The Wales Education Commission has brought together education thinkers from across the world to “share their expertise in support of the Welsh government’s work to improve education”.
The commission considered the quest for effective system leadership at all levels within Wales to be “of paramount importance”.
It welcomed the Welsh government’s ambition to create a “truly self-improving system” and “supported the continuing commitment to improving the performance of all and for all”.
In its second report to the Welsh education community, the commission stated: “Members stressed the need to create a culture for change, recognising that Wales has embarked on total system reform. This will require a shift of mindset and behaviour across the entire education profession.
“Therefore, the challenge for leaders at all levels is great and they will be crucial to the successful delivery of the Welsh government’s vision for education in Wales. Distributed leadership is a key strategy for sharing this responsibility.”
It pointed to the need for clarity and consistency in the narrative of educational reform and urged the Welsh government to be clear about how the success of its priorities will be measured.
“Members considered that success will be dependent on embedding lifelong learning as a key feature of the teaching profession in Wales,” the report stated. “They said blending research and practice in the day-to-day lives of classroom teachers should be Wales’ ultimate goal.”
The commission, which meets three times a year and is part of the University of Wales’ Trinity Saint David’s Yr Athrofa – Institute of Education, proposed a “relentless focus” on engagement during the educational reform process as “without the active involvement of teachers, change will not happen”.
It suggested bringing together stakeholders from across the educational spectrum to discuss substantive problems.
Professor Dylan Jones, director of Yr Athrofa and secretary to the commission, said learning from around the globe would benefit Wales, and he praised the “culture of collaboration” being engendered by Wales’ education secretary Kirsty Williams.
“The Welsh government has embarked on an ambitious reform agenda and we are hopeful that insight provided by the Wales Education Commission will help iron out potential bumps in the road,” he stated.
The commission includes academics from England, Scotland, Canada and the USA.