The Learning Country: VisionintoAction › 8834 › 3 › A9R3F9F_Redacted.pdf · strategy that would embody vision and action, so that we might transform education and lifelong learning

The Learning Country:Vision into Action

The Department for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills

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When we published ‘The Learning Country’ in2001 our intention was to provide a ten-yearstrategy that would embody vision and action,so that we might transform education andlifelong learning in post-devolution Wales. As this successor document demonstrates, thevision remains constant, although we haveused the opportunity to both reaffirm andupdate it. There is much that we have achievedin the way of actions: but there is also muchmore to do in the period through to 2010 andbeyond. This document sets out, in a new way,our future plans so that they are transparentand show our clear sense of purpose.

Our education system here in Wales isundergoing radical change. By 2010, theincreased education and training opportunitiesin Wales will bear very little resemblance tothose available at the advent of the Assemblyin 1999. Our aim is to ensure the best possibleenvironment to encourage learning at all stagesin people’s lives. At each step along the way,these changes have been supported by thoseworking within education in Wales, and as welaunch our next big step with this document, Ihope we can all take pride in developing thisagenda together.

A child born today - let’s call her Megan - willhave unprecedented new opportunities todevelop to the limits of her ability, rather thanthe limits of the system. Let’s look at what her

experience might be. If Megan is part of thenew Flying Start programme for babies tothree year olds, she and her parents will havededicated health, education and childcaresupport to prepare her for the new FoundationPhase to be introduced across Wales for 3-7 year olds in 2008 with its emphasis onactive learning. She will eat free healthybreakfasts at school in the morning and theschool will provide healthy food throughoutthe school day.

As she moves up through primary school, she will follow a curriculum which will offer hera rich range of opportunities and experiences.She will be assessed by teachers who will usethat assessment to inform Megan’s learningand ensure she is given the best possiblesupport in the move to secondary schoolthrough statutory transition planning. She may choose to stand for election to theschool council or to support the school’seco-committee.

Her education will take place in buildingswhich will have been extensively refurbished oreven replaced over the previous decade. Thecurriculum that she will follow up to the age of14 will be built with a focus on the skills thatshe will need for future success in educationand employment.

At the age of 14 Megan will have to make

NELSON MANDELA HAS MADE THE FOLLOWING OBSERVATION:

‘’Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. But withvision and action you can change the world.’’

T H E L E A R N I N G C O U N T R Y

Vision into Action Minister’s foreword

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T H E L E A R N I N G C O U N T R Y

Vision into ActionMinister’s foreword

important choices about her future. She willhave the chance to follow high-quality coursesthat will take her either along a traditionalroute to GCSEs and A levels, or a newvocational learning route that will be wellestablished by this time. Both could lead tostudy in further or higher education, as well as to high-skilled employment. Megan hasalready decided, with the support of herlearning coach to undertake the vocationalroute and hopes to do a ModernApprenticeship in the field of engineering.Whichever route she takes, her achievementswill be captured in the Welsh Baccalaureatewhich will broaden her learning experience andenable her to demonstrate the right skills foruniversity or the world of work.

Whatever the pathway she follows, Meganwill be encouraged to participate in full-timeeducation and training until she is at least 19.This will give her the foundation skills that shewill need to succeed in the modern economy.Whether she goes on to university then, orlater in her life, hopefully she will have gaineda passion for learning that will last her for lifeand will be as much about her enjoyment andwellbeing as her economic security.

I said in my foreword to the original LearningCountry document that education and trainingare of the first importance for Wales. I remaincommitted to that view and to making Wales a

place where everyone has the opportunity tolearn and to prosper. Wales has begun arevolution in education and lifelong learning.Our vision for the future of learners is clear.“The Learning Country: Vision into Action”outlines the strategy and priorities we will betaking forward over the next few years tomake that vision a reality.

Vision into Action is also intrinsic to thedelivery of our Child Poverty ImplementationPlan and we shall drive both strategies withvigour and commitment.

The proposals set out in this document take fullaccount of Making the Connections; and ofthe strong support that agenda has receivedfrom the Beecham Report on public servicedelivery. Our plans are learner-focused,community oriented and founded upon thecollaborative principles which underpin ourbroader approach to public serviceimprovement for Wales - on which theAssembly Government will be making a furtherstatement shortly in the context of its responseto the Beecham Report itself.

Jane Davidson AMMinister for Education,

Lifelong Learning and Skills


V I S I O N I N T O A C T I O N

Strong foundations Early Years and InclusionThe Learning Country vision:We want all our young people to have the best start in life, the opportunity to reach their full potential, and a clear entitlement to influence the services that affect them.

Outcomes:

• 45 Integrated Children’sCentres by 2007

• Free breakfast initiativerolled out to all primaryschools that want it by 2007

• Complete theimplementation of theFoundation Phase of education by 2011

• Six specialist regionalcentres for additionallearning needs to beestablished by 2007

WHAT DOES OUR ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH TELL US?• Early and intensive intervention in education and care

produce benefits for the individual and society thatare experienced across the lifespan, particularly bythe most disadvantaged children

• An early years curriculum based on active learningand including elements of play and assessment forlearning, is capable of increasing the engagement,enjoyment and achievement of our youngest children

• All children have the ability to learn and to succeed ineducation. Through providing for the additionallearning needs of pupils, including those with specificlearning difficulties and those who are able andtalented, we can maximize their achievement

• High levels of health and fitness, including goodnutrition, play an important part in the motivation,wellbeing and achievement of learners

• Developing an appropriately qualified and well-trained workforce is critical to the success of earlyyears education and care

WHAT ARE WE CURRENTLY DOING?• Taking forward the Flying Start programme for

children aged 0-3 living in disadvantagedcommunities, supported by other complementaryprogrammes including Cymorth, Sure Start, the BasicSkills Strategy, the Parenting Action Plan and theChildcare Strategy – to target the needs of youngchildren and parents and improve outcomes for themost disadvantaged

• Piloting the Foundation Phase for 3-7 year olds in 42maintained and non-maintained settings across Wales


V I S I O N I N T O A C T I O NStrong foundations Early Years and Inclusion

• Working with Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin andTrinity College Carmarthen to train earlyyears practitioners to deliver the FoundationPhase through the medium of Welsh. To date 440 have completed their trainingand a further 300 have enrolled on the programmes

• Developing an Inclusion Policy andPerformance Framework for Wales that builds on a whole school andcommunity approach to meeting additional learning needs

• Urging local authorities to use surveys whereappropriate to assess the demand fromparents for Welsh medium education

• Piloting joint commissioning of services forchildren and young people with speech,language and communication difficulties

• Promoting regional collaboration to meet the needs of learners with additional learning needs

• Implementing ‘Appetite for Life’, theproposals of the Assembly Government’sFood and Fitness Working Group and seekingto appoint jointly with the WLGA a NutritionChampion to take forward the agenda

• Supporting all schools to become involved in the Welsh Network of Healthy SchoolScheme

• Making available free breakfasts to primaryschool pupils and introducing improvementsto food and fitness in schools, such as theintroduction of fruit tuck shops, water coolersand playground markings

• Taking forward “Childcare is for Children”,our vision of childcare as part of the modernwelfare state, available to all parents who

need it and delivered by qualifiedprofessionals, dedicated to serving thedevelopmental needs of the children in their care

