Minister Gould, MP, set out the government's bold ambitions alongside an invitation to work together across the sector to make change a reality: “This isn’t something the government can deliver alone. It’s a call to action, and it’s about partnership.” 

She emphasised the need to prioritise young people’s experience (wellbeing, belonging, and engagement) alongside academics, and embed inclusion into everyday practice. The shifts she outlined signal that the government has been on the ground listening to the experiences of students, teachers and heads. Music to our ears after calling for and championing the need for change for years. 

The key shifts she laid out include:

• From narrow to broad - so that schools go beyond test scores and create “learning experiences that are unmissable for every student.” 
• From withdrawn to engaged young people - so schools respond to the experiences of young people who want to develop agency and a sense of belonging
• From forgotten to included - so schools are actively supported to provide an inclusive education for those with special educational needs, and challenges at home.
• From schools acting alone to joining up - so schools work with local services to deliver joined up support to young people.

Through courage and leadership, the changemakers we’ve backed over 13 years, have been driving change despite the barriers embedded in the system. From oracy, wellbeing, and inclusion, to joined-up place-based solutions, and rethinking the purpose of education, to how we better support teachers and heads, and engage parents and young people in meaningful ways, they’re making a lasting difference. In the meeting, they brought deep insight into what it takes to create systems that support change, and the realities of school life into sharp focus. 

Here’s a summary of the ideas they shared:

Bringing her experience to bear Dame Alison Peacock, CEO of the Chartered College of Teaching urged the government to ensure that investment in teacher training avoids the prescriptive model of the past, and instead fosters relevant and tailored professional learning to support teachers in this change. 

Shonogh Pilgrim, CEO of Whole Education, reminded everyone to seek out and spotlight the quiet pockets of innovations across our schools. Jo Blundell, leader at Place Matters, encouraged the government to acknowledge that deep place based change takes time and to start by ensuring there is the infrastructure to join up across services. Lucy Bailey, founder of Bounce Forward, urged the government to broaden the impact of wellbeing measures throughout schools by integrating mental resilience and emotional wellbeing to strengthen psychological fitness, support families and communities, and nurture healthy adults for the future.

Offers of support were abundant. 

Liz Robinson, CEO of Big Education, offered to provide a framework for innovation and iterative design to support change to happen in a meaningful way. James Pope of HeadsUp4HTs commented on how we need to be mindful that the white paper will inevitably lead to changes that place further demands on school leaders already stretched, and he offered to help build peer support networks to ensure teachers and leaders thrive. And Dr Kate Paradine, CEO of Voice 21, offered to help them embed inclusion through oracy education (speaking, listening, and communication including sign language and augmented) across all key stages, building a sense of belonging across school life and making sure every child’s voice is valued. 

James Searjeant, Head Teacher at Wyborne Primary School, described the intense pressures of school leadership and the personal toll of accountability, explaining that even after eleven years the stress of targets, Ofsted, and standardised assessments still triggers acute anxiety. He argued that this culture sits uneasily with a system that claims to value wellbeing and called for greater trust and support for leaders, rather than judgement through outdated measures that fail to reflect school realities or prepare young people for the future.

Attendance was reframed through the lens of belonging rather than punishment. Ellie Costello, Founder of Square Peg, put it simply but powerfully: “You can’t punish children into belonging.”  

The young people in the room reminded everyone why this matters:

At the close of discussions, Holly Branson, our co-founder, captured the energy of the session: “I love what you said about this as a 10-year journey because we really need the long-time horizon for this to work. It is exciting to see the Big Change community, who came together quickly at short notice, contribute their passion and expertise to shaping big change.”

The room buzzed with hope, thoughtful challenge based on deep experience, and most of all a shared ambition. And the conversations left us inspired and quietly confident that the changes to the education system we’ve been collectively calling for might just be coming into view. This is a moment to bring our collective power to shape a policy agenda for an education system in which everyone can thrive. 

We stand together as the Big Change community ready to share practice, test new approaches, and support a new and hopeful vision for young people in education.

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