National categorisation was suspended in 2020, and the guidance confirmed that it will be replaced by a robust self-evaluation process where good practice is shared and failure is urgently addressed. The OECD have identified a prominent role for self-evaluation as a feature of high-performing school systems. They have previously described how replacing national categorisation with a robust self-evaluation system will provide a much more detailed overview of the actual strengths and areas for improvement of a school compared to the colour-coding system. I am pleased that we were able to draw on their advice in the development of the new self-evaluation process.

Schools’ self-evaluation will be the starting point for all evaluation and improvement work. Schools are encouraged to incorporate peer review into their self-evaluation to further develop a culture of partnership. Regional consortia and local authorities will work with all schools to agree a level of support that schools need and will confirm to schools’ governing bodies the support that they will provide or broker. This approach to school improvement will mean schools will need to continue to be open about where they wish to improve, and have access to high-quality support from consortia, local authorities and other schools tailored to their needs. I want them to collaborate with each other, not to compete to the detriment of their learners. Parents will now be able to access more up-to-date, detailed and informative information by accessing a summary of each school’s improvement priorities, and each school’s development plans will also be available for all to see.

Conversations between a learner, their teachers and their parents and carers are key. I have therefore introduced regulations on the provision of information by headteachers to parents and carers, which include expectations to engage with parents and carers termly, focusing on how learners are progressing, so both home and school can support learners' improvement. Accountability within the school system will continue to be maintained through effective school governance and more regular Estyn inspection of schools. From September, Estyn will inspect schools under their new framework, which supports the new curriculum, with plans to increase the number of inspections from September 2024. The commitment to increase inspections will reduce the gap between reporting on individual schools, as well as ensuring that parents and learners have access to up-to-date independent information about their school.

Effective professional dialogue between practitioners and schools is another key means through which we will raise standards. That is why yesterday I published a direction requiring practitioners to work together within and between schools and settings to develop and maintain a shared understanding of how their learners should progress. These discussions are essential to help learners have a joined-up experience as they move between different schools, and to ensure equity across Wales.

At the start of May, we launched the national resource for evaluation and improvement on Hwb, providing practical guidance and resources for schools to support self-evaluation and improvement. Building on this, I've also published supporting materials for practitioners to aid schools in their planning for next year. This includes practical guides on evaluation and improvement, curriculum design, progression and assessment—accessible on Hwb to any practitioner.

We must make sure our transformational curriculum delivers for the next generation. To achieve this, our professional learning offer must be accessible to all. We continue to work with teachers and others in the education system to finalise our national entitlement for professional learning, ready for the autumn, from which school leaders, teachers and teaching assistants will all benefit. A truly national offer, and one that will be easier to navigate. And in advance of that, I expect our regional consortia to make available the common access arrangements, so that a teaching professional in any part of Wales can have online access to the professional learning content available from the consortia in any other part of Wales.

And in order to support our national entitlement for professional learning, I'm also looking to continue the additional in-service training day in the next academic year, to give school leaders and practitioners the time and space they need to get this right, because I, along with the profession, want to see an education system that offers high standards and aspirations for all.