OBJECTIVESGive young children the bestpossible start in lifeTo do this we will:

• Make the services supported by Flying Start available to many more communitiesover time, based on the evidence of its effectiveness

• From September 2008, roll out theFoundation Phase to all schools and non-maintained early years settings forcompletion by the end of the 2010/11school year

• Prepare a workforce development plan withrecommendations on actions needed in thenext 3-5 years to support the delivery of theFoundation Phase to the quality levels thatwill be required

• Continue to advocate the take up of theprimary school free breakfast initiative

• Ensure that all schools become part of theWelsh Network of Healthy Schools Schemeby March 2010

• Use capital funding from Flying Start tosupport more integrated centres indisadvantaged areas, bringing together arange of services, including early yearseducation, childcare, play and communitydevelopment



Promote inclusion in education and learningTo do this we will:• Develop regional provision for children and

young people with complex needs, engaginglocal authorities and Local Health Boards towork more collaboratively to deliver servicesin accordance with their new duties underthe Children Act 2004

• Review the statutory assessment frameworkfor additional learning needs to ensure thatindividual learners’ needs are met effectively

• Ensure that teachers can acquire thenecessary skills to work effectively withlearners with additional learning needs aspart of their initial teaching training andcontinuing professional development

• Ensure that there is an adequate supply ofspecial needs teachers, educationalpsychologists, speech and languagetherapists and other specialists across Wales,working with local authorities to achieve this

• Introduce an action plan in response to therecommendations of the Education, LifelongLearning and Skills Committee Review of SEN

• Ensure that appropriate quality standards arein place for schools and local authorities tomeet a range of additional needs – and takeaccount of the implications for provision inschools, colleges and other settings post-16

• Provide guidance on meeting the needs ofpupils with medical needs and on promotingemotional health

• Deliver a strategy for ethnic minorityachievement that ensures the needs of allethnic minority groups, including Gypsies andTravellers, refugee children and asylumseekers are met more effectively

• Deliver an Inclusion Policy and PerformanceFramework that ensures all learners’ needs(including those of disabled children) are meteffectively, that teachers and school basedsupport staff have the necessary skills tosupport a diverse range of needs, that thereis equality of access to a range of supportservices, and that there are robust outcomemeasures for learners with additional learningneeds

• Provide additional support for those learners inthe care of the local authority, strengtheningthe legislative basis for the placement ofyoung people and using the RAISE (RaisingAttainment and Individual Standards inEducation in Wales) programme to ensurethat they are fully supported in their learning,especially during the final two years ofcompulsory education

• Provide an enriched curriculum and extendedlearning experiences in recognition that allpupils have a range of abilities, talents andlearning needs. In doing so, we will ensurethat more able and talented pupils haveaccess to a range of opportunities andchallenges to nurture their skills and ensurethey reach their full potential

V I S I O N I N T O A C T I O NStrong foundations Early Years and Inclusion




Schools and LearningThe Learning Country vision:

We shall ensure that the benefits of improvements are enjoyed by all, in a fully comprehensive system of

learning that serves all our local communities well.

WHAT DOES OUR ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH TELL US?• There are already significant numbers of surplus

school places and the number of pupils in educationwill continue to decline into the next decade, raising issues of how to best organise schoolprovision to ensure high-quality education and the best value for money

• Based on the evidence of assessment at 7 and 11,performance at these ages has already reach levels of attainment which are as good or better as othercountries in the UK. By the age of 14, however, thatlevel of performance has not been maintained

• In order to maintain the improvement in standardsachieved in our schools it will be necessary to focusincreasingly on:

- pupils who experience disadvantage

- the relative under-achievement of boys comparedto girls

- the relative under-achievement of some blackand ethnic minority pupils

- pupils who through non-attendance, poorbehaviour, bullying and other causes, becomedisengaged or excluded

- schools with pupil outcomes which are below the levels which might be expected of them

• Schools with a good learning environment, includinghigh standards of buildings, make a positive impacton learning

• Community focused schools have a positive impacton pupils’ learning and attainment, as well assecuring better value for public expenditure

Outcomes:

• All school buildings to be fit for purpose on the basisof target dates agreed withindividual local authorities

• Primary class sizes to bemaintained at a maximumof 30 pupils

• Percentage of pupilsachieving the core subjectindicator (Welsh or English,maths and science incombination) through teacherassessment by the age of11 to be 80% by 2010(2007 milestone - 75%)

• Percentage of pupilsachieving the core subjectindicator through teacherassessment by the age of 14to reach 65% by 2010 (2007milestone - 60%)

• Attendance in secondaryschools to be at least 93%by 2010 (2007milestone- 92%)



• There is a body of knowledge on howschools can transform themselves using theoutcomes of research on school effectivenessand improvement, which should be morewidely employed

• A skills-based curriculum for 7-14 year oldswould enable the philosophy of theFoundation Phase to be built upon andprepare for the diversified learning pathwaysyoung people will follow in their 14-19education and training

• Pupils often lose continuity and progressionin their learning during the transition fromprimary to secondary schooling

• The effectiveness of the partnership betweenthe Assembly Government, local authorities,schools, business and voluntary sector isfundamental to the success of educationpolicies

• An increasing proportion of parents arechoosing Welsh medium education with 8new primary and 2 new secondary schoolsopened since 2000

WHAT ARE WE CURRENTLYDOING?• Introducing targeted and funded

programmes such as RAISE to help raisestandards of achievement in schools

• Reviewing the curriculum to ensure thatappropriate skills development is woventhrough each Key Stage, so that thecurriculum promotes and supports personaldevelopment and is responsive to the needsof individual pupils

• Requiring primary and secondary schools

to work together in clusters to provide asuitably broad learning experience andsmooth progression between Key Stages 2 and 3

• Implementing our targeted strategy WordsTalk, Numbers Count to support pupils whoare falling behind in reading, writing ornumber work

• Developing quality standards for pupils withadditional learning needs, including the mostable and talented children

• Addressing the issue of pupil non-attendanceby improving the quality, accessibility and useof attendance information; giving guidanceand support to key stakeholders; andidentifying and disseminating good practice

• Reviewing approaches to promoting positivebehaviour and high levels of attendance inschools in Wales

• Developing an ICT strategy for schools aimedat realising the potential of ICT to transformteaching and learning and improveorganisational effectiveness

V I S I O N I N T O A C T I O NSchools and learning





• Reviewing the education welfare service

• Providing £6m of capital funding to improveelectronic attendance management systems

• Providing increased resources to assist localauthorities and voluntary-aided schools tomake all school buildings fit for delivery ofthe curriculum and properly maintained

• Requiring local authorities to develop plansfor capital investment in schools which takeaccount of the sharp decline in pupilnumbers and the need to invest in schoolswhich are viable, can deliver high-qualityeducation and can provide facilities forcommunity use

• Supporting local authorities to workcollaboratively on capital investmentprogrammes, sharing expertise and goodpractice

• Requiring local authorities to assess demandfor Welsh medium schools places in order toensure that provision matches needs

• Piloting late immersion and intensivelanguage teaching projects through themedium of Welsh

