Renew and Reform Programme: integrated impact assessment

Title of proposal 

Renew and Reform Programme

Officials completing the Integrated Impact Assessment (name(s) and name of team)

Sioned Lewis: Curriculum and Assessment Division

Lloyd Hopkin: Curriculum and Assessment Division

Richard Haithcock: Curriculum and Assessment Division

Martyn Gunter EPS: Focus team

Joanne Crawford EPS: Curriculum and Assessment Division

Department

Education Directorate

Head of Division/SRO (name)

Georgina Haarhoff: Deputy Director Curriculum and Assessment

Minister responsible

Jeremy Miles MS: Minister for Education and the Welsh Language

Start date

May 2021

This Integrated Impact Assessment (IIA) provides an indication of the impact of policy development relating to the Renew and Reform Programme, which has been developed to address the short, medium and long term impacts on learners as a result of disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme is primarily focused on leading coordination of work across the Welsh Government to support learners aged 3 to 16. Also all post-16 learners (in further education and school sixth-forms, higher education and work-based learning and adult learning) are in scope, ensuring that there is a clear path to stability and an orderly move to the new government’s future strategic vision for education, learning and well-being. 

The Renew and Reform Programme’s overarching aim is to set out the principles, priorities and key initiatives that will underpin the Welsh Government’s response to the impacts of COVID-19 on learners and learning, both addressing the negative impacts and building on the positive innovations and experiences in the last two years. It aims to enable all learners [1] to make progress in their education and thrive, recognising key dependencies including mental health, employability and economic implications. The approach has been structured with a focus on the needs of learners and projects/initiatives from across Welsh Government have been developed on this basis. We are bringing together our current and new interventions to support learners in particular cohorts in a joined up way across the Welsh Government.

Over the last year, the Renew and Reform programme has taken a dynamic approach to supporting our education system, drawing on the wider principles and structures of co-construction to best respond to the shifting needs of schools, practitioners and learners.

As the programme developed from January 2021, partnership working and local decision making were established as its core principles. This was to ensure that the aims, focus and functioning of the programme maximised the coordination of investment, from across Welsh Government, and operationalised it as close to the point of need as possible, such as payments being made directly to schools. Throughout 2021, as the programme matured, additional funding was released as plans concerning local level support were published and updated (June and September 2021 respectively). Between the publication of the Renew and Reform plan in June 2021 and March 2022, an additional £128m has been allocated to support the system on an ongoing basis to respond to emerging issues and evidence, including particular issues around, for example, learner engagement and attendance; support for learners taking qualifications; and to respond to ongoing disruption to the operations of schools through autumn 2021, including the emergence of the Omicron variant during the last months of 2021 and the re-establishment of some restrictions.

The Renew and Reform Programme has now become a fully established part of the architecture of support for schools in Wales and this impact assessment reflects the approaches and actions taken across the full time period in which the programme has been operating. Mechanisms to coherently evaluate measures taken as part of the Renew and Reform Programme are in development. Monitoring and evaluation programmes for many individual measures are already underway, including for the Recruit, Recover, and Raise Standards Programme, Summer of Fun, and Winter of Well-being initiatives.

[1] All learners are eligible for interventions in the ‘All learners’ project, but schools/colleges decide how to prioritise based on need. We have additional projects to set out specific interventions for priority groups.

Impacts of the pandemic on learning

Rapid studies have sought to understand the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on learners. Some of the main areas evidence has highlighted as a concern are mental health and well-being and learning, and long term damage to future earnings.

Evidence from the Co-SPYCE study published in June 2020 showed that the majority of parents of children aged between 2 and 4 would like at least some support with their child’s response to COVID-19 and isolation, in particular their child’s emotional needs, education and behaviour.[2] The Young Minds surveys from summer 2020 found that 80% of children and young people with a history of mental health needs said the pandemic had made their mental health worse. The Welsh Government’s Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) in September 2020 on the impact of mass disruption on the well-being and mental health of children and young people also highlights these impacts, including an increase in symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as greater behavioural difficulties and worries. 

The WISERD survey of secondary schoolchildren in Wales, published in October 2020, found that less than half were doing schoolwork daily during remote learning, more than half reported working less well at home, and around 60% reported being worried about being able to catch up on their work. The January 2021 Coronavirus and Me survey of 20,000 children by the Children’s Commissioner for Wales found that 35% didn’t feel confident about their learning, compared to 25% in May 2020. Over half of young people aged 12 to 18 enjoy learning at their own pace from home, but many are worried about falling behind with learning, levels of confidence and motivation with education are seen to decrease with age. A large majority of 15 to 18 year olds are concerned about falling behind, their qualifications and 69% report low motivation to do school work.

