School Improvement Partnership Programme Board meeting: 14 July 2025

The eighth meeting of the School Improvement Partnership Programme Board was held on 14 July.

The Board reviewed progress made over the past 18 months, reflecting on how the work already undertaken and the work planned for this transitionary 2025 to 2026 academic year has responded to the key findings of the Strategic Review of Education Partners undertaken by Professor Dylan Jones.

Following the Local Authority workshops held in the spring, a national conference for School Improvement and ALN leads is scheduled for September and is expected to become a regular event, with expected benefits in connecting areas across Wales. The new Ministerial Headteacher Advisory Group is now active, providing valuable insights from school leaders. The Education Improvement Team has also been engaging with Estyn and trades union partners to understand how school leaders and staff are engaging with the new school improvement models.

Good progress continues to be made to establish the new professional learning and leadership body for the education sector which will come into being on 1 September. Dr Gwenllian Lansdown Davies has been appointed as its Chief Executive and will take up the role in November.

The Board discussed plans to formally close the Programme in the Autumn, at which time partners will take full responsibility for embedding the new model into everyday practice and overseeing arrangements locally through their own business-as-usual governance structures.

The meeting concluded with a Theory of Change workshop to help shape the long-term vision and ensure the reforms deliver meaningful benefits for learners and leaders alike.

The next Programme Board meeting will take place in the autumn.