• Piloting modern foreign languages in primaryschools

• Tackling bullying by ensuring all governingbodies have bullying policies in place whichhave been drawn up in full consultation withstaff, pupils and parents

• Combating racism in education by providingguidance for class teachers and schools inidentifying, recording and dealing with racistincidents

• Developing a Minority Ethnic Achievement

Strategy to assist local authorities and schools to establish a positive school cultureand ethos

• Funding the All Wales Schools Programme toaddress social welfare issues such assubstance misuse, community safety, firesafety and financial literacy. The Programmenow operates in 97% of primary andsecondary schools and from 2006-07 isextending, particularly to engage withdisengaged or excluded pupils

• Requiring all maintained primary (excludinginfant and nursery), special and secondaryschools to have schools councils byNovember 2006. School councils insecondary schools can nominate 2 membersfrom years 11-13 inclusive to be associatepupil governors on the school’s governingbody. The governing body must accept suchnominations

• Highlighting in guidance to governmentbodies and headteachers the need for schoolcouncils to engage the wider schoolpopulation to capture and reflect their ideas,opinions and concerns - through classrepresentatives, dedicated school councilbusiness discussion time in each class,suggestion boxes, school council web-pageand e-mail address, questionnaires,newsletters, school council notice board orother means

• Recognising the crucial role which educationat all levels has in helping us achieve thevision and aspirations of Iaith Pawb, ournational action plan for a bilingual Wales.Our education system must serve the needsof both our national languages




OBJECTIVES

Tackle poverty of educationalopportunity and raise standardsin schoolsTo do this we will:

• Raise levels of attainment at the ages of 11,14 and 16 through intervention targeted onschools where the core subject indicators,and, at GCSE, the average points score, arebelow national averages and the levels thatwould be expected set against benchmarkinformation

• Refocus on school improvement so as tonarrow the gap in performance - workingwith local authorities and schools and takingaccount of existing capacity and expertise inboth; the lessons of the Narrowing the Gapproject; and the forthcoming requirementunder the Education Act 2002 for partnershipagreements between local authorities andschools setting out the framework of supportto be provided by the authority and theoutcomes expected from the school

• Take forward the RAISE initiative to provideadditional support for disadvantaged pupilsand help to raise their levels of performance

• Improve peer support and challenge betweenschools to enhance performance in schoolsfacing the most significant difficulties

• Review current approaches to supplyteaching and consult local authorities, schoolsand Estyn on whether these impact onraising standards in schools

• Target improvements in Basic Skills education

• Enrich non-formal learning and help raisestandards in basic and key skills as well as incurriculum areas and personal, social and

emotional development by promoting Out ofSchool Hours Learning

• Use the Better Schools Fund to supportschools to innovate and develop and sharebest practice, underpinned by robustevaluation

• Develop an ICT Self Review Framework forWales which will help schools to assess theirown performance in the use of ICT tosupport teaching and learning againstnationally agreed benchmarks

• Use average points score as a wider measureof achievement to support a sharper focus onthe needs of the learner and development ofskills

• Implement, from September 2008, revisedcurriculum and assessment arrangementswhich will promote and support the raising ofstandards, skills and personal developmentand assessment for learning

• Review the PSE framework in time for the2008-09 academic year to strengthen theemphasis on values, rights and responsibilitiesand personal finance education and toextend the framework to age 16 to 19

• Improve modern foreign language learning inWales by refreshing the national modernforeign languages strategy “LanguagesCount” by September 2008, to coincide withthe implementation of a revised schoolcurriculum

• Issue guidance to school governing bodiesand local authorities under section 176 of theEducation Act 2002 which will set out theissues that pupils should be involved in, andhow governing bodies and local authoritiesmight go about involving pupils in decisionsthat affect them


Make all school buildings fit for purposeTo do this we will:• Promote sustainability and security in the

design of new schools and significantrefurbishments by requiring local authoritiesto have regard to the BREEAM standards andto incorporate sprinklers when usingAssembly Government grant

• Promote effective procurement and strongproject management in the provision ofschool buildings through collaborative actionbetween local authorities supported by ValueWales

• Provide on average funding of £150m a yearto 2009-10 for school buildings; keep underreview the progress made by localauthorities; consult authorities on the needfor investment beyond 2010 and set targetdates for individual authorities to reach thefitness target

• Consider developing a link betweenallocation of funding for capital investment inschools and effective strategic planning bylocal authorities, based on their assetmanagement plans and their assessment ofdemand for school places

• Promote schools as a focus for the localcommunity, providing opportunities for outof school hours activities (educational andotherwise) for pupils, their families and thelocal community, including local voluntarygroups; and as a base for other services

Ensure that all children are safe at schoolTo do this we will:• Introduce legislation to make Criminal

Records Checks compulsory across the schoolworkforce in Wales

• Act on the findings of the Estyn survey ofvetting practices within schools in Wales

• Introduce new legislation to enable theGeneral Teaching Council for Wales toundertake suitability checks on teachers

• Ensure that the endorsed recommendationsof the Children’s Commissioner’s ClywchInquiry are implemented including thedevelopment of a pupil counselling strategyfor schools

• Encourage effective action against bullying,including racially motivated bullying and thatwhich may be motivated by the stigma ofpoverty and disadvantage, building on theguidance set out in “Respecting Others”

• Ensure that children and young people areable to use the Internet safely andappropriately in schools and raise awarenessof good practice in the use of online tools inteaching and learning

• Agree the role of school nurses and developa flexible model of school nursing in Wales

• Require secondary and primary schools toput Transition Plans in place from September2007 onwards to promote continuity andprogression in learning for pupils movingfrom Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3





Encourage good nutrition andhealthier lifestylesTo do this we will:• Commission Estyn to examine the extent to

which schools and local authorities are takingaction to improve health, nutrition andfitness as an adjunct to lifting educationalattainment overall

• Appoint jointly with the WLGA a Championto ensure that the recommendations of thereport by the Food in Schools WorkingGroup – Appetite for Life – are fullyimplemented

Promote the Welsh LanguageTo do this we will:• Extend immersion and intensive language

teaching pilot projects which will give pupilsaccess to a greater range of subjects throughthe medium of Welsh

• Develop targeted measures to address thechallenges associated with issues of linguisticcontinuity

• Continue to support the development ofWelsh-medium and bilingual classroomresources

• Work with awarding bodies and others toextend the range of qualifications,particularly vocational qualifications, availablethrough the medium of Welsh

• Address the drift from Welsh first languageto Welsh second language in the transitionfrom primary to secondary school

• Increase the proportion of NGfL Cymruresources available in Welsh




WHAT DOES OUR ANALYSIS AND RESEARCH TELL US?• Nearly 50% of our young people who do not attain

a level 2 qualification (GCSEs at *A-C) at the ageof 15 often feel that they have ‘failed’ in educationand do not participate in any additional educationor training in their immediate futures

• A lower percentage of our 15 year olds attain level1 (GCSEs at D-G) or level 2 qualifications at theage of 15 than in other areas of the UK

• Young people who are not in education,employment or training at the age of 16 or 18,become disengaged and attain poorly during theireducation: in the future they are likely to beeconomically inactive and in danger of exclusionfrom society

• Young offenders aged 11-17 are 3 times morelikely to have very poor basic skills than youngpeople of this age in the population as a whole

• Education is the single most important protectivefactor in preventing offending and re-offending

• One of the major reasons why young peoplebecome disengaged from education before the ageof 16 and do not stay in education or training after16, is because of personal problems and/or a lackof advice on their learning and career options

• The availability and take-up by young people of allaptitudes and abilities in vocational learning is verylimited

• Collaboration in 14-19 education and trainingbetween schools, further education colleges andwork-based learning providers is weak


14-19 Learning Pathways and BeyondThe Learning Country vision:

We want to transform provision for 14 to 19 year olds, so that within an overall curriculum entitlement, artificial barriers are broken down to meet the

demands of learning in a new century.