[2] The study sample was recruited through a variety of means, including through social media, distribution through partner organisations, networks, charities and the media across the UK. The self-selecting nature of recruitment means that this will not be a nationally representative sample.

The Welsh Government commissioned Arad Research to undertake a ‘health check’ survey of the registered childcare and play sector. The survey opened on 4 February and closed on 18 February 2021. Views on child development were mixed, but these questions were only designed to give us an indication of providers’ concerns (if any). These findings should be treated with some caution as respondents are not necessarily trained in assessing child development. Over a third of settings (34%) reported deterioration in behavioural development, and more than a quarter (26%) thought there had been a mixture of improvements and deterioration in the children they care for. Over a third of settings (35%) reported they felt there had been a deterioration in social development, and nearly a quarter (24%) thought there had been a mixture of improvements and deterioration in the children they care for.

In relation to future loss of earnings the Institute for Fiscal Studies published a report in February 2021 estimating the potential of up to up to £350 billion in lost lifetime earnings across the 8.7 million school children in the UK. In May 2021, the Education Policy Institute (EPI) published a report on Education recovery and resilience in England outlining a range of scenarios for lost learning would result in lost lifetime earnings of 1 per cent in the optimistic scenario, 2.4 per cent in central scenarios and 3.4 per cent in the pessimistic scenario. The report noted that there are likely to be further costs in terms of reduced productivity, investment and innovation leading to lower economic growth.

The Welsh in Education Strategic Plans (WESPs) annual reports, submitted to Welsh Government by local authorities in 2020, highlighted the impact the COVID-19 pandemic was having on their planning of Welsh-medium education in their area. More than half of local authorities referenced increased parental concerns around the effect the pandemic was having on their child’s Welsh language skills. This is consistent with similar feedback from school practitioners, parents, regional consortia and Welsh language organisations. A short term intervention had been put in place during 2020/21 to support parents, which included guidance and links to Welsh resources for families, in particular non-Welsh speaking families, to help use and maintain Welsh language skills from home.

There will have been specific challenges for Welsh immersion learners from households where Welsh is not the main language, and for learners transitioning from Year 6 to Year 7. According to the June 2020 Coronavirus and me survey by the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, some children in Welsh-medium education and some children in English-medium education are not getting any opportunity to use Welsh. In the Welsh Government survey results from December 2020 on ‘The effects of COVID-19 on Welsh language community groups’ a fifth of the groups (20%) had managed to adapt their activities to operate in some way since the first lockdown began at the end of March. The other 80% may have kept in touch with their group, but had not continued to operate.

Rapid developmental changes that occur in the early years means young children may have been affected more significantly by the pandemic than others. Many younger learners might have had access to only a few weeks of learning in schools and funded childcare settings, with an associated impact on their social, emotional, well-being and learning needs. In its July 2020 Early Years Brief, the Sutton Trust reported how attending an early years setting is highly valuable for all children, leading to positive social and emotional, language, and physical development. The lack of access to face-to-face learning during the period of public health restrictions means “a further widening of the attainment gap may be occurring” and children’s development is being “significantly compromised”. In order to further understand the impact of COVID-19 on the early years, a Delphi study has recently been commissioned by the Welsh Government.[3] It aims to gain consensus on the options available to identify, address or mitigate any adverse impacts of COVID-19 on young children between socio-demographic groups.

Research and evaluation should enable us to see the effects policies have had on key goals such as reducing the attainment gap and improving learner well-being. Through this ongoing evaluation, and as the context in which we are operating evolves, we will not hesitate to develop and alter our initiatives if that is required to ensure we are having the most positive impact possible. We will draw on the research and evidence gathered by our partners in Wales, particularly the work of  Estyn and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), to contribute to our evidence on progress and to help build capacity for continuous improvement. We will keep abreast of the evidence emerging in Wales, across the UK and internationally about the impacts of the pandemic on learning and ways to address these impacts. We will also ensure evidence of best practice, innovations, or issues overcome are shared, to help the system improve further.

[3] The Delphi method is a way of combining the views of multiple experts to reach agreement/ consensus on a subject.

