Welsh Network of Inquiry and Innovation (WNOII)
Rhwydwaith Ymholi ac Arloesi Cymru (RYAC)
Connecting educators across Wales through inquiry, collaboration, and shared learning
The Welsh Network of Inquiry and Innovation, or WNOII, is a network for educators, school leaders, and partners across Wales who are interested in innovating and using inquiry to strengthen learning, leadership, and school improvement. WNOII is a partner network to the Networks of Inquiry and Indigenous Education (NOIIE), located in British Columbia, Canada, and co-directed by Drs. Judy Halbert and Linda Kaser, authors of Leading Through Spirals of Inquiry: For Equity and Quality.
WNOII is grounded in a simple belief: meaningful improvement grows when people have opportunities to connect, ask better questions, share practice, and learn from one another.
The questions bringing us together:
How do we make inquiry meaningful?
How do we create the conditions for honest reflection and shared learning?
How do we move from isolated good practice to connected, collective learning?
How do we support improvement in ways that are relational, evidence-informed, and grounded in the lived experiences of learners and staff?
WNOII has been created to offer a space for these questions, to learn together, share what we are noticing, and support one another in developing inquiry as a living practice.
Why the WNOII/RYAC
Wales is in the middle of profound educational and political change. The Curriculum for Wales reform and a children’s rights-based agenda ask more than implementation, they ask us to rethink what learning is for, who it is for, and how we build it together. That’s why a Welsh Network of Inquiry and Innovation (WNOII)/ Rhwydwaith Ymholi ac Arloesi Cymru (RYAC) matters. Inquiry is not a programme, it’s a stance that legitimises not knowing, centres learner voice, and makes inequity visible and discussable. It strengthens curiosity and critical thinking by pushing us beyond easy answers towards evidence, dialogue and moral courage. In a world shaped by political uncertainty and a growing sense of unfairness for children and young people in Wales, leading and educating through inquiry feels like an important step towards enacting the kind of learning our children in Wales need and deserve.
Who is WNOII for?
WNOII is for educators and partners across Wales who are curious about inquiry, innovation, and improvement.
This may include:
classroom teachers;
head teachers and senior leaders;
school improvement partners;
local authority or regional colleagues;
researchers and professional learning partners;
educators working in specialist, independent, community, or alternative settings;
anyone interested in learning more about inquiry as a way of improving experiences and outcomes for learners.
You do not need to be an expert in inquiry to participate in our free, monthly hosted events. You only need curiosity, openness, and a willingness to learn with others.
WNOII supports regular opportunities to explore what it means to lead improvement through curiosity, evidence, collaboration, and care.
We’d love for you to join us at the events below.
WNOII Events
Connected Conversations
What opportunities and tensions are emerging in schools implementing inquiry?
Explore a question, challenge, or problem of practice in a structured, supportive way through a Wise Crowds protocol.
Listen in or offer advice. It’s up to you.
These sessions are designed to help people think together and leave with new perspectives or possible next steps.
When:
October 7, 2026
December 2, 2026
February 3, 2027
April 7, 2027
May 5, 2027
Time: 3:45 - 4:15 PM Welsh Time
Register for free to receive a Zoom link.
Learning Bursts
Learning Bursts are designed as a quick burst of new learning, offering a window into inquiry work or innovation. These 5-minute pre-recorded videos are shared with the group, creating opportunities for others to ask questions and make connections to their own context.
These practice-focused sessions highlight what schools, teams, or educators are noticing, trying, and learning.
When:
November 4, 2026
January 6, 2027
March 4, 2027
Time: 3:45 - 4:15 PM Welsh Time
Register for free to receive a Zoom link.
Annual Learning Gathering
WNOII hosts an annual in-person learning gathering that brings together educators, school leaders, support staff, and partners from across Wales and abroad.
This gathering creates space to share inquiry stories, learn from emerging practice, deepen relationships, and explore how inquiry and innovation can support meaningful improvement across diverse Welsh settings.
The gathering is designed as a participatory learning space, with opportunities for dialogue, case sharing, collaborative problem-solving, and reflection. The goal is to strengthen the horizontal connections across schools and settings, while making visible the thoughtful, equity-centred work underway.
