A new vision for education to be shared

An emerging vision for education in Powys, which will guide the transformation of the service and improve outcomes for the county’s learners, will be considered by Cabinet next week.

Powys County Council has been developing a new vision as it looks to meet the critical challenges facing education in the county.

The emerging vision has been shaped through a series of council-arranged engagement events involving county councillors, headteachers, governors, school staff, staff working in the council’s schools service and town and community councils.

The vision document and the case for change, which outlines the key challenges facing education in the county, will be considered by Cabinet on Tuesday (January 21).

If accepted, the council will engage key stakeholders, including learners and parents, and seek their views in the coming weeks in order to improve the vision so that it can then bring forward plans over the coming years that can deliver an excellent schools’ system for Powys, serving learners well into the middle part of this century.

Cllr Phyl Davies, Cabinet Member for Education and Property, said: “Whilst most learners in Powys have been well served by their schools, we recognise that many education challenges now need to be addressed.

“There was a clear message from the engagement events that we held during the last three months of 2019 – that change is needed to give our learners the education and skills they need for the best start in life.

“We need to transform our current education provision so that it meets the requirements of the new national curriculum that will come in from 2022 while ensuring that all our learners are educated in a way that enables them to adapt and respond to the significant changes in society, economy, environment and technology.

“Our emerging vision will guide the transformation of education in Powys and improve outcomes for our learners. Not only do we want the views from our key education partners on our vision, we want the views of parents and will be listening to our learners about their educational needs. By working together, we can then give the best possible start to our learners.”