Our national mission: high standards and aspirations for all

Our national mission is to achieve high standards and aspirations for all by tackling the impact of poverty on educational attainment and supporting every learner.

During my first year as Minister, meeting children and young people, support staff, teachers, college lecturers, parents and carers, I’ve learnt more about our shared concerns and ambitions. I’ve heard that equity and diversity, wellbeing of learners and staff, and being ambitious for all learners, are important right across the country.

Building on our shared ambition to improve equity of outcomes, we need a system-wide cast-iron commitment to make it real. We can be proud of progress in recent years. But there is more to do.

We cannot allow the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and its potential long-term effects to exacerbate the impact of poverty on education outcomes. Every action and decision set out in this roadmap should be seen through this lens.

A truly excellent and equitable system, as a public and common good, is one where every learner and citizen benefits from a broad and balanced education. Curriculum for Wales, implemented from September 2022, sets high standards for all, combining knowledge, skills and experiences.

The four purposes of Curriculum for Wales are the shared aspiration for every young person. They also guide our ambitions for lifelong learning, with learners of all ages in all settings across all communities engaged as citizens of Wales and the world ready for life and work.

This roadmap highlights the government and education system’s priorities to ensure the success, high standards and wellbeing of all learners. For the first time, we are setting out a coherent and cohesive roadmap which covers the breadth of education in and for Wales, not broken down into different sectors and settings. This roadmap sets out how our existing policies and commitments relate to one another, rather than listing new commitments and aspirations.

To support all learners to reach their potential, we will implement our Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act and we will tackle the ‘aspiration gap’, working with schools, colleges, universities, Careers Wales and businesses to raise awareness of the world of work and the range of available career choices.

Our public and equitable education system is a source of national pride and confidence. We reject selection and writing off places and people. But we also know that there is too much variation between schools and between geographical areas. This is a collective challenge and one we will tackle as a shared endeavour.

We are also committed to a prosperous future for our language. Welsh belongs to us all. Schools and the wider education system are our most effective tool for creating new speakers and re-engaging learners.

We are a leader in our use of digital technology, and it will continue to be crucial in promoting bilingualism, supporting lifelong learning and raising attainment. Whether online, hybrid, in the lecture hall or informal setting, our colleges and universities enrich our civic life and communities.

By taking a whole-system approach to tertiary education, we will narrow educational inequalities, expand opportunities and raise standards. Our tertiary education and research reforms will support the different but complementary strengths of all institutions, so that learners of all ages have access to the full range of opportunities and are able to contribute economically, academically, and to our communities.

This roadmap brings together our policies and ambitions for education, tackling the impact of poverty on attainment and providing all learners with the knowledge, skills and experiences to be healthy, educated and enterprising citizens of Wales and the world. The timelines highlighted within the appendix set out when various steps and actions will be taken from now until the end of this Senedd term. This is intended to be a useful tool to help with planning, engagement and preparations.

Jeremy Miles MS

Minister for Education and Welsh Language

Aim

In Wales, education is our national mission. Together we will achieve high standards and aspirations for all, tackling the impact of poverty on attainment and ambition. All learners, whatever their background, are supported to be healthy, engaged, enterprising and ethical citizens, ready to play a full part in life and work.

Objective 1

Learning for life so that everyone in Wales learns, and continues to learn, developing their knowledge and skills, and engaging in experiences that are relevant to their lives today and into the future.

What we will do

Ensure that all learning is guided by the four purposes of the curriculum, through collaboration across providers and with industries and employers.

Objective 2

Breaking down barriers so that excellent education opportunities and outcomes can be achieved by all learners, at all ages, in classrooms, online, and in work.

What we will do

Through early identification, support and targeted actions, ensure that all learners gain the knowledge, skills and experiences to be an active citizen, including the cross-curricular skills of literacy, numeracy and digital competence.

Objective 3

A positive education experience for everyone, with learners and staff supported in their wellbeing and resilience, which is essential for improving education outcomes and life chances.

What we will do

Ensure that learners are supported to be healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society, within places of learning that are supportive, safe, inclusive and free from discrimination and bullying.

Objective 4

High-quality teaching and leadership, where everyone benefits from the best professional learning so that they can support the success of all learners, particularly those who are socio-economically disadvantaged.

What we will do

Guaranteed career-long professional learning and support for all staff, from initial training through to leadership, focused on realising the four purposes of the curriculum, and capacity and capability to support the success of all learners.

Objective 5

Community-based learning, with strong institutions engaging, integrating and being empowered by their communities.

What we will do

Empower all learners, families and communities to build strong relationships and partnerships with education providers, so that we tackle disadvantage and deliver world-class education locally and nationally.

