Action Plan 2017 is derived from the Action Plan for Education 2016-2019 and builds on the progress made to date and incorporates feedback from the consultation process. It reaffirms our vision and ambition to create the best education and training service in Europe by 2026. It reiterates our five key goals and over 400 actions and subactions to be achieved before the end of 2017.

Action Plan for Education 2017 represents the significant strategic reform programme under way in education and training and recognises the importance of critical business functions to ensure business continuity and quality of service to all our stakeholders. The publication of an annual plan within a broader strategic framework, enables us to respond in an agile way to the demands of the challenging and complex environment in which we operate while maintaining a strategic focus for sustainable reform over the next decade. Challenges of political change both nationally and internationally, including Brexit, the growing demand for upskilling and reskilling for those in employment, innovations in technology and changing demographics and demands for places are some of the factors to which we must respond in 2017.

Key themes and projects for 2017 include: work on promoting and supporting Wellbeing; tackling disadvantage and the launch of a new Action Plan for Educational Inclusion; setting targets and taking action on STEM; publication of the Interim Review of Literacy and Numeracy Strategy; introducing a new Resource Teacher Allocation Model; using digital technologies to enhance teaching, learning and assessment; increasing competence in foreign languages; strengthening entrepreneurship and innovation and building leadership capacity; embedding a new model of inspections; focused engagement with enterprise; and enhancing apprenticeships.