NAHT Cymru publishes blueprint for education recovery

Today (Thursday 10 June), school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru publishes “Education recovery: A blueprint for a stronger and fairer system for all in Wales,” which recommends seven priorities for the Welsh government to implement.

Laura Doel, director of NAHT Cymru said: “School leaders and their teams have supported the needs of their children and young people throughout the Covid pandemic, and because the recovery challenges will differ from school to school, the Government should listen to the experts in the field for how recovery should look.

“The government should build on existing good practice, trust and empower school leaders and teachers, invest properly, and target academic support to meet the individual needs of pupils so that we tackle the pre-pandemic attainment gap. For this to happen, there needs to be an understanding from the government that the education reform agenda and the resumption of school inspections must be put on hold to allow our leaders to focus on the priority which must be recovery.

“Recovery shouldn’t be the straw that breaks school leaders’ backs.”

NAHT Cymru’s seven priorities for education recommended to the Welsh government:

• Remove unnecessary burdens and distractions
• Prioritise the early years
• Improve support for children’s mental health and well-being
• Invest in the teaching profession
• Provide targeted academic support for pupils who need it
• Expand extra-curricular provision and invest in extra-curricular providers
• Invest in school technology.

 Kerina Hanson, president of NAHT Cymru concluded: “This blueprint draws on the vision our members have for the future of education in Wales, and our expectations are on the government to harness our ambition for change: we can’t just return to ‘normal.'”

The blueprint can be read at:

https://www.naht.org.uk/members-home/naht-cymru/naht-cymru-news/naht-cymrus-blueprint-for-education-recovery/