Objective 6

Cymraeg belongs to us all, giving every learner equal access to the language and the opportunity to reach their potential.

What we will do

Encourage the use of Welsh across the education system, as an integral part of Curriculum for Wales, our Cymraeg 2050 ambitions and expanding provision post-16 to study through Welsh and opportunities to learn the language as active and engaged citizens.

Objective

Learning for life so that everyone in Wales learns, and continues to learn, developing their knowledge and skills, and engaging in experiences that are relevant to their lives today and into the future.

What we will do

Ensure that all learning is guided by the four purposes of the curriculum, through collaboration across providers and with industries and employers.

Our commitments

• Learners will receive targeted support to improve core cross-curricular skills as we deliver on our Oracy and Reading Toolkit. The systematic and consistent teaching of phonics is one of the key ways of achieving this, so we will work with experts and practitioners to provide further guidance to support the teaching of reading within Curriculum for Wales.
• By commissioning research into mixed attainment learning and teaching, we will address the trend of placing socio-economically disadvantaged learners into low attainment teaching groups which can hold back their progression and aspirations.
• To support learner progression and employment, aligned with the ambitions of Curriculum for Wales, there will be reformed qualifications taken by learners aged 14 to 16, designed with the involvement of teachers and experts.
• Thousands of learners and education staff in every part of Wales, and in every type of education, will enjoy life-changing opportunities through Taith, Wales’ international learning exchange programme. The teaching of international languages will also continue to expand as part of Curriculum for Wales, with clear expectations for learners to progress in international languages from primary school as set out in the strategic aims of Global Futures: A plan to improve and promote international languages in Wales 2022 to 2025.
• As announced in January 2023, in relation to the school improvement and information landscape, there will be information on progression and wellbeing, and on other key areas for schools, to support school self-evaluation and improvement. 
• We will review the future direction, and roles and responsibilities of partners, and will also further develop collaborative school improvement arrangements to support our national mission.
• Education-based practical careers and work-related experiences, including careers advice in further education, will improve and be more consistent and effective as we roll out Curriculum for Wales in secondary schools to 2027.
• To support our learners entering post-16 further education and training, we will review the current 16 to 19 curriculum offer to build on the four purposes of Curriculum for Wales and enable learners to have a coherent learning experience, including general and vocational qualifications.
• Personal Learning Accounts (Careers Wales) will continue as a flexible employed status upskilling programme which responds to market failures in employment opportunities. The programme will focus on digital and net zero skills, as well as a wider set of approved qualifications that will help meet local demand.
• Citizens’ Curriculum pilots across the country will empower adult learners with core skills linked to health and civic capabilities. This will be local and co-constructed learning.
• Through an expanded legal duty to provide further education and training for adults, thousands will benefit from this expansion of lifelong learning opportunities.
• Wales’ first ever national charter for lifelong learning will ensure that citizens, communities and organisations share responsibility, knowledge and promotion of all learning that is available.
• A new ‘State of the Nation’ audit of adult literacy and numeracy, the first in over a decade, will support policy development and interventions in lifelong learning.

Objective

Breaking down barriers so that excellent education opportunities and outcomes can be achieved by all learners, at all ages, in classrooms, online, and in work.

What we will do

Through early identification, support and targeted actions, ensure that all learners gain the knowledge, skills and experiences to be an active citizen, including the cross-curricular skills of literacy, numeracy and digital competence.

