Executive Summary
In our submission, we were asked to consider the following:
- How the review should be delivered
- Strengths in the system and challenges to be resolved
- Our views on a ‘single education system'
- Our vision for education in Northern Ireland
In considering these questions, we have drawn on ASCL’s
Blueprint for a Fairer Education System: A Great Education for Every Child (2021) which we have considered in the light of our own context in Northern Ireland.
We believe that it provides a framework for what a better education system here should look like, and that the outcome of the review should guarantee the following:
- A high-quality curriculum that delivers a broad and challenging education for all of our young people and that offers stability to schools over the next decade.
- Assessments and qualifications which link seamlessly to the curriculum and which offer suitable academic and vocational pathways for each young person.
- A system which invests in its teachers and leaders, equipping them to deliver the curriculum effectively and to engage in effective and ongoing CPD and meaningful collaboration.
- An education system which is properly resourced at all levels allowing school leaders and teachers to focus on learning and teaching.
- Structures and systems that support schools, operate efficiently and reward those who provide all young people with a high-quality education.
Our submission is also informed by the views of our members who responded to a survey carried out in October 2022 in relation to the ongoing TNC Review of the Impact of School Leader Workload.
Full response to consultation