So before we get into the meat of the podcast today, would you be able to tell our listeners from your extensive background in education, what do you feel will be the most useful experiences that you've had in preparation for this job?

I think.

that I draw probably on a little of everything that I have learned and experienced and all the roles that I have undertaken from director of NHT and before that as well interested in education policy more broadly and since then I've worked for a local authority for an education charity and then also for a university so it's a a journey that has enabled me to become familiar with all aspects of the education system from the very early years uh to university and i think i bring that appreciation as well of having seen uh close up exactly what happens in our school our schools colleges and universities the commitment of the people who are engaged in that Crucial work.

I've always said that teaching, I think, is the most important job of all.

And I've seen how that works at a local school level, what the level of commitment that is required, the level of expertise and also the growing complexity of the role, particularly, I think, post-COVID and the way that our system, particularly in Wales, has responded to the level of reform in our system Because over the past, say, 10 years, every part of the system has been subject to significant change.

And the workforce has responded to that, I think, magnificently and then had to deal with the challenges of Covid, which were really profound.

And I think we're still understanding as a society more broadly what that did.

What actions are you going to take moving forward to ensure that all of that skill, all of that experience of those more experienced teachers currently in the system is actually retained? I