Chief Education Officer role should be established

The Foundation for Education Development (FED) has published a report, with recommendations for improving the education system.

It calls for a 10-year plan for education, with clear goals and processes for setting and delivering short - and long-term aims.

The report says that there should be an independent governing body to oversee the development and implementation of the long-term plan, responsible for advising ministers on all key policy and implementation issues, including which should be delegated by ministers to regional or local level, and for conducting formal review cycles to monitor and evaluate essential aspects of the system (e.g. curriculum)

It also calls for the creation of a Chief Education Officer role, similar to the Chief Medical Officer or Chief Scientific Officer, whose role would be to ensure that advice to ministers includes the best possible evidence and insights from across the country and beyond as well as overseeing the delivery of the long-term plan in consultation with policymakers, safeguarding it from short-term political shifts.

It also suggests a forum for widespread stakeholder involvement and input, akin to the NHS Assembly, to help drive ongoing dialogue about our education system and how to improve it.

Carl Ward, Chair of the FED, said in the foreword of the report: "We need to evolve our approach to education planning. A 10-year plan for education should be developed which is evidence-based and fit-for-purpose. It should be guided by an overarching mission - much like the concept of ‘flourishing’ that the OECD has identified as being key to a quality education. Our consultations tell us that there is widespread consensus that such a plan is not only possible, but necessary, if we are to ensure that all children, young people and learners are equipped to contribute positively to healthy and productive communities and to our planet."