Save the date: TBA
More information to come.
Welcome from the WNOII team
We are delighted to be part of the development of the Welsh Network of Inquiry and Innovation.
Across Wales, there is so much thoughtful and committed practice taking place in schools and communities, but we do not always have enough spaces to connect that work. WNOII is an opportunity to create a more intentional space for educators to come together, share what they are learning, and support one another through inquiry.
We look forward to seeing how this network grows through the energy, generosity, and wisdom of the people who choose to be part of it. We invite you to join us.
Matt Burns
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Welsh-born educator and leader, Matt embodies the spirit of relational and inclusive education. Matt is the principal of Headlands residential school, an independent charity school in Wales. With experience of working in the UK and New Zealand/Aotearoa, he has cultivated a career that combines the relational principles of Dyadic Developmental Practice (DDP) with the richness of inquiry and indigenous pedagogies.
Matt’s journey through mainstream and specialist education has become increasingly guided by a profound respect for inquiry, holistic pedagogies, and indigenous wisdom that teaches us about dignity and belonging. This approach has helped transform the education and care he and his team lead, into a community of practice which prioritises belonging, connectedness, and quality.
Currently, Matt is pioneering the integration of DDP with inquiry-based methods and indigenous teachings. This work has been inspired by his affiliation with the Network of Inquiry and Indigenous Education (NOIIE) in British Columbia, where he is learning how organizations can work towards greater quality and equity. He is currently co-founding the Welsh Network of Inquiry and Innovation (WNOII)/ Rhwydwaith Ymholi ac Arloesi Cymru (RYAC), which aspires to bring these transformative practices to children and education and care practitioners in Wales.
Matt is completing doctoral research at Cardiff University on wellbeing in schools and is a member of the British Curriculum Forum (BCF) Steering Group, a British Education Research Association (BERA) body that connects curriculum research, policy and practice around curriculum issues.
Cat Place
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Dr Catherine Place is a highly effective and passionate systems leader with a relentless focus on learning and a deep commitment to creating the conditions in which both children and professionals can thrive. She brings extensive experience in school improvement, curriculum design, and the delivery of high-quality professional learning for school leaders. Her leadership is grounded in self-reflection, relational safety, and a strong belief in collaborative professionalism.
Cat grew up in Newport, where she lives with her daughter. She is the Headteacher of Jubilee Park Primary School, which she opened in 2017. Under her leadership, the school has become a nationally recognised learning organisation, shaped by its bespoke ‘Thrive Curriculum’ - a model rooted in the Curriculum for Wales that prepares children to thrive in a transforming world.
With over 20 years of experience in senior leadership, Cat leads with an inquiry mindset and is committed to igniting a passion for learning. She has contributed extensively to national education reform; serving on Welsh Government advisory groups for assessment, curriculum, and digital learning and currently as a member of the Ministerial Headteacher Advisory Group. She regularly supports educators across Wales and has just completed a Doctorate in Education, researching the inter-relationship between organisational culture, collaboration, and teacher wellbeing through narrative inquiry.
Rosa Fazio
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Rosa Fazio is an educational consultant and former school leader. She has a close affinity with the Network of Inquiry and Indigenous Education and has served as a network leader for over a decade, supporting educators and school communities to use inquiry as a disciplined, relational, and equity-centred approach to professional learning and improvement.
Her doctoral research explores how leadership design mobilizes educators toward collective action and sustained, equity-centred improvement. Rosa designs immersive professional learning grounded in inquiry, helping schools align pedagogy, culture, relationships, and space to strengthen relational trust, educator agency, and equitable outcomes for learners.
Rosa’s current work includes a growing connection to Wales, where she has supported school leaders and staff in using inquiry as a structure for professional learning, coherence, and collective action. Through this work, she is helping to shape the emerging Welsh Network of Inquiry and Innovation, inspired by the principles of inquiry, collaboration, and locally responsive improvement. The network is designed to create meaningful opportunities for Welsh educators to learn with and from one another as they explore what becomes possible when relationships, evidence, and shared purpose are brought together in service of young people.