Our commitments

• Curriculum for Wales is central to our reforms to improve the quality of, and engagement with, learning in schools and settings and we will continue our focus on the cross-curricular skills and integral skills.  
• Disadvantaged learners will benefit from extra targeted support through the Pupil Development Grant (PDG) and we will work with partners to review how it is used and further support schools in effective use of the grant.
• We will remove barriers to all learners’ full engagement in education regardless of economic background by promoting ‘school essentials’ (PDG access for uniform and school equipment).
• We will actively promote and facilitate a shared understanding of the Additional Learning Needs Code for Wales 2021 and arrangements for implementation, through reaching out to learners, parents, carers and practitioners and monitoring delivery.
• We will support additional learning needs (ALN) reform of systems, provision and practices around person-centred practice and inclusive education, delivering positive changes for learners with ALN and monitor system effectiveness.
• We are unique in the UK for the mandatory place of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic experiences and histories in our curriculum. We will complete the implementation of Professor Charlotte Williams OBE’s report recommendations.
• To support ongoing professional and pedagogical commitment to raising standards for all, the support provided to teachers as they progress from initial teacher education to statutory induction into their early career and beyond will have a greater focus on developing reflective, enquiring and collaborative education professionals within a culture of mutual responsibility.
• We will keep our commitment to the personalised assessments which support all learners in Wales to progress in reading and numeracy, in whichever language they are learning.
• In raising standards for the most socio-economically disadvantaged learners and supporting teacher professional development, we will commission research into incentivising teachers to work in the most challenging circumstances.
• To further embed equity and support high standards for all, we will publish guidance for education providers on how best they can listen to, act upon, and feed back to learners from low-income backgrounds.
• Through a strategic and sustainable approach to digital and blended learning, opportunities will be extended in maintained schools, further education and adult learning to maximise the transformational benefits digital can have on education. This will include a call to action for further education institutions, supported by capital funding, so that every institution has a digital strategic plan in place by summer 2023.
• To improve our shared understanding of learner outcomes, we will develop longer term tracking and monitoring of post-16 outcomes for learners eligible for free school meals (eFSM), and maintain our commitment to the most progressive student support system in the UK and to Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) funding for eligible learners aged 16 to 18.
• To break down the barriers in our tertiary system and deliver for all learners, of all ages, we will establish the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research (CTER), a true national steward for raising standards and aspirations.
• Promoting equality of opportunity and widening participation in tertiary education are core strategic duties for the new CTER, and it will deliver on these to raise standards and aspirations for all.
• As part of our review of adult learning, we will look to grow and extend online learning opportunities, starting by mapping existing online provision in spring 2023 and making it easier for potential learners to navigate their options.

Objective

A positive education experience for everyone, with learners and staff supported in their wellbeing and resilience, which is essential for improving education outcomes and life chances.

What we will do

Ensure that learners are supported to be healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society, within places of learning that are supportive, safe, inclusive and free from discrimination and bullying.

Our commitments

• Learners will be supported to enjoy healthy and safe relationships throughout their lives. In creating a safe and empowering environment for all, we will maintain the importance of relationships and sexuality education as a mandatory area for all learners, and relationships and sexuality education guidance, professional learning and resources will continue to be updated.
• To support the wellbeing of all, including teachers, support staff and learners, we are funding schools and settings to extend and improve counselling provision, to support targeted interventions and extend professional learning.
• A whole-school approach to emotional and mental wellbeing will support the development of healthy, confident individuals, and we will continue with implementation and embedding through our statutory framework guidance.
• Stronger co-operation between services will ensure that national Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) school in-reach services will be rolled-out across the country.
• Every primary school learner will be offered free school meals, responding to the cost-of-living crisis, supporting learner wellbeing in a whole-school approach to food education, as well as local food production and local economies.
• The school year should work better for learners, school staff, parents and carers. We will work with partners on the distribution of school holidays and terms to achieve this, supporting learner and staff wellbeing.
• We will take account of the recommendations in the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (IICSA) as they relate to learning settings to help ensure children stay safe. This will include strengthening the independent schools regulations to increase safeguarding protections for learners in independent schools.
• No-one should miss out on programmes which ensure enrichment within a broad and balanced curriculum. We will continue to invest in opportunities targeted towards disadvantaged learners. This includes the National Music Service, language and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) mentoring and Creative Learning through the Arts.
• We have legislated to make student and staff welfare an initial and ongoing condition of registration for tertiary education providers, ensuring that the CTER takes this forward when the new system is in operation.
• Government investment in further education mental and wellbeing initiatives will deliver increased counselling, staff training and wellbeing officers. This includes support for wellbeing in adult learning. We will also convene an expert mental health advisory group to consider the interface between higher education and the health service, with a focus on prevention and early intervention.

Objective

High-quality teaching and leadership, where everyone benefits from the best professional learning so that they can support the success of all learners, particularly those who are socio-economically disadvantaged.

What we will do

Guaranteed career-long professional learning and support for all staff, from initial training through to leadership, focused on realising the four purposes of the curriculum, and capacity and capability to support the success of all learners.