The Renew and Reform Plan

The evidence suggests that the pandemic has affected some groups of learners more than others. The plan recognises and seeks to address four key issues borne out by consideration of the evidence relating to the impacts of the pandemic on children and young people:

1. Learners will need support to develop a secure foundation for learning.
2. Learners will need support to continue to progress, developing their knowledge, understanding and skills.
3. Practitioners will need support for their own well-being.
4. The education system is already working towards reform.

Across these four issues, different learners have been affected differently. The plan sets out the specific target cohorts that we will seek to support through bespoke interventions, including:

1. vulnerable or disadvantaged learners, and learners with additional learning needs (ALN)
2. learners in early years (aged 0 to 7 who attend settings which support their learning and development)
3. learners in post-16 and transition

Vulnerable and disadvantaged learners, and learners with ALN

Many learners considered “vulnerable” have had particular difficulties during the pandemic, including not having access to the appropriate support at home during the period of remote learning, such as learning support workers, counselling support, and other forms. Evidence suggests that the pandemic has increased the difficulties faced by children and young people, in particular for their well-being. A Cardiff University study found increasing levels of mental health problems in already vulnerable children and young people during the periods of lockdown. In terms of learners with ALN or disabilities, evidence from across the UK has suggested that the existing issues and disadvantages faced by these learners have been exacerbated and amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic, including the National Children’s Bureau’s report on the impact of COVID on pupils with Special Educational Needs; the National SENCO Workforce Survey in England which reported on the challenges of ensuring these learners had access to the equipment and educational provision necessary.

For learners from disadvantaged backgrounds, we know that there have been particular difficulties over the course of the pandemic. They will have been more likely to struggle with access to remote learning during the pandemic, both due to the availability of devices and reasons of connectivity. Research published by the Department for Education for England has consistently shown the increased effect of the pandemic on learners from disadvantaged backgrounds on their educational attainment in reading and mathematics. Similarly, reports from the National Foundation for Educational Research and the Fischer Family Foundation (FTT) and TeacherTapp have borne out similar conclusions on the disproportionate effect on educational attainment on learners from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. In addition, ensuring that learners from disadvantaged backgrounds are able to progress in their learning to their full potential is a longstanding policy objective of the Welsh Government.

Learners in early years

Learners in these years are in a critical window for language, social, emotional and cognitive development. As a result of the disruption to their early education or childcare provision, they risk missing key development milestones, affecting their well-being, communication and learning development. Younger Welsh language immersion learners are an important part of this group, and those learners who do not have access to Welsh language support at home. 

Our approach emphasises the need to consider social and emotional issues around learning disruption, including motivation to learn and interactional experiences, as well as learning progression itself. Based on evidence (including Young Minds, Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS)), we consider early years learners are one of the groups that have been most significantly impacted and should be our priority for focused interventions.

Learners in post-16 and transition

For these learners, progression to their next phase is a key concern as well as their longer-term employability and skills. These learners will have experienced particular and significant pressures and uncertainty.

The emerging evidence suggests ‘the disruption to education caused by the pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on learners’ mental health and well-being, their ability to progress in their education, and their confidence and motivation to learn’.

Many learners will be progressing to study new subjects or in new institutions in the next academic year (2021/22 and subsequently 2022/23), and will need to acclimatise to these changes as well as overcoming the impacts of the pandemic. Vocational learners, apprentices, adult learners, those with additional learning needs and those from disadvantaged backgrounds have been particularly affected by successive lockdowns and other coronavirus restrictions, they have had fewer learning opportunities and experienced changes to assessments for their qualifications.

Moreover, disadvantaged students are more likely to take apprenticeships, vocational and technical qualifications. The economic disruption created by the pandemic, as well as the need to adhere to public health restrictions, means it is likely to remain challenging for employers to offer work experience placements. As a result, there may be reductions in the number of apprenticeships and work experience opportunities, which will contribute additional pressure on further and higher education in order to prevent these learners not being in education, employment, or training.

The Children’s Commissioner for Wales found young people aged 15 to 18 are generally more anxious, have had periods of severe loneliness and isolation, and have taken on greater caring responsibilities as a result of the pandemic. Many students will come to further and higher education with a reduced sense of confidence and wellbeing as a result of extended periods of social isolation and uncertainty regarding their future. 

