We are a multidisciplinary team of scientists, teachers, school leaders who have spent over a decade developing and delivering language and literacy programmes, professional learning, and assessment tools.
Our collective work includes:
- The Research Informed Literacy with Language (RILL)
- The Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI)
- The Developing and Evaluating Mainstream Spelling Instruction (DEMSI) project
We bring together expertise in Welsh and English to ensure that CAL:ON’s materials are linguistically and culturally appropriate for Wales, while remaining firmly aligned with the international evidence base.
LEADERSHIP
Manon is Director of the Miles Dyslexia Centre within the School of Psychology at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³». Her work spans foundational science questions examined via cognitive neuroscience of reading and bilingualism, to applied, large-scale reading intervention in school settings. She also works on professional learning and guidance for educators.
Cameron is a Lecturer at the Department of Education, University of York and an Associate of the Miles Dyslexia Centre, Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³». His research expertise is in spelling development, the large-scale implementation and evaluation of literacy interventions in schools, and the design and evaluation of professional learning for educators in mainstream classrooms.
TEAM
Afsaneh Alizadeh-Alamdari
Afsaneh works on the English RILL project. Afsaneh is a third-year undergraduate student of Psychology with Neuropsychology. She has over 25 years' experience of working in senior leadership roles in Health and Social Care sector, supporting people with mental health challenges, global learning and intellectual disabilities, and autism, in the community.
Joanna Archibald
Jo currently works on developing engaging professional learning content and on developing bilingual Read to Learn programme. Jo brings to the project twenty years of teaching experience. Having recently worked on a large-scale education and psychology randomised control trial with the University of Oxford, her experience brings together the worlds of education and research.
Nerys Blackshaw
Nerys provides administrative support across all areas of CAL:ON, helping to ensure the project runs smoothly and efficiently. She has several years’ experience working within the Finance Department at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³», where she provided administrative and operational support.
Dr. Astrid Bowen
Astrid coordinates the development of the professional learning materials. Astrid is a former teacher, and her research expertise is in educational evaluation and evidence-informed practices in the classroom.
Dr. Bethan Collins
Bethan has recently finished a PhD in Bilingualism at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³», researching literacy and Executive Function development in bilingual primary school children. Her research focusses on the beneficial effects of bilingualism for literacy and cognitive development throughout childhood. She is currently working on the Read to Learn and Darllen i Ddysgu packages bilingually.
Estelle Crossley
Estelle currently works on developing the online digital professional learning content. Estelle recently completed an MSc in Psychology in Education and has experience supporting large-scale educational research projects. Her work focuses on promoting inclusive and evidence-based practice in education.
Medi Davies
Medi works on developing Welsh language assessment measures. She previously worked on the RILL project in 2025. Medi has a BA in Welsh and Drama and postgraduate certificate in Education. She has twenty years' experience working as a primary school teacher with children aged from 4-11 years old.
Carly DeLuca
Carly has been with the RILL project team for the past three years. She worked on various aspects of the previous development and evaluations of RILL, including material creation, data collection, and data processing. Carly has a BSc in Clinical and Health Psychology as well as an MSc in Neuroimaging from Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³».
Dr. Kayleigh Doyle
Kayleigh’s work focuses on the assessment of language and literacy skills in primary and secondary schools. She has wide-ranging professional experience across educational contexts in student-facing and administrative roles, and has worked closely and collaboratively with school leaders, educators and children and young people on research projects ranging from small-scale ethnographic studies to large-scale school-based efficacy trials.
Dr Gwennant Mai Evans-Jones
Gwennant is currently coordinating the development of the Welsh RILL and OxEd Whole Class materials, as well as Welsh assessments. She has been part of the team since 2020, leading the development of RILL materials and coordinating evaluation studies. She holds a BSc in Psychology with Child and Language Development, an MSc in Psychological Research, and a PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience. Alongside her research work, she has practical experience in primary education, having provided one-to-one support for children with additional learning needs across three primary schools.
Becca Henderson
Becca provides all things administrative for the CAL:ON. She has worked for several years supporting patient research and ethics in the School of Psychology at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» and has previously been the administrator on the RILL project.
