Strategic plan
The Strategic Plan is the department’s highest-level strategy document, outlining system-wide objectives and direction. The strategic plan has been extended to the end of 2023 to allow all sectors to focus on learning continuity in response to COVID-19, and natural disasters.
Our vision
To be Australia’s best education system and one of the finest in the world.
Our purpose
To prepare our learners for rewarding lives as engaged citizens in a complex and dynamic society.
About us
Children, young people and adult learners are at the centre of all our decision-making.
We acknowledge, respect and value Aboriginal people as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we live, learn and work.
We ensure young children get the best start in life by supporting and regulating the early childhood education and care sector.
We are the largest provider of public education in Australia with responsibility for delivering high-quality public education to two-thirds of the NSW student population. We also work closely with the non-government school sector to ensure the delivery of a high-quality and equitable education for all students.
We build pathways for lifelong learning, and support the delivery of a skilled and employable workforce for NSW through vocational education and training and higher education.
Our outcomes
Our goal is to ensure every student is engaged and challenged to continue to learn, and every student, every teacher, every leader and every school improves every year. Under the School Success Model, all schools will set local measures focused on HSC achievement, attendance, growth in reading and numeracy, phonics screening, wellbeing and pathways for school leavers.
We are committed to delivering the following outcomes, measured and reported against the corresponding indicators:
All children make a strong start in life and learning and make a successful transition to school.
- Increased proportion of NSW children (including Aboriginal, vulnerable and disadvantaged children) who are enrolled in an early childhood education program, are enrolled for at least 600 hours in the year before school
- Increased proportion of early childhood education services meeting or exceeding the National Quality Standard
Every student is known, valued and cared for in our schools.
- Increased proportion of students attending school at least 90% of the time
- Increased proportion of students reporting a sense of belonging, expectations for success and advocacy at school
All young people have a strong foundation in literacy and numeracy; deep content knowledge; and confidence in their ability to learn, adapt and be responsible citizens.
- Increased proportion of public school students in the top 2 NAPLAN bands for reading and numeracy*
- Increased proportion of public school students achieving expected growth in reading and numeracy
- Increased proportion of NSW public school students with HSC results in the top 2 achievement bands
*Premier’s priority target ends Dec, 2022
Our education system reduces the impact of disadvantage.
- Increased proportion of Aboriginal students attaining the HSC, while maintaining their cultural identity
- Reduced gap between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students in literacy and numeracy, as well as sense of belonging, expectations for success and advocacy at school
- Reduced socioeconomic gap in literacy and numeracy, as well as sense of belonging, expectations for success and advocacy at school
All learners gain the skills they need to be employable and adaptable, and contribute to the productivity and prosperity of NSW.
- Increased proportion of employers satisfied that VET meets their skill needs
- Increased proportion of the working-age population with qualifications at or above Certificate III
- Increased proportion of NSW government-funded VET graduates who are employed after training
- Increased proportion of young people participating in higher education, training or work
All young people finish school well prepared for higher education, training and work.
- Increased proportion of NSW public school students continuing to Year 12 till 2022
- Increased proportion of school leavers participating in higher education, training or work
To support these outcomes, we are also committed to the following:
- Our infrastructure meets the needs of a growing population and enables future-focused learning and teaching.
- Our workforce is engaged and high-performing.
- The community has confidence in public education.
- High-quality support is delivered efficiently and effectively to all schools and staff.
Our values
Our values guide how we go about our work and make decisions on a daily basis. They form the foundation of what it is like to work for Education and what we expect of one another.
- We have high expectations and we continually seek to improve ourselves and our work.
- We strive to excel and invite the best ideas from everyone in and outside the department.
- We use and share evidence, research and data to underpin policy and practice.
- We welcome collaboration and learning with others.
- We act professionally with honesty and consistency.
- We communicate clear expectations.
- We are transparent with information and our decisions.
- We ensure that every student has access to high-quality public education.
- We respect diversity and the views and contributions of others.
- We treat people fairly.
- We take responsibility for decisions and outcomes.
- We allocate and use resources efficiently and effectively.
- We monitor and review performance to drive improvement.
- We build relationships based on transparency, honesty and mutual respect.
- We support one another.
- We respect others’ expertise, experience and points of view, and listen with an open mind.
- We are flexible, innovative, responsive and reliable.
- We provide coordinated and aligned services to enhance teaching and learning.
- We work openly in partnership with parents, communities and organisations.