The story behind the plan

Our Plan for NSW Public Education was developed through extensive consultation with teachers, principals, support staff, students and their families.

In late 2022 we hosted a series of focus groups with teachers, school leaders, parents and carers, and students. In Term 2 this year we held a series of round tables with public schools leaders, Directors, Educational Leadership and Principals, School Leadership who told us what needs to be improved for students to learn, grow and belong.

Also in Term 2, the Secretary asked staff for ideas on how we can better support schools and key themes from those ideas became part of the draft plan.

Teachers really are the base of the education system and without devoted teachers who take pride in their work, many of the other categories would be challenging to achieve
– Student

Throughout June and July, the Secretary and members of the executive leadership team met with our partners including the NSW Teachers Federation, Primary Principals Association, Secondary Principals Council, the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group, School Administrative and Support Staff Professional Association, Special Education Principals and Leaders Association, the Public Service Association and the Parents & Carers Federation to get their views on the draft plan.

In July 2023 the draft plan for public education was launched by the Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning, Prue Car, and the Secretary, Murat Dizdar.

I love the proposed plan. It has its heart in the right place, it has a focus on equity, it proposes a collaborative, whole of government approach to support the whole child in their environment. It reflects the feedback from schools and communities, particularly in regional, rural and remote areas. It identifies the importance of evidence and student and family voice
– Education support staff

The draft plan was on public exhibition for six weeks until 25 August 2023. We heard from teachers, principals, school staff, education partners and experts, parents and carers, and students during the consultation period.

We would like to thank everyone for sharing their thoughts and insights on our plan for public education.

Read more about the consultation through the following reports:

Staff were happy to be consulted and able to have an input into the plan. They felt this was a first, and buy in and input was valuable and constructive. Overall the plan was perceived as a good starting point. Staff wanted to go deeper into the statements. As a Senior SSP, staff felt that the students were not well represented and some had empathy for remote areas, feeling that they might not be represented as well as possible.
- School group submission
There are quality statements that will be beneficial to students and staff, however, there is no mention of after and before school care initiatives. There is a benefit in supplying more services in regional and remote areas so all children have safe and comprehensive care.
- Support office staff member (formerly school admin staff)

Hope that they really do lift the status of teachers.
- School staff member
Would like to see some bolder brave moves for education transformation. Entrenched issues that feed inequity in the system require significant shifts. Collaboration and growing collective capability and responsibility are key opportunities.
- Community member
It is inclusive and promotes equity and addresses the needs of students schools and teachers. I like the reference to comprehensive wrap-around services and embedding the voice of teachers, students and families in decision-making. I am not sure how the DoE is going to measure how students achieve their learning potential. I applaud the focus on teacher trust and pride, including recruitment.
- Retiring teacher
Really love that equity continues to be high priority and that wellbeing is also encompassed.
- School staff member


I feel that while it does provide an effective summary and outline of the department's objective over the next few years, I do think there are some further improvements that could be made. For example, it could be more ambitious with more new policies to tackle major problems facing students, including plummeting school attendance and slipping results.
- Student
The plan looks good and seeks to address some key areas of concern. Recognising and respecting teachers is vital to attracting more people into the profession. Without a full staff a school struggles to achieve its aims... Student well-being is more and more vital. Access to high quality school counselling needs to be guaranteed.
- School staff member

Ensuring fit for purpose teacher training is the key to the success of NSW Public Education.
- School staff member
It’s easy to read, it seems like the plan is going in the right direction. Would like to know what support and what funding is available to implement the plan
- School staff member
It seems to be looking at flexible and individualised learning pathways for students as needed. However there also needs to be a mechanism for measuring literacy and numeracy for students with disabilities, not just measuring belonging
- Parent/carer
Rebuilding trust and pride in the teaching profession has been a strong focus in the past 18 months in our school and we are seeing the benefits now with improved staff wellbeing and capacity.
- School staff member

It appears that the government has finally listened and is on the path towards equity.
- School staff member
We think that focusing on staff wellbeing is important in improving school environments and student outcomes.
- School staff group submission
I think the context and way in which it has been presented is great however these are very large and ambitious goals which are not going to be achieved quickly - so perhaps a priority list would be nice to see.
- Support office staff member
I have 2 children of which we could not get 1 into preschool at age 3. More preschools required. So building 100 preschools is great. More focus should be on staff - without staff there is no education.
- Parent/carer
There is a lot to like about this plan. For me personally, the focus on equity is what makes me happy, as well as a focus on supporting our teachers.
- Parent/Carer
Not enough resources for some children with complex needs. We are trying, but some still miss out on programs/support.
- School staff group submission

I love the title - transforming lives! This is what we do - the focus should be on our students and setting high expectations for teaching and learning.
- School staff member

Workload reduction is a must to prevent further burnout and people walking away from this profession. I also like the enhanced emphasis on Staff wellbeing.
- School staff member
This plan is clear and aspirational. It includes language of thoughtfulness and inclusion. It is positive and looks to improve our situation in a way that includes us.
- School staff member
The draft shows that you are listening, more than has been in the past. It's very broad and it is more aligned to where we need to be heading as a department but we need to see action that relates to it for that trust in it to build.
- School staff member
It is a well presented draft plan. It has been broken down well into working on a plan that includes, everyone, early learners, school students and staff.
- School staff group submission

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