Our commitments

• To manage workload and reduce bureaucracy at classroom, school, college and national levels, we will work with partners and the profession to deliver on the recommendations from the joint working group on these matters.
• The National Professional Learning Entitlement reflects our system-wide commitment to valuing professional learning for all, linked to Curriculum for Wales and embedding equity and wellbeing. The entitlement is available for teachers and teaching assistants, leaders, and system leaders or advisors who support schools or settings. A national offer must be consistent and of the highest quality, so there will be a new validation process to ensure national professional learning can be quality assured and recognised.
• A shared understanding of learner progression and attainment is integral to realising the ambitions of Curriculum for Wales. By supporting the three-year Camau i’r Dyfodol project, we are bringing together the necessary expertise and experience to inform excellent practice. Outputs will be published from September 2023.
• Learner and curriculum purposes are at the centre of school evaluation, improvement and accountability. We will monitor the new school improvement guidance during the 2023 to 2024 academic year, ahead of consulting on it becoming statutory. We will work with Estyn to ensure that this guidance is aligned with their inspection framework, as well as with the emerging information ecosystem.
• To build a national picture of learner attainment across the breadth of Curriculum for Wales, support national improvement in curriculum and teaching, and inform our evaluation of curriculum reform, we will develop a national monitoring programme to assess samples of learners across Wales on an ongoing basis, beginning on a pilot basis in the 2025 to 2026 academic year.
• The education workforce will become better equipped with the knowledge and skills to support learners with ALN through a programme of awareness raising across Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act (ALNET Act) statutory roles, professional learning, Masters in Education programme, and enhanced ALN learning through initial teacher education.
• To ensure equity and access in supply teaching, we will develop and deliver a sustainable model for the employment of supply teachers with fair work at its heart and make greater use of digital technology. We will also continue to promote the National Procurement Service (NPS) framework for schools, supply staff and local authorities.
• The Independent Welsh Pay Review Body (IWPRB) will deliver a strategic review ensuring the structure of teachers’ and leaders’ pay and conditions embraces aspirations for the future.
• To develop the workforce knowledge and skills to work with the most socio-economically disadvantaged children and young people, we will deliver an Attainment Champions programme for experienced school leaders to work with other leaders.
• We will continue to support and develop the Leadership Pathway to ensure we build capacity and capability to support the success of all learners. This includes responding to the recommendations of the Review of the National Professional Qualification for Headship (NPQH) so it remains relevant and fit for purpose, providing support for leaders at all stages of their leadership journey.
• An even stronger focus on leadership will include strengthening the National Academy for Educational Leadership Wales, extending the endorsement process and increasing the number of associates, aligned to the four purposes of the curriculum and embedding equity.
• Estyn will introduce new inspection arrangements from September 2024. Inspections will complement self-evaluation and improvement processes, and will align with national priorities. More regular inspection will provide up-to-date assurance for learners, parents and carers.
• We have published, and will continue to update, national practical resources for evaluation and improvement, curriculum design, progression and assessment, available to all on Hwb. The National Network for Curriculum Implementation is an open platform, with opportunity for all practitioners in Wales to get involved in national co-construction to address our shared challenges and opportunities.
• As an integral part of our education workforce, teaching assistants have a crucial role to play in helping tackle the impact of poverty on educational attainment. We will continue to work in social partnership to improve the deployment of teaching assistants, training and professional development, and greater consistency in pay which reflects these important roles.
• Our commitment to working with national and international partners will benefit the whole education system. This includes sharing and learning best practice so that we support high-quality teaching and learning, including a new partnership with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), establishing a new global community of teachers and educators, and working through Global Wales.
• A new Post-16 Professional Learning Framework, alongside continued investment in the Post-16 Professional Learning Fund, will bring together a range of training, advice and guidance for staff at all levels to develop careers and professional lives.
• Through a Knowledge Transfer Scheme, we will continue to fund and support further education institutions to bring in industry expertise, focusing on new learning and concepts in areas such as digital, green skills, retrofit construction and engineering.
• There will be a more coherent approach of improvement across the Post Compulsory Education and Training (PCET) sector through the CTER’s strategic duty to promote continuous improvement in the quality of tertiary education, including workforce professional development and learner views.

Objective

Community-based learning, with strong institutions engaging, integrating and being empowered by their communities.

What we will do

Empower all learners, families and communities to build strong relationships and partnerships with education providers, so that we tackle disadvantage and deliver world-class education locally and nationally.