Outcomes:

• The average points scoreper 15-year-old pupil for allqualifications approved forpre-16 use in Wales toimprove year on year

• The percentage of 15 yearolds achieving theequivalent of GCSE gradeA* to C to reach 60% by2010 (2007 milestone 53%)

• By 2010, no pupil to leavefull-time education withoutan approved qualification

• The percentage of 16-18year olds in employment,education or training toreach 93% by 2010 (2007milestone - 90%)

• 95% of young people, by the age of 25, to be ready for high skilled employmentand/or further or highereducation by 2015


• The external evaluation of the WelshBaccalaureate has recommended theimplementation of a staged roll-out atAdvanced and Intermediate levels in post-16education from September 2007

• Professionals other than teachers or FElecturers, particularly Youth Workers, have a valuable role to play in supporting youngpeople during their 14-19 education andtraining

What are we currently doing?• Introducing new opportunities for 14-19 year

olds as part of our Learning Pathwaysprogramme, to provide them with enhancedchoice and flexibility, including attractivevocational offers for all abilities andparticipation in a wide variety of experiences,with accreditation of learning whereverpossible

• Reviewing existing qualifications anddeveloping new qualifications to meet needsof learners, employers and higher educationin the 21st century

• Developing the role of Learning Coaches -adults who have been trained to help youngpeople understand and develop their studyskills and learning styles and make choiceswhich reflect their aptitudes and potential

• Raising the capacity of Learning Coaches touse Welsh as a medium

• Piloting the use of video conferencingbetween schools and colleges to promotesubject specific collaboration, includingproficiency in Welsh and teaching othersubjects through the medium of Welsh

• Rolling out the Welsh Baccalaureate atAdvanced and Intermediate levels in post-16education and piloting a Foundation levelmodel, alongside the Intermediate model,with 14-19 year olds from September 2007

• Piloting work-focused learning pathways,working very closely with Sector SkillsCouncils

• Promoting the effective participation ofchildren and young people in decisionmaking on issues which affect their lives

• Working with the Youth Justice Board forEngland and Wales and other partners toensure more young people in the criminaljustice system can access and benefit fromthe learning opportunities they need

• Supporting the effective delivery ofExtending Entitlement for all 11-25 year oldsacross Wales

• Piloting counselling approaches to ensurethat young people who may be facingdifficulties continue with their studies

V I S I O N I N T O A C T I O N14 to 19 Learning Pathways and Beyond



• Complementing support for learners throughspecialist, impartial advice and guidance fromCareers Wales, working closely with thelearning providers and with Learning Coaches

• Developing an education and training systemthat offers young people between the agesof 14-19 the highest possible qualityprovision, whether in schools, furthereducation colleges and work-based learning,or through some combination of these

OBJECTIVESProvide engaging, stimulating, and flexible learning programmesand pathwaysTo do this we will:

• Offer a wider range of relevant courses andqualifications and, in particular, a high-quality, employer informed, vocationallearning route targeted at young people of allabilities, whilst maintaining GCSE, AS/A leveland other established courses

• Provide a Learning Core aligned with theWelsh Baccalaureate where wider skills andexperiences will be developed, whicheverpathway young people follow

• Use the Credit and Qualification Frameworkfor Wales as a tool to ensure that learningachievement is recognised in ‘bite sized’chunks where appropriate

• Offer 14-19 year olds a unique blend ofsupport mechanisms to help them in their

learning, their personal lives and in theircareer choices

• Develop a collaborative approach betweenproviders, supported by robust financialmechanisms to enable our 14-19 LearningPathways policies to be delivered

• Ensure 14-19 Networks, including localauthorities and other learning providers, worktogether to develop strategic planning andlocal implementation

• Ensure that a range of learning opportunities,including those of a vocational nature, andaccess to a Learning Coach are availablethrough the medium of Welsh

• Develop more and better opportunities foryoung people to access valuableapprenticeship opportunities to createattractive options for individuals

Equip young people to be able to respond to changing employment marketsTo do this we will:

• Enable all learners to acquire the essentialskills needed for employment, working withproviders and stakeholders particularly theSector Skills Councils

• Extend the Welsh Baccalaureate, whichbrings breadth to studies and develops theKey Skills that are important in employmentand learning, to be available to 14-19 yearolds from September 2007



• Implement revised A levels from 2008 andrevised GCSEs from 2009

• Ensure that Careers Wales continues toprovide an all-age service and works withpartners to extend services to under-represented groups – and sets newbenchmark requirements to upgrade thequality, relevance, and rigour of its services

• Further enhance Careers Wales Online(www.careerswales.com) as a flexible, all-age, fully bilingual, interactive web-basedsupport service to individuals that will enablethem to take more control in planning andrecording their learning

• Overhaul the partnership systems andarrangements that link Education andBusiness, taking full account ofrecommendations from the Vocational SkillsChampion for Wales

Ensure that services meet theneeds of young peopleTo do this we will:

• Encourage all partners to evaluate theirprovision, planning and expenditure foryoung people in the light of their awarenessand understanding of young people’s needs,gained through each Young People’sPartnership, and through the genuineparticipation of young people in thesedecisions

• Develop a national youth service strategy toset out our vision for youth work in Wales

• Implement a training and developmentstrategy for youth workers and othersworking with young people to ensure thatthe workforce possesses the necessary skillsand competencies to work most effectivelywith young people

• Ensure that young people have the services,support and opportunities to which they are entitled

• Encourage children and young people toparticipate in decisions about services andprovision which affect their lives and moregenerally in the life and work of their schoolsand communities

• Ensure that every primary, secondary andspecial school has a school council in place by November 2006; support adults, childrenand young people to develop schools whichare truly participative, and support AssociatePupil Governors to make an effectivecontribution to the work of school governing bodies

• Listen to learners and take account of themessages they give us in designing andrefining future provision

• Encourage learners and staff to make moreuse of bilingual learning and coachingmaterials

• Engage a range of statutory and nonstatutory agencies in developingopportunities for young people to use theWelsh language outside educational settings




Supporting PractitionersThe Learning Country vision:

We want to drive up standards of teaching and attainment in all learning settings, valuing

and supporting practitioners to achieve this.