James Hodgetts
James currently leads the work package focussing on Language and Literacy Interventions. He has worked on the evaluation of RILL for the past two years. He has a BSc in Sport and Exercise Psychology, an MSc in Forensic Psychology and is currently completing his PhD in Psychophysiology, assessing predictors of biofeedback interventions.
Mabli Hughes
Mabli is a third-year undergraduate in Psychology with Forensic Psychology at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³». She works on the RILL project.
Eleri Jones
Eleri is a recently retired secondary school teacher working on Read to Learn (Welsh version). After graduating with a BA in Welsh and completing her PGCE, she worked in various roles in five secondary schools over her 35-year career. Her most recent role as Additional Learning Needs Coordinator included responsibility for reading interventions. In previous roles she has been responsible for literacy across the curriculum. Eleri has also been involved in the development of reading assessments and the creation of teaching and learning resources.
Lowri Jones
Lowri is a third-year psychology student. She has been involved in the RILL project since 2025.
Caroline Korell
Caroline currently works on developing and editing the professional learning materials. Caroline’s work focuses on early language development, implementation of evidence-based interventions, and knowledge exchange with Early Years practitioners. She has extensive experience managing large-scale RCTs and professional learning programmes for educators.
Sarah Loader
Sarah is a literacy consultant and a reading and language-acquisition specialist. She is currently leading on the development of Read to Learn. Her portfolio includes research and training on literacy strategy and implementation, as well as writing core and intervention reading resources across the primary and secondary sectors.
Gwenan Mair Lockley
Gwenan is a former deputy head teacher and a language, literacy and communication lead primary sector teacher with over twenty years’ experience. While working in bilingual and multilingual schools in Ceredigion, Conwy and Gwynedd, she also worked as a literacy mentor for a Local Education Authority in Wales. She is currently leading on the development of the Welsh medium 'Read to Learn.’Gwenan has a B.Mus degree and postgraduate certificate in Education from Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³».
Bethan Oliver
Bethan is an undergraduate psychology student doing a placement year assisting with work on RILL before she goes to do the final year of her degree. She has lived in Wales her whole life and has around 5 years of experience working and volunteering with children’s education.
Madeleine Ornsby
Madeleine is currently working on the English RILL project. She is a final-year undergraduate Psychology student at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³». She has worked aspects of previous RILL iterations.
Ceri Owens
Ceri is a seconded primary school teacher based in North Wales, who works with children aged 3–11. She is assisting with the development of the professional learning materials and the comprehension screen.
Mererid Owen
Mererid is a primary school teacher on secondment. She is working on the Welsh language versions of OxEd Whole Class and RILL Whole Class. She has over thirty years of experience working with children between the ages of 4-11. She has a BA in Welsh Literature and has been a literacy co-ordinator at three different schools during her career.
During 2022-23 she worked as a RILL Cymraeg Tutor at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³», helping to develop resources and whole class lessons, conducting training sessions and testing children in the randomised control trial process.
Ferrida Ponce
Ferrida currently helps deliver language and literacy interventions. She has been part of the large-scale data collection and analysis for previous iterations of the RILL Project. Ferrida has a BSc in Psychology, a MSc in Neuroimaging and is currently completing her PhD on environmental factors and their impact on brain function.
Haf Edda Roberts
Haf is currently working on the Welsh RILL project. She has a degree in Psychology with Neuropsychology from Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» and five years’ experience working in educational settings.
Josie Ryan
Josie is the Communications Officer for CAL:ON Cymru and a professional copywriter. She began her career teaching English language and later moved into researching and lecturing in Linguistics at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³», specialising in Cognitive Linguistics and discourse analysis.
Dr. Cadi Sion
Cadi works on the delivery of language and literacy interventions. She has an LLB in Law and an MA in Bilingualism, Cadi recently completed a PhD in Education. Her doctoral research evaluated pedagogical approaches and translanguaging practices in secondary schools, with a particular focus on inclusive bilingual classroom strategies.
