Natalie Macdonald

Principal Lecturer & Academic Director
Natalie Macdonald Headshot

Background

Natalie MacDonald brings a wealth of experience in early childhood education and care, having worked in both Flying Start non-maintained settings and schools. She has extensive experience supporting children and families from diverse backgrounds. 

Natalie holds a degree in Law and a Master’s degree in Development and Therapeutic Play. Natalie’s Doctorate in Education has a focus on education and social care policy linguistics and interpretation. Natalie is actively involved with leading organisations in the early education and care sector in Wales, both maintained and non-maintained, Natalie is dedicated to elevating the profile of early years education. 

Specialist Subjects

  • Early Education
  • Curricula Development
  • Policy implementation
  • Enunciative Pragmatics and Discourse Analysis
  • Relational Pedagogy

Professional and/or Research Experience

Natalie MacDonald is an experienced researcher skilled in both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. She has a particular interest in examining policy through Discourse Analysis and Enunciative Pragmatic Analysis. Natalie’s research primarily focuses on early years practice, especially within the non-maintained sector, as reflected in her academic publications and conference presentations.

Qualifications

  • Doctorate in Education (currently writing up)
  • MA Developmental and Therapeutic Play
  • PG Cert Teaching in Higher Education
  • LLB Law degree
  • Practice and Leadership qualifications in and related to Children's Care, Play, Learning and Development

Languages Spoken

English

Professional Membership or Roles

HEA Fellow
Early Years Wales (Trustee)
Early Childhood Studies Degree Network – Wales PAWS group representative.
Qualifications Standards Advisory Group (QSAG) member
BERA

External Recognition or Rewards

HEA Fellow

Link to Orcid Profile

ORCID Research profile

Professional Publications

  • Stewart, S. and MacDonald, N. and Waters-Davies, J. (2024) Early Childhood Education in Wales: Policy, Promises and Practice Realities. Wales Journal of Education. ISSN 2059-3708 https://doi.org/10.16922/wje.26.2.9
  • Macdonald, N. & Tinney, G. Tapestry Podcast (June 12th 2025) Early Years Training and Policy
  • https://fsf-podcasts.simplecast.com/episodes/early-years-training-and-policy
  • Palaiologou, I., Walsh, G., Arnott, L., Grogan, G., Waters-Davies, J., Macdonald, N., Kearns, A. and Mcloughlin, M. (2024) ‘The National Picture’. In Early Years Foundation Stage: Theory and Practice (5th Edition), Edited by Palaiogolou, I. London: Sage.
  • MacDonald, N. (2024) in Lamsden, E. (Eds) SEEPRO-3 The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland: Key Contextual Data. Systems of Early Childhood Education and Professionalisation in Europe.
  • Macdonald, N. (2022) ‘What is Play?’. Chapter in Waters-Davies, J. (editor) Introduction to Play. London: Sage.
  • Waters-Davies, J. and MacDonald, N. (2022) ‘The capable child as a threshold concept for inclusive early childhood education and care.’ Chapter in Conn, C. and Murphy A. (editors) Inclusive Pedagogies for Early Childhood Education: Respecting and Responding to Differences in Learning. London: Routledge.​
  • Lewis, H., MacDonald, N. and Tur Porres, G. (2022) ‘Early childhood education and care in Wales: A curriculum for the non-maintained sector with children at the Centre of practice’. Early Education Journal, 98.
  • Waters, J. & MacDonald, N. (2020): Exploring the use of a rating scale to support professional learning in early years pre-school staff: the experience of one local authority in Wales, Early Years.
  • Gealy, A.; Tinney, G., Macdonald, N. & Waters, J. (2020) A socio-constructivist approach to developing a professional learning intervention for early childhood education and care practitioners in Wales, Professional Development in Education.
  • Macdonald, N., Gealy, A. and Tinney, G. (2019) Exploring the effect of an attachment intervention in areas of multiple deprivation on adult–child interaction and the implications for children’s social, emotional and behavioural development, Early Child Development and Care.
  • Macdonald, N. (2018). The Great Divide: Separation of Care and Education in Wales and examination of policy, reform and research evidence.
  • Macdonald, N. (2018). The Great Divide: Separation of care and education in Wales an examination of policy, reform and research evidence. In: ‘Early Childhood Education, Families and Communities’. [online] Budapest: EECERA, p.74.
  • Waters, J. and Macdonald, N. (2018). Using ‘quality’ measures of children’s learning experiences to target professional learning in early years pre-school staff: the experience of one local authority in Wales. In: ‘Early Childhood Education, Families and Communities’. [online] Budapest: EECERA, p.59.
  • Macdonald, N. (2018). Information Request for Labour Party Health and Social Care and Education Policy Commission. Carmarthen.
  • Tinney, G., Macdonald, N., Gealy, A. and Waters, J. (2018). ‘Talking science’: the perception and interpretation of science by early years practitioners and designing training to support science concepts in the early year. In: A Child’s World – New shoes New direction. [online] Aberystwyth: University of Wales Aberystwyth.
  • Macdonald, N. (2018). The Great Divide. [Blog] Yr Athrofa.
  • Bevan Foundation (2017). After PISA: A way forward for education in Wales?. Merthyr Tydfil: Bevan Foundation, pp. 25–26.
  • Macdonald, N. (2016) How can we help Early Years Professionals to recognise attachment difficulties and support children’s emotional and behavioural development? Does specific intervention training make a difference?. In: ‘Happiness, relationships, emotion and deep level learning’ Dublin: EECERA, p. 31–32.
  • Macdonald, N. and Battenbough, E. (2016). Attachment and Me: Supporting Early Years professionals to identify and support children’s emotional development and wellbeing. Carmarthen: UWTSD.
  • Palaiologou, I., Walsh, g., Macquarrie, S., Waters, J., Macdonald, N., Dunphy, E. (2016) ‘The National Picture’. In Early Years Foundation Stage: Theory and Practice (3rd Edition), Edited by Palaiogolou, I. London: Sage.
  • Macdonald, N., Sophocleous, C. (2016). The Business of Eradicating Poverty in Schools, South Wales Business Review, 6 (3):18-19.
  • Macdonald, N. (2014). Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Play and Therapeutic Intervention: The relationship between play and children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Postgraduate. University of Wales Swansea.

Available to Supervise Doctoral Students

No