WHAT DOES OUR ANALYSIS ANDRESEARCH TELL US?• We should utilise the vastly increased knowledge we

have of how learning takes place and what makes forsuccessful learning and teaching

• Improving the quality of initial training, induction andcontinuous professional development of teachers andpost-16 education and training staff has an importantpart to play in achieving our goals

• Improvements in learning and teaching pedagogyand in the sharing of good practice can contributesignificantly to the raising of standards in educationand training

• Effective leadership, at all levels, plays a key role inimproving the quality of all education and training

• There has been an exponential growth in the numberof staff other than teachers and lecturers, who areinvolved in supporting learners in education andtraining

• Improvements are needed in the training,qualifications and continuous professionaldevelopment of this wider educational workforce



What are we currently doing?• Introduced a Statutory Induction period

for all newly qualified teachers in September 2003

• Introduced an Early ProfessionalDevelopment programme for teachers inSeptember 2004

• Providing funding, since 2001/02, throughthe General Teaching Council for Wales, to support the individual professionaldevelopment of teachers

• Developing, with the General TeachingCouncil for Wales, a professionaldevelopment framework for teachers that will help identify individual developmentneeds by providing guidance on the skills and competencies that can be expected ofteachers at different stages and paths in their careers

• Launched the National HeadshipDevelopment Programme in 2001

• Made the National Professional Qualificationfor Headship mandatory for teachers aspiringto the role of headship in Wales to recogniseand promote effective leadership

• Introduced the School Workload Agreementto help ensure that teachers in maintainedschools are able to focus their time on theteaching and learning of their pupils and thatthe role of school support staff is properlyrecognised and supported

• Sharing innovative practice in learning andteaching, through the Pedagogy Initiative,launched in November 2005, to enable

practitioners to learn from each other bysharing experience

• Providing a range of Basic and Key Skillssupport to practitioners through Words Talk,Numbers Count and the key skills SupportProgrammes

• Using technological and traditional methodsto support the sharing and development ofinnovative practice and collaboration inlearning and teaching across Work BasedLearning, Community Learning, FurtherEducation and Schools

OBJECTIVESExtend and enhance the capabilitiesof our learning workforceTo do this we will:

SCHOOLS

• Implement changes in Initial Teacher Training(ITT) provision via the ITT Change Plan(following the Furlong review of ITTProvision in Wales)

• Task the General Teaching Council for Waleswith the continued development of theProfessional Development Framework,exploring the concept and applicability ofChartered Teacher status

• Refresh the National Headship DevelopmentProgramme in Wales, taking into account theoutcomes of the five-yearly review and thepossibility of introducing structuredleadership programmes for those beyond theschool setting

V I S I O N I N T O A C T I O NSupporting Practitioners


V I S I O N I N T O A C T I O NSupporting Practitioners

ALL SETTINGS

• Develop and improve flexibility ofdeployment within and across sectorboundaries

• Explore ways of paralleling developments onInduction and Early ProfessionalDevelopment that have been introduced forteachers for other staff within and beyondthe school setting

Develop the skills and knowledgeof our learning workforceTo do this we will:

SCHOOLS

• Encourage local authorities to increase theircollaborative working to provide high-qualityadvisory, school improvement and supportservices for the school workforce

• Provide a bilingual e-learning course forteachers to develop their skills in workingwith pupils with additional learning needs,working with Higher Education Institutionsacross Wales to do so

• Ensure a steady supply of specialist staffworking with pupils with additional learningneeds through the Better Schools Fund

• Support NGfL Cymru to provide onlineresources for teachers in Welsh and Englishwhich are focused on the needs of theCurriculum Cymreig

ALL SETTINGS

• Develop a five-year strategic plan, based onour pedagogy initiative, to create theexpectation that all practitioners in Wales willengage in the most effective learning andteaching, including leading edge research inthis important area

• Strengthen the practitioner base inknowledge and application of embeddingKey Skills through collaborative studentcentred learning

• Encourage the development of programmesto accredit and recognise the skills of thewider school workforce beyond teachers andlecturers

• Strengthen the practitioner base in the vitalarea of literacy and numeracy through ourBasic Skills Strategy Words Talk, NumbersCount

• Continue work on enhancing the WelshMedium Incentive Supplement Scheme andconsult on a revised scheme offering greatersupport for the trainees, institutions andschools involved

• Promote a Welsh Language Sabbaticalsscheme for primary and secondary schoolteachers and for FE practitioners andproviders and consider its application toschool support staff. We will develop asimilar scheme for practitioners who areengaged with the Foundation Phase



Beyond Compulsory Education: Skills, Further Education and Lifelong LearningThe Learning Country vision:We want to strengthen the contribution of education and training to economic development. We want learning to be an every day part of working, and non-working life, in which the interests of learners come first.

WHAT DOES OUR ANALYSIS ANDRESEARCH TELL US?• We are out-performing other countries in the UK

in the achievement of Key Skills awards

• Despite improvements, skills and qualifications ofworking-age adults are still too low

• In certain key growth areas of the Welsh economythere are insufficient workers with the requiredskills

• Workers who move from level 1 to level 3qualifications can gain significant improvements insalary levels.

• Improvements are needed in the overall quality ofwork-based learning

• The overall quality of further education provisionis variable

• Provision of post-16 education and training doesnot always provide young people with anappropriate range of courses and, thereby,contribute to improving participation rates

What are we currently doing?• Delivering the Skills and Employment Action Plan

to improve the levels of skills in Wales and thelevels of employment

• Responding effectively to the requirements of theSector Skills Councils by working to improve skilllevels by sector

• Identifying the needs of employers, addressingskills gaps and shortages, identifying barriers tolearning and enabling learners and workforces todevelop generic skills including basic skills

Outcomes:

• The percentage of workingage adults with level 1 orabove basic skills in literacyto be 80% by 2010

• The percentage of workingage adults with level 1 orabove basic skills innumeracy to be 55% by 2010

• The percentage of adults of working age with aqualification equivalent to level 2 or above to be 70% by 2010 (2007milestone - 67%)

• The percentage of adults of working age with aqualification equivalent to level 3 or above to be 50% by 2010 (2007milestone - 48%)

• The percentage of adults of working age with aqualification equivalent tolevel 4 to be 30% by 2010(2007 milestone - 27%)

• Targeting weaknesses and strengths that arespecific to Wales through strategic sectorprogrammes developed jointly with theDepartment for Enterprise, Innovation andNetworks

• Ensuring greater collaboration in the post-16sector to develop networks of provisionembracing sixth forms and other providers

• Taking forward an improvement plan forwork-based learning to improve the qualityand range of provision, thereby helping to liftfamilies out of poverty and combat in-workpoverty

• Developing a strategy for community andadult learning

• Addressing economic inactivity through closejoint working with the Department for Workand Pensions, Job Centre Plus and WalesEmployment Advisory Panel

• Delivering the three-year, all-age basic skillsstrategy Words Talk, Numbers Count,launched in April 2005 and supported byfunding of more than £40m

• Developing vocational opportunities,teaching and learning resources, e-learningand video conferencing opportunities andincreasing capacity in Welsh medium andbilingual provision

• Appointed a Vocational Skills Champion (untilApril 2007) to work with employers, learningproviders and other partners to identify andhelp tackle the key barriers that arepreventing many learners from obtaining the skills and qualifications that employersreally need

• Developing integrated 14-19 provider

networks to offer a full range of academicand vocational learning

• Undertaking in-depth reviews of provision,through Geographical and SectoralPathfinder projects identifying options forstructural reconfiguration, new investmentand better partnership working

