WIREDGOV

A Welsh Government plan to improve education and ensure all learners in Wales benefit from excellent teaching and learning has been launched by Education Minister, Huw Lewis.

‘Qualified for Life’ – an education plan for 3 to 19 year old in Wales, sets out the Welsh Government’s vision and aims for education up to 2020 and outlines  four strategic objectives that will help deliver improvements in the sector.

These centre around a strong  work force, an engaging curriculum, internationally respected qualifications and education leaders working together to drive up standards .

Education Minister, Huw Lewis said:

“The benefits of an excellent education system are well understood. High quality education drives economic improvement, increases general well being and results in a more equitable and successful society. This is absolutely what I want for Wales.

“The Qualified for Life document sets out my vision that  learners in Wales will enjoy teaching and learning that inspires them to succeed, in an education community that works co-operatively and aspires to be great and where the potential of every child and young person is actively developed.

“Underpinning all of this is the simple aim that every child and young person should benefit from excellent teaching and learning.

“Today’s document sets out where we want to be by 2020 and how we will ensure we get there. It is a must read for everyone in the sector and will help to realise our ambition of an education system that is the best it can be, and among the best in World.”

While Qualified for Life has been developed using international evidence of best practice, it is about doing things the Welsh way and  building on Wales’ strengths as a bilingual nation with a rich history of educational reform.

It sets out how the Welsh Government will measure progress and identify improvements. This includes the annual publication of a Wales Education Report Card which will detail a range of performance indicators and show how successful Wales has been in meeting them.

The plan reinforces the Welsh Government’s key education priorities of raising standards in literacy and numeracy and breaking the link between deprivation and low attainment. It also sets out a new ambition of achieving scores of 500 for reading, mathematics and science in the PISA tests 2021.

The four strategic objectives of Qualified for Life are:

• An excellent professional workforce with strong pedagogy based on an understanding of what works
• An engaging curriculum that is attractive to young people and develops them with an independent ability to apply knowledge and skills
• Nationally and internationally respected qualifications that act as a credible passport to future learning and employment
• Education leaders  at all levels  that working together to raise standards in all schools.

Qualified for Life follows on from the Improving Schools plan, published in 2012 which set out education reform in Wales up to 2015.

Further information: Qualified for life