations towards inclusion. Analysing responses to an online questionnaire (n = 99) and interviews (n = 3) we discuss how these findings inform our practices as teacher educators, to strengthen future PSTs' orientations towards justice. Although there is evidence of a greater understanding of the barriers to inclusion in education, there is a tendency towards weaker interpretations of inclusion. This article argues that, in order to support PSTs to develop critically informed approaches to inclusive curriculum making, teacher educators need to further engage them in reflexive practices; productive pedagogical approaches and debates grounded in what Fraser called a distribution‐difference dilemma. The findings highlight the importance of critical reflection by teacher educators purporting to enact Social Justice Teacher Education.

Abstract Unlike Canada and South Africa, Australia has not completed a national Truth‐telling of First Nations histories. As a consequence, the curriculum is at risk of excluding Truth‐telling, leading to indoctrination of past injustices as part of school learning. Our analysis critically examines the use of Truth‐telling language in the Australian Curriculum—Version 9. Eighteen Truth‐telling terms were identified from a chapter on Truth‐telling in the 2018 Joint Select Committee on Constitutional Recognition relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples. Using Bernstein's strong and weak classification, instances of Truth‐telling terms were identified in the curriculum. There were three instances of Truth‐telling in the mandated Content Descriptors of discipline‐based learning areas. Only one of these instances was in the primary years. Across the weak classification where teaching was optional, there were 31 instances in the Content Elaborations, one instance in the Cross‐Curriculum Priority and no instances in the General Capabilities. And 16 of the 32 instances in the Content Elaborations were in secondary History which not all students study. With only weak classification of Truth‐telling, students will continue to be indoctrinated into an unconscious learning of bias and erasure of First Nations histories. One way to limit the settler colonial violence in the Australian Curriculum is to mandate more Truth‐telling to overcome what is perpetuating a Great Australian Silence.