• Promoting Modern Apprenticeships as a keypathway enabling learners to progress fromgeneral education towards their chosenoccupation or to higher education

• Seeking to increase the numbers progressingto Modern Apprenticeships through Skillbuildand Foundation Modern Apprenticeships,linking these programmes to the “CombinedApprenticeship” route being developedunder 14-19 Learning Pathways

• Introduced a new Workforce DevelopmentProgramme which provides in-depth supportto business, supported by action plans toimprove Leadership and Management and toassist more organisations to become Investorsin People

V I S I O N I N T O A C T I O NBeyond Compulsory Education: Skills,

Further Education and Lifelong Learning



V I S I O N I N T O A C T I O NBeyond Compulsory Education: Skills, Further Education and Lifelong Learning

• Introducing a new, consistent ProviderPerformance Review in further education,work-based learning and community learning

• Implementing the Credit and QualificationFramework for Wales (CQFW)

• Implementing a new demand-led NationalPlanning and Funding System for post-16provision

• Reforming vocational qualifications to ensurethat they meet the needs of Wales, improvelevels of skill and educational achievementand command public confidence

OBJECTIVESImprove skills and add value tothe Welsh economyTo do this we will:

• Review the strategic mission of the FE sectorin Wales. The review will consider the extentto which FE institutions should focus moreclearly on economically useful skills; theextent to which they should specialise; effortsto improve quality; the place of self-regulation and other measures to streamlinegovernance; the diverse nature of the sector;workforce development initiatives; and howbest to monitor the views of students on aregular basis and to publish the results

• Develop new products – such as theWorkforce Development Programme – thatwill be comprehensive in scope and flexibleenough to cover the requirements of

individual businesses, jointly with theDepartment for Enterprise, Innovation andNetworks

• Pursue an approach to workforcedevelopment which is differentiated bysector, working closely with Sector SkillsCouncils (SSCs) in the development of theirrespective Sector Skills Agreements andSector Qualification Strategies, and takingaccount of the needs of different types ofbusiness

• Ensure that vocational learning routes areclearly informed by the needs of employersand based on National OccupationalStandards and robust Sector QualificationStrategies

• Strengthen our policy to become moredemand led by working with SSCs, and theSector Skills Development Agency, toarticulate skills demands at a sector level,which will inform prioritisation of deliverythrough the National Planning and FundingSystem

• Deliver innovative approaches to create moreand better opportunities for high-qualityapprenticeships, to meet the skills demand ofemployers, and offer a credible career pathfor individuals of all ages

• Develop new approaches to reduce genderstereotyping in learning

• Support Leadership and ManagementDevelopment training for organisations tohelp drive forward economic development


V I S I O N I N T O A C T I O NBeyond Compulsory Education: Skills,

Further Education and Lifelong Learning

• Enable learning at all levels to be acquired in‘bite-sized’ episodes and accredited towardswhole qualifications by continuing toimplement the Credit and QualificationFramework for Wales (CQFW)

• Develop the Welsh for Adults curriculum byunitising the suite of programmes, promotingboth participation and progress towardrecognition of learning achievements

• Work with partners to establish effectivemechanisms for the accreditation of priorlearning

• Continue the installation of videoconferencing equipment to facilitate e-learning, including linking learners and tutorsbetween schools and colleges learning in andthrough the Welsh language

• Strengthen union-led learning, building onthe successful Wales Union Learning Fund, aspart of our wider strategy to tackle basic andother skills in the workplace

• Promote still further the benefits of theInvestors in People standard and helporganisations to achieve it

• Support the Department of Work andPensions’ welfare-to-work programmes andensure they meet the needs of Wales as partof a wider drive to raise economic activityrates and help people out of inactivity

• Develop a Wales Offender Learning Journey,setting out the standards of service anddelivery of learning for those servingcustodial or community sentences, incollaboration with the National OffenderManagement Service (NOMS) Wales. This will help offenders in Wales move into

sustainable employment, thereby reducingre-offending and helping create safercommunities

• Explore the introduction of FoundationDegrees through HE/FE partnerships, linkedto our agenda for skills and vocationallearning

• Promote the benefits of gaining skills topeople of all ages

• Develop skills strategies for specific groups ofpeople such as offenders

Improve the quality of post -16learningTo do this we will:

• Drive up the quality of post-16 provision forwork-based learning in partnership withEstyn, Fforwm, local authorities, the NationalTraining Federation and the Association ofLearning Providers. Our improvement planfor work-based learning will identifyadditional ways to make these routes moreeffective

• Develop a suite of indicators against whichFE institutions and work-based learningproviders in Wales might benchmark theirperformance, as an essential element ofmoving towards a greater degree of self-regulation by the sector of its managementand governance

• Explore the scope for the establishment of aprofessional body to set and safeguardprofessional standards relating to Principalsand lecturers within the FE sector and otherpost-compulsory providers in Wales



• Build capacity, improve skills and raisestandards for staff in all sectors in order toimprove the quality of delivery. We will dothis by developing a comprehensiveworkforce planning strategy (including anenhanced leadership programme)

• Improve the quality of delivery and access toa wider range of learning opportunities byfacilitating increased collaboration betweenFE institutions, so that institutions whichdevelop specialties in particular subject areascan more readily lead in delivering or inorganising the delivery of such subjects byarrangement with other institutions. Wewould expect similar arrangements todevelop locally with maintained schools asopportunities for enhancing the range of 14-19 learning opportunities are explored andtaken forward

• Facilitate collaboration by supporting morePathfinder studies and pursuing this outcomeby working with local authorities and otherpartners, including the voluntary sector, todeliver appropriate reconfiguration andchange. We will support existing Pathfinderareas in taking forward the recommendations

• Put statutory provisions in place to permitmaintained schools and FE institutions toform joint committees in order to formalisegovernance arrangements for collaborativearrangements

• Encourage formal partnership arrangementsincluding mergers between institutions wherethey offer clear benefits to learners in termsof the range and quality of learningopportunities to be made available, and thewider access to those opportunities whichmay thus result

• Develop integrated local learning networkswherever practicable - commissioning Estynarea reviews as appropriate

• Apply the Provider Performance Review infurther education, work-based learning andcommunity learning to improve quality, raisestandards and share best practice. By 2008we will not fund provision which, post Estyninspection, does not have as a minimumgrade 3 (acceptable) in all areas of delivery

• Fully implement the National Planning andFunding System for post-16 provision, usinginformation from Future Skills Wales surveysand demand intelligence from the SectorSkills Councils and others to steer futurefunding decisions. The National Planning andFunding System will work alongside theCQFW - credit will become the basis forfunding across all sectors of post-16provision

Support the Welsh LanguageTo do this we will:• Revitalise Welsh for Adults provision by

continuing to strengthen nationalcoordination through the six established,dedicated language centres to help developlearning networks which can deliver high-quality opportunities for people to learn Welsh

• Support staff training in schools, FE andtraining providers, in the development ofWelsh-medium and bilingual provision toincrease opportunities for learning throughthe medium of Welsh

• Commission the development of furtherteaching and learning resources through themedium of Welsh

V I S I O N I N T O A C T I O NBeyond Compulsory Education: Skills, Further Education and Lifelong Learning



The Future of Higher EducationThe Learning Country vision:

We want to modernise the collaborative efforts of higher education in Wales, to widen access significantly; improve income generation; lift research activity;

and exploit knowledge transfer to the benefit of the economy in Wales.