Our commitments

• Family engagement is crucial to supporting learning and high standards for children. We will emphasise and fund this, including within our strategic approach to lifelong learning, routes into skills development and employment opportunities, and the development of cross-curricular skills.
• We have so far provided £20 million to make physical adaptations to school buildings and facilities to develop greater community use. We will continue to fund key adaptations.
• Community Focused Schools play a crucial role in engaging families and communities to ensure all learners have the best start in life. We have published Community Focused Schools guidance to help embed this approach. This will be followed by a suite of further guidance available to all schools on areas such as family engagement.
• Revised attendance and engagement guidance will be published in autumn 2023, which will outline roles and responsibilities of local authorities, schools and settings, and governor responsibilities in supporting learners to maintain good attendance. As part of this, schools will be asked to publish their attendance policies.
• No school can be allowed to consistently underperform within a self-improving system that sets high standards and aspirations for all. Therefore we will consult on new schools causing concern guidance.
• There are new regulations which establish clear expectations on parental engagement and information to support learners’ progression. Alongside Estyn, we will monitor the effectiveness of these Provision of Information by Head Teachers to Parents and Carers regulations.
• Schools, through curriculum development, will be supported to be at the heart of their communities. We will support this by updating guidance so that schools can be fully engaged with local businesses, charities, clubs, public services and others to develop an understanding of cynefin and the four purposes of the curriculum.
• Our commitment through the Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme will deliver an additional £1.5 billion to provide learning spaces that inspire learners to engage, learn and develop into model citizens of the future, including a net zero carbon commitment and community engagement as a core value. 
• In achieving a sustainable delivery model for youth work, we will support both statutory and voluntary provision, developing and taking forward the Interim Youth Work Board’s proposals.
• To support a stronger social, cultural and economic contract between institutions and their communities, we have legislated to promote the pursuit of a civic mission by tertiary education providers.
• We have legislated to promote collaboration between tertiary education providers and trade unions, reflecting the spirit of social partnership. Workforce and learner associate members of the CTER are due to be in place early in 2024. Collectively we will progress the development of core and consistent principles for governance at tertiary education providers, ensuring effectiveness, accountability, civic engagement and transparency.
• Students across Wales make a significant contribution to society and grow as engaged and active citizens. We will work with the tertiary education sector, starting with universities, to develop a Wales-wide ‘student as citizen’ offer and recognition.
• As anchor institutions, colleges and universities make a significant contribution to their local economies and communities. We will work with ColegauCymru to develop a current understanding of the wider economic impact and social value of the college sector and how we can work together to further support this, building on the positive work of universities in this regard.

Objective

Cymraeg belongs to us all, giving every learner equal access to the language and the opportunity to reach their potential.

What we will do

Encourage the use of Welsh across the education system, as an integral part of Curriculum for Wales, our Cymraeg 2050 ambitions and expanding provision post-16 to study through Welsh and opportunities to learn the language as active and engaged citizens.

Our commitments

• As many learners as possible should have a route into Welsh-medium education. We will work with Mudiad Meithrin to expand Welsh-medium nursery provision right across the country, with 60 additional Welsh-medium nursery groups by 2026.
• Supporting parents and carers to use Welsh with their children, and to make informed decisions about their children’s education, ensures greater opportunities for creating bilingual citizens of all ages. We will continue to support the Cymraeg for Kids programme and implement our National policy on Welsh language transmission and use in families.
• The percentage of Year 1 learners taught in Welsh will increase from 23% (2020 to 2021) to 26% in 2026.
• A new national bilingual education resources company, Adnodd, will be established to work across different sectors to ensure Welsh and English resources are identified, commissioned and available to support all aspects of the curriculum.
• To provide more clarity for parents, carers and the education system, and to encourage greater use in and out of the classroom, schools will be categorised according to their Welsh language provision.
• The Welsh in Education Strategic Plans (WESPs) continue to be a basis for planning Welsh in education. New 10-year plans have been approved and we will work with local authorities to implement their WESPs for the next decade.
• We know that not all learners will follow the same journey into Welsh-medium education, with some accessing their education through the medium of Welsh at a later entry point. We will invest in and support local authorities’ development of Welsh language late immersion provision so that learners from across Wales have the opportunity to access Welsh-medium education in their area.
• To support the development of bilingual citizens, the Framework for Welsh in English-medium education, alongside resources and professional learning, sets out the experiences, knowledge and skills needed by learners in English-medium education in order to make progress in Welsh.
• We will introduce a Welsh Language Education Bill to increase the provision of Welsh-medium education and improve the teaching of Welsh in all schools so that all learners leave school as confident and proficient Welsh speakers.
• Our commitment to lifelong learning means that all young people aged 16 to 25 will have free access to Welsh for Adults courses, and free Welsh lessons are also available to all teachers, headteachers, teaching assistants and other workers in the education system. We will continue to invest in Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol so that apprentices and further and higher education learners have more opportunities to learn Welsh, and become teachers and ‘Learn Welsh’ tutors.
• In taking forward a legislative duty, the CTER will encourage demand for, and participation in, Welsh-medium tertiary education. It will also encourage providers to increase Welsh-medium provision and collaborate to do this effectively.
• The National Centre for Learning Welsh will lead a pilot project to encourage young Welsh-speakers to return from universities to help teach Welsh in schools.
• We will work with our stakeholders to deliver the Welsh in education workforce plan to increase the number of teachers, leaders and support workers able to work through the medium of Welsh and to support the development of the Welsh language skills and expertise of the existing workforce.