All learners in schools

In addition to these specific cohorts, the plan also sets out a clear focus on measures to support learning and well-being for all learners in schools with a considered intention to evolve iteratively, responding to ongoing impacts identified by continuing research. Engaging with children and young people, the profession and partners, we will continue to co-develop an integrated package of funding initiatives to support these learners in both their well-being and progression in learning. We will also aim to ensure practitioners have the time and space to focus on learning and teaching through our existing work, and we will work to use our collective learning over the pandemic to build an educational system that is fit for the future and resilient to tomorrow’s challenges.

We aim to ensure coherence and continuity between existing policy and new initiatives to provide a clear learner-centred support, across different cohorts along a learners’ educational journey. This includes continuing the Recruit, Recover and Raise Standards (RRRS) programme to support capacity in schools to provide targeted support to learners; building on our experiences of distance and blended learning; and exploring ways to optimise the school day, and the school year, for the benefit of learners.

The RRRS programme and equivalent FE offer has supported early years settings, schools, and further education institutions to identify the learners in greatest need, and develop support for them in line with the five principles of the programme. This has enabled a range of bespoke support for learners, for example providing additional support for Welsh-medium learners, particularly those with less contact with the Welsh language outside school, including support for key areas like oracy. It is also weighted towards schools with larger numbers of disadvantaged and vulnerable learners to ensure well-being and learning support is available, though schools and local authorities which support non-maintained settings funded to deliver early education are best-placed to make decisions about how to support learners through this funding. We continue to monitor the impact of COVID-19 on Welsh medium education while the Renew and Reform programme will undertake further work to develop approaches to bring equity of Welsh language support to all learners.

The Renew and Reform plan outlines the specific direction of travel for the next year as well as longer term priorities. It will act as a framework to guide the development of specific, tailored initiatives that address the negative impacts of the pandemic on education, while building on the positive innovations, experiences, and initiatives of the last year. We will continue the education reform journey in Wales, using the learning of COVID-19 as an opportunity to further improve and develop the education system’s resilience, readiness, and flexibility for long term future changes. The programme will use existing education initiatives from Our National Mission, Post Compulsory Education and Training (PCET) reform, Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) and other strategic aims, that we know help to support learners’ well-being to ensure that we maximise our current initiatives and collaboration across programmes to avoid duplication and enhance interventions where needed.

Our approach seeks to build explicitly on the goals set out in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015. This builds on our approach set out in the Curriculum Implementation Plan. The long term aspirations for curriculum reform set out in that document, which directly relate to the seven well-being goals of the Act, will also form the long term goals for this programme. This is because the Renew and Reform plan is intended to support the transition of the education system from the current period of COVID response into the implementation of education reform. It does that by bringing together those interventions and initiatives deployed over the last year that we want to take forward, along with new commitments as we support learners and the education workforce, using the good practice and positive experiences we have seen to date to build confidence, capability and capacity towards curriculum reform.  

The five ways of working have also been integral to the initial development of the programme. The Renew and Reform programme seeks to embody the five ways of working:

1. Long-term: by supporting learning and teaching now with a view to supporting learners’ longer-term educational outcomes, which may be negatively impacted if action is not taken. Similarly, the programme embodies this way of working by supporting the transition of the education system into the period of reform.
2. Integration: by ensuring that the aims of the Renew and Reform plan align with upcoming education reforms as well as the Government’s wider strategic agenda for education and health. This includes alignment with the goals of curriculum reform and supporting the system’s transition towards it.
3. Involvement: the Renew and Reform programme sets out a framework for action, within which stakeholders with an interest will work with the Welsh Government to co-develop initiatives aimed at supporting the cohorts
4. Collaboration: the programme involves working across the breadth of the Welsh Government to develop and deliver initiatives across multiple departments, as well as with other public bodies and other relevant organisations.
5. Prevention: the programme embodies this principle by acting now to mitigate against the issues raised by the pandemic becoming more serious in terms of the impacts on learners and their education. This principle has helped guide the identification of the priority cohorts, which are most at risk of the disruption to education having long-term effects on their educational outcomes (for example, early years learners who are in a crucial phase of cognitive and social development; post-16 learners whose immediate educational outcomes will determine their next steps; and vulnerable and disadvantaged learners, who already faced significant barriers to their educational outcomes prior to the pandemic). 

We will continue to apply the positive lessons of co-construction developed through the new curriculum throughout the delivery of this programme. We will do this in close collaboration with our partners, the profession, and the wider education sector as we build on these foundations. The plan has outlined some key stakeholders and partners with which we intend to collaborate, but further work will be done to ensure extensive engagement with as many of those who are directly impacted by our policy as possible with leaners themselves being key to our engagement strategy.

