Commission proposal for a Council Recommendation on Pathways to School Success

Objective and proposed actions

The proposal aims to boost the inclusive dimension of education by reducing low achievement in basic skills and by increasing secondary education attainment.  

The Commission's proposal calls on European Union (EU) Member States to

• develop or further strengthen an integrated and comprehensive strategy towards school success, which is evidence-based and combines universal measures with targeted and/or individualised provisions for learners, by 2025
• develop or further strengthen data collection and monitoring systems at the national, regional and local levels
• support all learners to succeed by systemically combining measures which put the learner’s interests and needs at the centre
• support school leaders, teachers, trainers and other staff to work with learners at risk of exclusion, underachievement and early school leaving
• promote and implement ‘whole-school approaches’, in which all members of the school community and external stakeholders engage actively and in a collaborative way to promote educational success for all learners
• mobilise and optimise the use of national and EU funds for investment in infrastructure, training, tools and resources to increase inclusion, equality and well-being in education

Stakeholder consultation

The proposal was developed following extensive public consultation and an independent assessment of the implementation of the 2011 Council Recommendation on policies to reduce early school leaving. The new proposal will repeal and replace the 2011 Council Recommendation when adopted.

Implementation

Negotiations on the proposal will begin shortly with EU Member States. Reaching an agreement on the text is intended before the end of the 2022 Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU before 31 December 2022.

Following its agreement, the Commission will support the implementation of the future Council Recommendation through the Erasmus+ programme and foster cooperation and exchange between Member States, stakeholders and partner countries.

Accompanying documents

The proposal is accompanied by an Annex setting out a policy framework which should inspire Member States when developing their strategies towards school success and a Staff Working Document in the format of a handbook providing details and evidence for the proposed Recommendation, including results from the public consultation to prepare the initiative.

The European Toolkit for Schools ‘Promoting inclusive education and tackling early school leaving,’ will continue to support the development and dissemination of guidance material and inspiring resources on educational success for all learners.

For more information, see the press release.