Executive Summary
In our submission, we were asked to consider the following:

1. How the review should be delivered
2. Strengths in the system and challenges to be resolved
3. Our views on a ‘single education system'
4. Our vision for education in Northern Ireland

In considering these questions, we have drawn on ASCL’s Blueprint for a Fairer Education System: A Great Education for Every Child (2021) which we have considered in the light of our own context in Northern Ireland.

We believe that it provides a framework for what a better education system here should look like, and that the outcome of the review should guarantee the following:

1. A high-quality curriculum that delivers a broad and challenging education for all of our young people and that offers stability to schools over the next decade.
2. Assessments and qualifications which link seamlessly to the curriculum and which offer suitable academic and vocational pathways for each young person.
3. A system which invests in its teachers and leaders, equipping them to deliver the curriculum effectively and to engage in effective and ongoing CPD and meaningful collaboration.
4. An education system which is properly resourced at all levels allowing school leaders and teachers to focus on learning and teaching.
5. Structures and systems that support schools, operate efficiently and reward those who provide all young people with a high-quality education.

Our submission is also informed by the views of our members who responded to a survey carried out in October 2022 in relation to the ongoing TNC Review of the Impact of School Leader Workload.

Full response to consultation