WHAT DOES OUR ANALYSIS ANDRESEARCH TELL US?• The rate of participation in higher education by 19

year olds from our most disadvantaged communitieswhilst higher than the UK average, is still to low

• We should aim to retain in Wales more of our 19year olds who enter higher education in order toimprove the percentage of students who aftergraduation stay in Wales to work

• The employability rates of graduates from our higher education institutions are extremely high

• There is a clear wage premium for those holdinggraduate qualifications

• We need to grow further the research base of thehigher education sector in Wales

• Higher education institutions in Wales are generallysmaller than in similar sized countries

• Virtually all young people in Wales who have theappropriate qualifications and wish to access HE, areable to do so. We therefore need to increase thenumber of young people in our most disadvantagedareas who attain such qualifications

Outcomes:

• The percentage of ResearchCouncil funding attracted byHEIs in Wales to rise from3.3% to 4.5% by 2010

• Research income fromresources other than theResearch Councils toincrease by 100% by 2010(2007 milestone - 60%)

• The percentage of full timeHE students enrolled at HEIsin Wales who are Welshdomiciled to increase from60% to 70% by 2010 inorder to encourage moregraduates to work in Wales

• The proportion of Welshdomiciled students in WelshHEIs undertaking someelement of their coursesthrough the medium ofWelsh to increase to 7% by 2010

• The percentage of newentrants to undergraduatecourses at UK universitiesfrom our mostdisadvantaged communitiesto rise from 8.9% to 11.4%by 2010


What are we currently doing?• Enhancing partnership working and

collaboration between sectors in order todevelop a research base which builds on theconsiderable strengths of the HE sector inWales and is commercially viable

• Developing the relationship between highereducation and the other parts of theeducation and training sector to secure amuch closer alignment of schools, furtherand higher education, allowing a continuumof lifelong learning

• Introducing a new tuition fee regime from2007-08 to strengthen the financial base ofhigher education institutions and enablethem to improve access from disadvantagedor under-represented groups through strongoutreach activities

• Providing effective financial support tailoredto the needs of Welsh students throughStudent Finance Wales

• Strengthening the capacity of highereducation institutions to offer opportunitiesfor students to study through the medium ofWelsh. We will also continue to develop oursuite of fully bilingual Student Finance Walesservices

• Higher education is taking account of creditdevelopments and wishes to ensure thatlearners on full-time programmes, part-timeand access provision can achieve credits atthe appropriate level

• Following the Graham Review, developingplans to promote and support part-timehigher education

• Reviewing current strategies for promotingaccess to higher education, in the light of theRees Report and in partnership with thesector and other key stakeholders

OBJECTIVESPromote reconfiguration andcollaboration within the HE sectorto improve quality and strengthenresearchTo do this we will:

• Use Reaching Higher funds not simply tosupport collaboration but more strategically -through the development of world classresearch groups that will attract the beststudents and world-class academic talent

• Promote reconfiguration and collaboration inhigher education, particularly in relation tothe merger of our post-92 institutions inSouth-East Wales

• Support the developments that will result inMerthyr Tydfil and Ebbw Vale becominguniversity towns

• Continue to work with the Credit andQualifications Framework for Wales, takingaccount of developments elsewhere in theUK and beyond

Improve knowledge exploitationand maximise the contribution of HE to the development of aknowledge economyTo do this we will:

• Use Reaching Higher and other fundingsources to ensure that the strengths of thehigher education sector in science arematched with the strengths in the Welsheconomy and other sectors such as health tosecure the maximum benefit to Wales

V I S I O N I N T O A C T I O NThe Future of Higher Education


V I S I O N I N T O A C T I O NThe Future of Higher Education

• Take forward the recommendations of the“Nexus Report” in collaboration with the HEsector, and use reconfiguration andcollaboration funds more strategically to helpdeliver the objectives set out in “Wales: AVibrant Economy

Enhance Welsh Medium ProvisionTo do this we will:

• Provide support for expanded marketinginitiatives on an all-Wales basis and takeaction to widen access and progressionroutes for Welsh-medium provision

• Expect all Welsh HEIs to access the expertiseof the UK-wide Higher Education Academywhich supports quality enhancement inteaching and the student experience inhigher education and excellence in teachingthrough the medium of Welsh

• Introduce training programmes for new andexisting staff

Support the needs of Welshstudents and enable them toparticipate in higher educationTo do this we will:

• Take forward the recommendations of thesecond Rees Report on the funding of highereducation and student support arrangementsin Wales, including proposals for subjects notavailable in Wales

• Develop a National Bursary Scheme forWales in partnership with the HE sector. Theadditional income generated by highertuition fees will enable HEIs to provide

additional, targeted support for studentsfrom disadvantaged backgrounds and widenparticipation by under-represented groups

• Consider the needs of under-representedgroups in designing student supportmechanisms

• Enhance opportunities for studying part timeand the support provided for part-timelearners in response to the recommendationsof the Graham Review

• Review the ‘Student Finance Wales’ servicedelivery model to ensure that it is fit forpurpose, customer focused and continues toprovide value for money

• Evaluate the extent to which the newpackage of support for Welsh domiciledstudents studying in the HEIs of Walesencourages more of them to stay, andindeed to start their own businesses here




Quality Education Services and Equal Opportunityfor Children, Young People and AdultsThe Learning Country vision:We want Wales to be a learning country, where high quality, lifelong learningprovides the skills people need to prosper in the new economy, liberates talent,extends opportunities and empowers communities.

WHAT DOES OUR ANALYSISAND RESEARCH TELL US?• Achieving at least a minimum level of

educational attainment is critical to thehappiness, success and wellbeing ofindividuals in our society

• Early and intensive intervention ineducation and care produce benefits forthe individual and society that areexperienced across the lifespan,particularly by the most disadvantagedchildren

• Reducing levels of child poverty andensuring that we safeguard our mostvulnerable children are important foreducational success

• Lifelong learning is crucial for securingemployment, personal wellbeing and theparticipation of individuals in society

• A focus on all of the needs of children,and a unified system of providing forthose needs, are important factors inachieving successful outcomes

• Providing children and young people withthe opportunity to influence theireducation and training not only promotesdemocracy and citizenship but alsoincreases their motivation andachievement

What are we currently doing?• Delivering our seven core aims for children

and young people, themselves developedfrom the United Nations Convention onthe Rights of the Child

• Supporting local authorities and thevoluntary sector in developing local

partnerships and plans for delivery ofservice for all children and young people

• Enabling children and young people toparticipate at all levels through FunkyDragon (the Children and Young People’sAssembly for Wales), Youth Forums andSchools Councils

• Taking forward ‘Extending Entitlement’ forall young people between the ages of 11and 25 in Wales to ensure that they can:- participate effectively in learning;- take advantage of opportunities for

employment; and- participate effectively and responsibly in

their communities


V I S I O N I N T O A C T I O NQuality Education Services and Equal Opportunity

for Children, Young People and Adult

• Implementing the National ServiceFramework for Children, Young People andMaternity Services which sets out standardsthat children, young people and their familieshave a right to receive in Wales in health andsocial services and related aspects of otherservices, such as education

