About the Secondary National Strategy

The Secondary National Strategy for school improvement is part of the Government’s major reform programme for transforming secondary education to enable children and young people to attend and enjoy school, achieve personal and social development and raise educational standards in line with the Every Child Matters agenda.

The aim is to create a dynamic and diverse education system built on high expectations and a commitment to the needs of every child, underpinned by a new teacher professionalism. Within this context the New relationship with schools supports schools in maintaining a focus on their priorities through sharper self-evaluation, simplified data and information systems and a new inspection regime. The Secondary National Strategy has the following overall key strategic aim:

To raise standards of achievement for children and young people in all phases and settings.

Specifically this involves:

• improving the quality of teaching and learning in all schools
• improving the effectiveness of the management and leadership of schools in order to deliver the best possible outcomes for learners.