Dr. Joseph Smith
Joseph is the Centre Manager for CAL:ON Cymru. He is a postdoctoral researcher who has been working with Professor Jones since 2023. After finishing his PhD, which spanned multiple experimental projects investigating clinical trial reliability of MR measures and neurophysiology, Joseph became Operations Manager in Professor Jones’s lab. He now helps lead and manage all projects under the CAL:ON Cymru banner.
Rhian Tomos
Rhian is a lecturer in Childhood and Youth Studies at the School of Education at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³» and is the Employability Lead for the school. Rhian is a former French and Welsh secondary school teacher and has worked as a children's book editor and a Welsh for Adults tutor. An alumni of Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³», she has a BA degree in Welsh, as well as a Master by Research qualification in Education and a PGCE in Secondary Education (Welsh and Music). Rhian is a member of the Welsh Advisory Group for CAL:ON.
Gwynne Vaughn
Gwynne is currently working with the CAL:ON Cymru Literacy team. He has a BSC(Econ) in Economics, PCGE and NPQH. He has 34 years of experience working with children aged between 4-11 in various schools. Gwynne was a Headteacher for eighteen years.
Dr. Richard Watkins
Richard is currently leading on local authority and school engagement for CAL:ON Cymru. He is principal Lecturer in Research and Enquiry in Schools in the Department of Education and Childhood at Wrexham University and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³». Richard’s work and research interests focus on the application of evidence-based teaching strategies in schools and teachers' use of research and enquiry to improve outcomes for learners. He is also an Honorary Associate Professor at the School of Education, Communication and Learning Sciences at the University of Warwick.
Nia Williams
Nia has a B.Ed honours degree and worked as a primary school teacher in Gwynedd for 18 years, teaching children aged 3 to 8. She then spent 16 years with the Flying Start programme in Gwynedd, initially as an Advisory Teacher supporting high-quality childcare for 2- to 3-year-olds across childcare settings in disadvantaged areas. She was later appointed as a Senior Flying Start Advisory Teacher. Nia retired in December 2023 and has since worked part-time as a supply teacher in Gwynedd.Nia is now assisting with the professional learning materials for the RILL project as an Education and Welsh Language advisor.
Rhiannon Wyn Salisbury
Rhiannon is a part-time Welsh Language Support teacher in Ceredigion, currently assisting with Professional Learning. She is a former deputy head teacher, ALNCo and Language, Literacy and Communication Lead, with over 20 years’ experience of working across the primary age range, in both bilingual and multi-language schools. Rhiannon has a BA Welsh and Education Joint Honours Degree and a Postgraduate Certificate in Education from Aberystwyth University. She is also a published author
PROJECT PARTNERS
Professor Charles Hulme FBA
Charles Hulme is Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Education at the University of Oxford, and founder and CEO of the University of Oxford spinout company, OxEd Ltd.
His work has advanced understanding the role of language skills in learning to read and has led to the development of intervention programmes that are proven to improve children’s language and literacy skills.
Sarah Hearne
OxEd Ltd.
Sarah a Programme Manager specialising in the design, delivery and enhancement of education and training programmes across the UK and globally, supporting OxEd's mission to improve children's oral language and literacy outcomes through high-quality, research-backed learning experiences.
Professor Dominic Wyse
UCL Institute of Education
Helen Hamlyn Centre for Pedagogy (0 to 11 Years) (HHCP)
Chair of UoA 23 Education Sub-Panel for the UK Research Excellence Framework (REF).
Dominic is Professor of Early Childhood and Primary Education and partners with CAL:ON Cymru with a focus on Professional Learning and Guidance. Through his work he has made a leading contribution internationally to the teaching of reading and writing, and to the study of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. His research has involved randomised controlled trials, in-depth qualitative research, and mixed methods designs.
Dr Angella Cooze
Angella is an Associate Professor at Swansea University. Following a career as a teacher of English in schools in South Wales, Angella has worked in teacher education, with a special focus on English and literacy since 2003. Angella has extensive experience in working with teachers in Wales to develop literacy and in professional learning. During her career she has developed courses to support teachers to develop the language skills of their pupils. She has a special interest in disciplinary literacy and reading comprehension, particularly in secondary school settings.