Education Sir Gâr 2022-2032

Why do we need this strategy?

We need to build on the improving practice which is already evident in order to deliver the same opportunity for all learners and consistently excellent outcomes.

This strategy sets out a clear, shared vision for the role that education services play in the future development of vibrant communities and a prosperous economy in Carmarthenshire.

It will also:

• Provide an overview of strategic thinking over the next 10 years.
• Bring together our collective vision, mission statements and priorities.
• Provide a steady steer during a time of change.
• Provide insight into the golden thread from international, national and corporate policy
• Reside as a high-level summary which contextualises our Business Planning processes and documentation.

This high-level strategy will be operationalised through our departmental and divisional plans and will also be evident in school development plans.

Vision to 2032

We will support all Carmarthenshire learners. We will ensure that they are happy, safe, are thriving, and are fulfilling their personal, social and learning potential. We will strive to become the best we can be and be highly regarded locally, whilst also earning national and international recognition.

Our Collective Moral Purpose

Making sure every learner is valued and valued equally.

Our Values

Our values underpin and guide the way that we work, the way we improve and the way we make decisions in our community.

• Working collaboratively as one team
• We recognise that by working together and making constructive connections we can make the best use of our resources for our communities 
• Focus on our learners
• We work to improve the lives of the learners in our communities this is our focus and key purpose
• Listen to improve
• We will listen and engage with our learners to inform our improvement plans.
• Aspire for excellence
• We will remain vigilant and ensure that we deliver to the best of our abilities and always explore ways to improve what we do.
• Act with Integrity
• We will actively think about what is the right thing to do when presented with choices in a work situation
• Take personal responsibility
• We will all consider how we support and apply these values so they actively underpin and guide the way we work.

Our desired outcomes 2022-2032

In Carmarthenshire we strive to provide our learners with the best possible education experience. We endeavour to develop the whole child/young person equipping them with the skills and knowledge they need for the next step in their learning or career pathway.

We are trying to achieve this at a time of increased demands on our resources and an increased focus on improving outcomes and attainment. Ultimately, we want to ensure that our learners are well educated, well informed and well qualified.

As a department we have clear priorities focused around four key themes, tied into Education in Wales: Our National Mission. We will achieve our desired outcomes by realising our 'purpose pieces' and the ideals of the new Curriculum for Wales.

Carmarthenshire Learners…

• Ambitious, capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives
• Healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society
• Enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work
• Ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world

Purpose pieces

1. We will give every child the best start in life, improving their early life experiences and ensuring they live healthy lifestyles. We will protect children and young people from harm and work to ensure their emotional and physical wellbeing.
2. We will support all learners as we build on what they’ve learned and support and improve progress and achievement. We will ensure appropriate outcomes for all learners and all staff within the system.
3. We will ensure our children and young people have the right skills to succeed in fulfilling their ambitions. We will further develop learners’ skills including creativity, innovation, entrepreneurship, independence, resilience and perseverance.
4. We will support our children and young people by addressing opportunity and achievement gaps.
5. We will ensure all young people are in education, employment or training and are following productive learning and career pathways.
6. We will develop an engaging curriculum that will support learners to realise their potential ensuring that they are ‘Well Educated, Well Informed and Well Qualified’ and enabling them to become effective global citizens.
7. We will develop a 'local curriculum' reflecting Carmarthenshire's unique history, geography and culture.
8. We will champion the Welsh language and pride in Carmarthenshire’s unique heritage and culture.
9. We will ensure our learners develop an understanding and respect of diversity and equality.
10. We will protect and restore the environment and change our lifestyles to protect the environment now and for the future ensuring our children and young people develop an appreciation of their community and environment.
11. We will value the achievement of our learners and staff and celebrate their success.
12. We will work as one team for the benefit of our children, young people and their families.
13. We will support our children and young people by recruiting, developing, retaining and valuing the best leaders, teachers and support staff. We will respect all of our staff and commit to ensuring their well-being.
14. We will ensure that learner voice is central to our decision making and that the rights of the child are promoted and fulfilled.
15. We will offer high standards of bilingual education, increasingly in modern, viable and sustainable environments that are fully equipped for 21st century learning utilising technology to support teaching and learning and service improvement.
16. We will develop as an effective and efficient learning organisation for the benefit of our children, young people and staff.
17. We will engage with our learners in the design of our services and monitoring their success.
18. We will further develop and strengthen partnership working with other departments and organisations.
19. We will ensure that we know our services well and ensure continuous positive and sustained change and improvement.
20. We will ensure that our services, whether provided directly or commissioned from others, will be equitable, inclusive, aspire to excellence and offer good value for money.

