Whole-school and whole-system approaches

This policy brief makes the case for whole-school and whole-system approaches as the essential governance and organisational foundation for sustainable education reform. It argues that improvements in inclusion, well-being, and learning outcomes require coherent leadership, collaboration, and aligned support structures that translate policy into practice at school level. The brief identifies key challenges facing many European countries, including fragmented reform agendas, weak coordination across governance levels and reform fatigue among school staff. Strengthening shared responsibility and cross-sector collaboration is presented as the path from short-term projects to lasting system improvement.