• Implementing a range of initiatives under theIaith Pawb banner, our national action planfor a bilingual Wales, which extends fromearly years through to adult learning

• Implementing the all-age Basic Skills StrategyWords Talk, Numbers Count which aims toget the maximum number of people of allages up to a minimum of Level 1 literacy and numeracy

• Ensuring that adults and older people canbenefit from lifelong learning through ourStrategy for Older People

• Ensuring that minority and disadvantagedgroups benefit from our strategies to tackleinequality and underachievement in schoolsand other settings

• Removing barriers and providing improvedadvice and guidance services to help morepeople into learning and employment

• Ensuring that children and young people areproperly safeguarded within learningenvironments

• Consulting on a youth work strategy

OBJECTIVESImprove services and protectionfor children and young peopleTo do this, we will:

• Increase the opportunities for children andyoung people to participate in all aspects ofpolicy and decision making which impact ontheir lives, in particular by requiring allprimary (excluding nursery and infant),special and secondary schools to haveschools councils by November 2006 andsupporting the continuing development oflocal youth forums

• Promote collaboration under the Children Act2004 to improve the delivery of services forchildren and young people throughpartnerships for joint planning,commissioning and delivery, so as to secureeffective multi-agency working andinformation sharing based on the needs ofthe child

• Give guidance to Children and YoungPeople’s Partnerships on the development ofChildren and Young People’s Plans coveringall services, including education, which willbe required from 2008

• Secure the 10 entitlements we haveestablished for all 11-25 year olds throughYoung People’s Partnerships

• Implement the standards set out in the draftNational Service Framework for Children,Young People and Maternity Services


V I S I O N I N T O A C T I O NQuality Education Services and Equal Opportunity for Children, Young People and Adult

• Ensure that high-quality early years educationand care provision is available to provide thebest possible start in life for all our children,including improvements for preventativeinterventions; parenting; play; childcare; andsafeguarding children

• Provide additional support for those learnersin the care of the local authority, using theRAISE programme to ensure that they arefully supported in their learning, especiallyduring the final two years of compulsoryeducation

• Improve the tools, frameworks, andmethodologies that facilitate contactbetween professionals who support individualchildren or who have concerns about theirdevelopment, well-being or welfare to secureearly, coherent interventions

• Implement the Play Policy ImplementationPlan, which takes forward children’s right toplay as set out in the Assembly Government’score aims

• Develop Education for SustainableDevelopment and Global Citizenship(ESDGC) by implementing the Action Planlaunched in September 2006, which providesa comprehensive agenda for education and

training in Wales; implementation to betaken forward by an ESDGC Championappointed by the Assembly Government

• Respond to the recommendations within theSafeguarding Vulnerable Children Reviewand the endorsed recommendations of theClywch Inquiry undertaken by the Children’sCommissioner to ensure children and youngpeople are educated within safe learningenvironments, identifying children and youngpeople who may be in need or at risk andenabling an appropriate partnership response

• Revise arrangements to prevent unsuitablepeople from working with children andyoung people

• Deliver on the outcomes of the youth workstrategy consultation

Promote equality of opportunityfor all learners To do this we will:

• Help to eradicate child poverty by 2020through the Assembly Government’s ChildPoverty Implementation Plan

• Remove barriers to learning for pupils withadditional learning needs and re-engagethose who are disaffected by implementingan Inclusion Policy and PerformanceFramework

• Ensure that the Commissioner for OlderPeople gives close attention to matters ofaccess to learning and skills development toencourage more people to remaineconomically active for longer




V I S I O N I N T O A C T I O NQuality Education Services and Equal Opportunity

for Children, Young People and Adult

• Ensure that regardless of race, disability,social circumstances, ethnicity, age or genderall learners have access to education andlearning opportunities which address theirindividual needs

• Implement the Credit and QualificationsFramework for Wales to enable all learners to climb the learning ladder and to supportthe development of an inclusive societywhere everyone has the opportunity to fulfiltheir potential

• Ensure that learners in Wales are guaranteedhigh-quality qualifications and have sufficientinformation to make informed choices aboutthe qualifications that best suit their needs

• Develop a Wales Offender Learning Strategythat provides more appropriate and relevantlearning to those serving custodial orcommunity sentences and leads to sustainedemployment as a means of reducing re-offending and building safer communities

Improve opportunities and supportfor Welsh speakers and learnersTo do this we will:

• Help to create a bilingual Wales through IaithPawb, reviewing progress and developingfurther action to ensure that our goals areachieved

• Address the drift from Welsh first languageto Welsh second language in the transitionfrom primary to secondary school

• Seek to turn the positive initial outcomes ofthe immersion and intensive language teachingpilot projects into mainstream provision

• Extend the range of qualifications,particularly vocational qualifications, availablethrough the medium of Welsh

• Continue to develop national coordinationfor the Welsh for Adults programme throughthe language centres, by improved planning,quality assurance, tutor training, marketingdata collection, development of teaching andlearning courses and advice to adult learners



The Welsh Assembly Government wants Walesto be a place where high quality, lifelonglearning liberates talent, extends opportunities,empowers communities, provides better jobsand skills to enable people to prosper in thenew economy and creates a sustainable futurefor our country. Through our education andtraining policies, we aim to raise levels ofachievement and empower children, youngpeople and adults to achieve social andeconomic well being.

We are taking forward a far-sighted, ambitiousagenda for education and lifelong learning. We want to rival the best in the world. We therefore need to learn from the best bysharing experience and expertise. We arepositioning Wales within the context ofEuropean and global reforms.

Wales is committed to the Lisbon Agenda,which aims to deliver stronger, lasting growthand create more and better jobs.Modernisation of Europe’s education andtraining system is needed to achieve this.Wales is also one of the founder members (and Vice President) of the EuropeanAssociation of Regional and Local Authoritiesfor Lifelong Learning – EARLALL – a networkof 20 regions, spread across 9 Europeancountries.

Beyond Europe, we are working alongsideUNESCO to develop important initiatives in thefields of education, culture, natural science and

communications. We are helping to establishUNESCO Chairs in the University sector andteacher exchanges, especially with Sub-Saharan Africa. Through Dolen Cymru, we aredeveloping and sustaining the specialrelationship that has been growing betweenWales and Lesotho since 1985, including keyeducation links.

The Assembly Government is a key contributorto the international debate on educationreform. Wales is acknowledged on the worldstage and our achievements applauded byother countries. We are building the lessonslearned from these exchanges into our policiesand delivery strategies, developing active andongoing partnerships with other countries indoing so.

We approach the future with confidence,therefore. I believe the strategy we have inplace is the right one for Wales. We have thesupport and commitment of our partners. Andin pursuit of our goals, we are seeking out andapplying best practice from across the world.We are well on our way to making Wales alearning country and by 2010 I believe we willhave achieved truly great things.

Jane Davidson AMMinister for Education,

Lifelong Learning and Skills

T H E L E A R N I N G C O U N T R Y :

Vision into Action


Documents

The Learning Country: VisionintoAction › 8834 › 3 › A9R3F9F_Redacted.pdf · strategy that would embody vision and action, so that we might transform education and lifelong learning