GwE, the fully bilingual School Effectiveness and Improvement Service for North Wales, works alongside and on behalf of the Local Authorities of Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Gwynedd, Wrexham and Anglesey to develop excellent schools across the region. By providing focused and supportive challenge and challenging support, GwE’s vision is to develop a self-improving system which trusts schools and their leaders at every level to guide us on that journey. At best, close collaboration between schools can be extremely challenging and leads us to the realisation that perhaps what we perceived as being excellent practice is not in fact excellent. Schools need to improve themselves for the sake of the learners in their care; it is up to GwE to ensure that this happens.

The national improvement plan, “Qualified for Life” is an indication of a commitment to the concept of a self-improving education system, and encapsulates the vision of school leaders working together, taking charge of their future and development. Whilst those within our schools must take responsibility for raising standards within their own establishments, GwE is trying to nurture a mentality of mutually celebrating the achievements of an entire system – “I want every school to be a good school, but I want my school to be that little bit better”.