Link to well-being objectives

Our strategic priorities will help address Carmarthenshire County Council’s well-being objectives incorporated within the corporate strategy 2018-2023 namely:

• Best start in life - Help to give every child the best start in life and improve their early life experiences.
• Help children live healthy lifestyles - A healthy lifestyle will help children to fulfil their potential and meet educational aspirations.
• Support and improve progress, achievement, and outcomes - Support and improve progress, achievement, and outcomes for all learners.
• Tackle poverty - Tackle poverty by doing all we can to prevent it, helping people into work and improving the lives of those living in poverty.
• Environment - Looking after the environment now and for the future.
• Promoting Welsh language and culture - Promote the vitality of the Welsh language together with the richness of Welsh culture and history within Carmarthenshire.

Policy background

• The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, or UNCRC, is the most complete statement of children’s rights ever produced and is the most widely ratified international human rights treaty in history. Although all articles need to be viewed together due to their interdependence and equal worth, articles 3,12,13,14,19 28, 29 and 31 are particularly relevant in this current context.
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations in 2015. Goal 4, ‘ensuring inclusive and quality education for all and promoting lifelong learning’ has been entrusted to UNESCO, as the United Nations’ specialised agency for education. UNESCO leads and coordinates the Education 2030 agenda. The Education 2030 Framework for Action provides guidance for the implementation of this ambitious goal and commitments. The 2017 publication, ‘A guide for ensuring inclusion and equity in education’ is intended to support education policymakers in embedding inclusion and equity in educational policy. The guide assists in reviewing how well equity and inclusion currently figure in existing policies and help to assist with identifying which actions are needed to improve and develop policies. This guide informs thinking in this area of evolving policy.
• The Council’s corporate strategy, 2018-2023 Moving Forward in Carmarthenshire: This strategy sets out the direction for the local authority over the next five years, incorporating our improvement and well-being objectives as defined by legislation. It also includes the Cabinet’s key projects and programmes for the next five years, a set of almost 100 priority projects and areas announced by Leader Cllr Emlyn Dole in his ‘Moving Forward in Carmarthenshire’ plan. The strategy outlines the council’s vision for the future in 15 new objectives under four key themes - to support residents to start well, live well and age well in a healthy, safe and prosperous environment.
• The Wellbeing of Future Generations Act (2015) has been embraced by Carmarthenshire as a vitally important overarching strategic document, in discharging its well-being duties. Carmarthenshire County Council’s Well-being objectives map out our progress towards each of the seven well-being goals. Departmentally, we contribute to a number of the well-being objectives and take a lead in a number, e.g., as described in the ‘Start Well’ component of Carmarthenshire County Council’s Corporate Strategy 2018-2023 (June 2018). For example, the education department takes a lead on Well-being Objective 4: Reduce the number of young adults that are not in education, employment or training.
• Education in Wales: our national mission (action plan 2017-21) is Welsh Government’s plan for ensuring that every young person in Wales has an equal opportunity to reach the highest standards via the new transformational curriculum currently being developed nationally. Four key enabling objectives are offered in pursuit of a transformative curriculum. These enablers are infused in our departmental working.
• Professor Graham Donaldson’s Successful Futures Report (2015) provides the architecture for the new curriculum for Wales. Realising this initiative is integral to the reform Journey Wales has embarked upon and is strongly referenced in the national mission and in the work of the department.
• Cymraeg 2050 aspires to realise a million Welsh Speakers by 2050. Carmarthenshire’s Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) to 2020 lays the local foundations for this ideal. Within the context of equity, the WESP argues that all learners in all learning settings should derive benefit from the opportunity to become fluently and equitably bilingual. This is viewed as being inclusive for all learners in the respect that we aspire for all to be able to derive benefits from confident bilingualism.
• The Social Services and Well-being Act came into force on 6 April 2016. The Act provides the legal framework for improving the well-being of people who need care and support, and carers who need support, and for transforming social services in Wales. The fundamental principles of the Act are:
  • Voice and control: putting the individual and their needs, at the centre of their care, and giving them a voice in, and control overreaching the outcomes that help them achieve well-being.
  • Prevention and early intervention: increasing preventative services within the community to minimise the escalation of critical need.
  • Well-being: supporting people to achieve their own well-being and measuring the success of care and support.
  • Co-production: encouraging individuals to become more involved in the design and delivery of services.