Our school system is on a journey. Understanding where we are on that journey is key to deciding what steps to take next.
Hard work in our schools over a long period has brought improvements in standards, new models of governance and a shift towards more evidence-informed practice.
We have moved from a system that was too often patchy and inconsistent to one that—though not without challenges—is stronger, more resilient, and delivering better outcomes for many children.
But we are not yet where we need to be. There are urgent and acute difficulties in how we meet the needs of all children, including those with SEND. The disadvantage gap has widened following the pandemic. Funding does not reflect the actual costs schools face, nor allow for strategic long-term planning.
A unifying story
A key challenge for government around this juxtaposition is how to frames its narrative and its strategic response. Too much negativity would only serve to feed the recruitment and retention crisis, but unbridled positivity would appear out of touch. Either would distract from delivering for those who most depend on the quality of their local school.
Government can manage this by reflecting what the evidence tells us: our school system is on a journey from good to great.
This is a familiar concept in school improvement. Any leader who has worked to transform a school knows that moving from ‘requires improvement’ to ‘good’ demands different levers than the shift from ‘good’ to ‘outstanding’. The same is true at a system level.
Getting the framing right is key to focusing on the right priorities and enlisting all the resources at our disposal to deliver on them. So if we accept we’re going from good to great, then what?
Clear priorities
Ministers have set out an ambitious reform agenda: curriculum and assessment, teacher development, accountability, AI and SEND. Each has merit, but reform does not happen in a vacuum.
Schools and trusts are already managing significant financial pressures. GAG statements landing this week provide little optimism. New NFER research on unfilled vacancies shows workforce challenges are deepening. Local authorities are facing huge deficits in high-needs funding.
The simple truth of is that not everything can be a priority. The challenge of leadership is one of focus: what are the most impactful reforms that will strengthen the system over the long term?
Building in resilience
If the next phase of reform is to take the system from good to great, it must be underpinned by resilience.
A resilient school system is one that is able to deliver high-quality education for all children, regardless of economic cycles, political shifts or unexpected crises. It is a system that is not dependent on individual heroics but structured to allow schools and trusts to flourish together, sustainably funded, and led by evidence that is communicated clearly at the right time.
That means prioritising policies that:
- Ensure all children can flourish, with our most vulnerable children foregrounded in reform. This is about equity as a core design principle.
- Strengthen system leadership, embracing groups of schools that have created new opportunities for collective responsibility and shared improvement. This should be the bedrock of sustaining and spreading excellence.
- Invest in the workforce, recognising that everything else depends on schools being able to recruit, retain and develop great teachers and support staff.
- Provide long-term financial sustainability through a funding model that allows all budget-holders to plan beyond short-term settlements and one-off interventions. This is about sufficiency as well as certainty of funding.
- Deliver intelligent accountability that reduces the heat on compliance and increases the light on effective ways to improve outcomes.
The school system must and will continue to evolve. But moving from good to great is not about trying to do everything; it is about making smart, strategic choices that build solidly towards our shared vision.
The question is not whether we want to continue to improve. It is how we ensure delivering improvement is sustainable and that our gains are sustained.
In our resource-constrained environment, that requires an even sharper eye on prioritisation and sequencing.
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