The development of the programme has reflected the impacts that current evidence has outlined, recognising the need to support different groups of learners in the appropriate way. As the tailored initiatives are developed, impacts will be thoroughly assessed throughout the process and regular engagement with key stakeholders will be a priority to help us ensure that a breadth and depth of impacts for individual projects are carefully considered.

The June 2021 Renew and Reform plan sets out how £150m in funding for the programme during the 2021 to 2022 financial year which will directly support learners, practitioners, and education providers through a range of initiatives aimed at supporting learning and well-being for all learners, and additional interventions for the priority cohorts. The plan sets out further details of funding streams, including the priority areas of support for which we will continue to develop initiatives.

In order to ensure we are making the best use of our strategies we will develop a clear approach to evaluating the success of our interventions. We will evaluate initiatives against the success criteria set out in the plan (well-being for learners and practitioners, educational progression and attainment, equity, and stakeholder confidence) using a range of different measures, viewpoints and evidence sources to inform this. Our coordinated approach to evaluation will minimise the impact on practitioners and learning providers and avoid asking for large amounts of additional data and reporting. Success in delivering the plan will be measured against the following criteria:

1. improved well-being for learners and staff
2. improved learning progress
3. greater equity between learners from economically or otherwise disadvantaged families and their peers
4. stakeholder confidence

In conclusion, the range of evidence considered suggests that learners are likely to require considerable support following the disruption to their education or training across a broad spectrum of areas, including and especially well-being. The Renew and Reform programme has been initiated to address these concerns, and further work on impacts and engagement with stakeholder, including children and young people will be an integral part of the work going forward in depth in individual projects.

I am satisfied that the impact of the proposed action has been adequately assessed and recorded.

Name of Deputy Director: Georgina Haarhoff

Department: Education, Social Justice and Welsh Language

Date: 11 April 2022

1. Describe and explain the impact of the proposal on children and young people

How will the proposal affect the lives of children, positively and negatively?

The Renew and Reform programme is being put in place to address the short, medium and long term impacts on learners as a result of disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Enhancing support for learning is the core focus of the programme, ensuring all children and young people have secure foundations to learn and make progress in their education.

Four work streams will be set up to deliver the Renew and Reform programme in practice. Each of these work streams will be subject to their own Children’s Rights Impact Assessment.

The Renew and Reform programme is intended to positively impact those children and young people that have been affected by the pandemic and disruptions to face-to-face learning, through tailored support for different cohorts of learners. Further detail on specific impacts will be made available as we continue to develop these measures with partners and stakeholders, guided by the framework set out in the Renew and Reform plan.

How will the proposal affect different groups of children (e.g. children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), children living in poverty, disabled children, children living in Welsh speaking households and children in Welsh medium education etc.)

Evidence suggests that all learners have been impacted by the pandemic to some extent. As such, the programme will look to address these issues through a package of support for all learners in both their well-being and progression in learning. However, certain learners have been impacted more than others during the pandemic and the programme will have a particular focus on addressing the impacts on these groups, which include:

1. Vulnerable or disadvantaged learners, and learners with additional learning needs (ALN), who have not necessarily had access to the appropriate support at home; may have struggled with access to learning during the pandemic and may have difficulties readjusting to school life.  
2. Learners in early years (aged 0 to 7 who attend settings which support their learning and development), is a critical window for language, social, emotional and cognitive development. They risk missing key development milestones, affecting their well-being, communication and learning development. Welsh language immersion learners are an important part of this group. 
3. Learners in post-16 and transition, where progression to their next phase is a key concern for these learners as well as their longer-term employability and skills. These learners will have experienced particular and significant pressures and uncertainty.

Within each of these priority areas, Integrated Impact Assessments will detail the impacts on different groups of children and young people, as the detail of each work stream is further developed with partners.

What evidence have you used to inform your assessment, including evidence from children or their representatives?

We have drawn on a range of evidence sources to inform this assessment, including from the voices of children and young people.

Evidence from the Co-SPYCE study showed that parents of pre-school age children are concerned about the impact of social distancing and wider implications of COVID-19 restrictions on their child’s well-being, behaviour, and learning. The Young Minds surveys found that 80% of children and young people said the pandemic had made their mental health worse. 

The WISERD survey of secondary schoolchildren found that less than half were doing schoolwork daily, more than half reported working less well at home, and around 60% reported being worried about being able to catch up on their work. A  2021 Children’s Commissioner survey of 20,000 children found that 35% didn’t feel confident about their learning, compared to 25% in May 2020. Over half of young people aged 12 to 18 enjoy learning at their own pace from home, but many are worried about falling behind with learning, levels of confidence and motivation with education are seen to decrease with age. A large majority of 15 to 18 year olds are concerned about falling behind, their qualifications and 69% report low motivation to do school work.

According to the Coronavirus and me survey by the Children’s Commissioner the majority of children are continuing to use Welsh during the lockdown period, however it was noted that some children in both Welsh-medium and English-medium education are not getting any opportunity to use their Welsh language skills. The Children’s Commissioner’s survey and the views of children and young people represented within it, have supported the development of the Renew and Reform programme and its priorities.

Rapid developmental changes that occur in the early years means young children might have been affected more significantly by the pandemic than others. Many younger learners might have had access to only a few weeks of learning in schools and funded childcare settings, with an associated impact on their social, emotional, well-being and learning needs. In its Early Years Brief the Sutton Trust reported how attending an early years setting is highly valuable for all children, leading to positive social and emotional, language, and physical development. The lack of access to provision during lockdown means a further widening of the attainment gap may be occurring and that children’s development is being significantly compromised.

As we continue to develop policy initiatives in conjunction with partners and stakeholders, using the framework set out by the Renew and Reform plan, we will ensure that children and young people have a voice in this process.

How have you consulted with children and young people?  If you haven’t, please explain why.

At this stage we have used emerging evidence from research and surveys from children and young people to inform our initial work. There have not yet been detailed strategies to test with learners. As we further develop policies we will be fully engaging with children and young to people to gather their views and seek their input into the work streams arising from this programme.

What other evidence would inform the assessment?

We will draw on the research and evidence gathered by our partners in Wales, particularly Estyn and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA)’s work, to contribute to our evidence on progress and to help build capacity for continuous improvement. We will keep abreast of the evidence emerging in Wales, across the UK and internationally about the impacts of the pandemic on learning and ways to address these impacts. We will also ensure evidence of best practice, innovations, or issues overcome are shared, to help the system improve further.

2. Explain how the proposal is likely to impact on children’s rights

This section requires an assessment, using informed judgement, of the likely impact of the proposal on children’s UNCRC rights. It is vital you avoid the assumption that the intended outcomes identified above are the same as the predicted impact on children’s rights.

You will need to carefully consider how the intended outcomes relate to children’s rights and what impact they will have. There may be predicted impacts which are not intended outcomes from the proposal.

You should:

Identify which UNCRC articles are most relevant to the proposal

The UNCRC articles that apply to the Renew and Reform programme are:

• A12 (respect for the views of the child)
• A13 (freedom of expression)
• A23 (children with a disability)
• A28 (right to education)
• A29 (goals of education)
• A31 (leisure, play and culture)

The Renew and Reform programme seeks to ensure that every child and young person reaches their full potential, whatever their background, needs, or experience of the pandemic. Every decision will be guided by the needs of learners and their well-being, a focus on narrowing educational inequalities, and ensuring the best outcomes for all.

Remember that promoting children’s rights includes: increasing children’s access to their rights, or to services and/or resources that give access to rights, or enabling children to participate and take advantage of their rights. You should explain how the proposal achieves these objectives, if at all.

Children’s rights are the focus of the programme, which has been developed to fulfil the obligations set out under Articles 23, 28 and 31 in particular. The Renew and Reform Programme will strengthen children’s right to an education by delivering initiatives that support their learning progress and well-being (through, for example, supporting additional practitioner capacity; access to additional learning resources and support). It will also support the wider system to provide better learning experiences. The programme supports the right to leisure, play and culture, including by widening access to cultural, creative and expressive, and sporting activities in Welsh and English, through initiatives like the “Summer of Fun”. The programme also promotes article 23, including by ensuring that every learner, irrespective of their particular situation or needs, is provided with the support they need to access and thrive in their education.

Acknowledging every child’s right to an education and ensuring the continuation of a broad and balanced curriculum for all learners, regardless of background and ability, is a key aim of this programme.

Explain any negative impact on children’s rights arising from the proposal, including any reduction in resources available to support policies or programmes.

No negative impacts are anticipated, although the more detailed proposals from the four work streams will consider impacts on the more detailed proposals.