Schools today are being asked to do far more than deliver academic outcomes. Teachers, SENCOs, headteachers and school leaders are increasingly expected to support the development of the whole child - academically, socially and emotionally - while preparing pupils for an increasingly complex and uncertain future.
For Trust and MAT leaders, this challenge extends further. Trusts are working to create consistent approaches to teaching, inclusion and pupil development across multiple schools while responding to growing learner diversity and rising expectations around SEND provision.
One framework that is shaping these conversations globally is the OECD Learning Compass 2030, which is increasingly informing how schools think about learning and pupil development. As part of the OECD’s Future of Education and Skills 2030 project, the framework outlines the knowledge, skills and capabilities young people will need to thrive in the future.
For schools and Trust leaders alike, the Learning Compass raises an important question: How do we move beyond measuring what pupils know to better understanding how they learn?
The OECD Learning Compass 2030 is designed to help education systems think about what learners need in order to navigate a rapidly changing world. Rather than focusing solely on academic knowledge, the framework highlights the importance of developing a broader combination of:
Together, these elements contribute to what the OECD describes as individual and collective well-being.
At the centre of the Learning Compass is the concept of student agency - the idea that learners should be active participants in their education, capable of making responsible decisions and contributing to their communities.
This reflects a growing shift in education policy and practice: schools are not only responsible for transmitting knowledge but also for helping pupils develop the ability to think critically, collaborate with others and respond to complex challenges.
For teachers, SENCOs and school leaders, the Learning Compass signals an important shift in how we think about learning and pupil development.
Traditional education systems have often focused on attainment measures, such as exam results and standardised tests. While these measures remain important, they capture only part of the learning process.
The Learning Compass highlights the importance of broader competencies such as:
For Trust and MAT leaders, this also raises important strategic questions. Many Trusts are already exploring how to build trust-wide clarity around learner needs, alongside creating consistent approaches to:
To support these goals, schools increasingly need insight into how pupils approach learning, not just what they achieve.
Many traditional forms of assessment focus on what pupils know. However, they often provide limited insight into how pupils think, process information and engage with learning.
Competencies such as creativity, collaboration or responsible decision-making rely on a range of underlying processes, including:
These processes influence how pupils respond to challenges, approach problem-solving tasks and participate in the classroom.
For educators and school leaders, gaining insight into these aspects of learning can help explain why some pupils may struggle despite strong teaching, or why others flourish when learning environments better match their strengths.
The Learning Compass also aligns closely with the growing emphasis on inclusive education and the increasing importance of strong SEND leadership in schools and Trusts.
Across many schools, SENCOs and school leaders are working to support pupils with a wide range of learning profiles, including those with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) as well as pupils who may learn differently but do not necessarily meet formal diagnostic criteria.
Recognising this diversity requires acknowledging that pupils may:
For Trust leaders responsible for inclusion across multiple schools, this challenge often involves developing shared approaches that support diverse learners while enabling teachers to respond flexibly within their classrooms.
Understanding how pupils think and engage with learning can therefore play an important role in supporting inclusive practice and personalised learning.
Many schools and Trusts are already moving towards more personalised approaches to learning. This may involve:
To support these approaches, educators increasingly benefit from tools and insights that help make learning visible, rather than relying solely on attainment data. This theme is explored further in our recent podcast conversation with Chris Jones on Turning SEND Data into Meaningful Provision, where we discuss how schools and Trust leaders are beginning to translate learner insight into more intentional support.
Developmental learner-profiling approaches, including those used in tools such as PAGS, aim to support this deeper understanding by providing insight into how pupils reason, process information and approach learning tasks. These insights can help educators consider how learning environments and teaching strategies may better support individual pupils.
In many ways, the Learning Compass reinforces a simple but profound idea: that meaningful provision begins with truly knowing our learners. The OECD Learning Compass 2030 reflects a wider shift in education towards whole-child development.
For SENCOs, headteachers, school leaders and Trust leaders, this shift highlights the importance of looking beyond attainment measures alone and developing a richer understanding of how pupils think, learn and develop.
As education systems continue to evolve, gaining deeper insight into learning processes will become increasingly important for supporting inclusive education, effective teaching and the success of every learner.
When schools truly understand how their pupils learn, provision becomes more intentional, inclusion becomes more meaningful, and every learner has a greater opportunity to thrive.
For schools and Trusts exploring how to better understand their learners, developmental learner-profiling approaches such as PAGS can help make learning processes more visible.
If you would like to see how PAGS supports schools and Trusts in building clearer insight into learner needs, you can book a short demonstration here.
Building Trust-Wide Clarity Around Learner Needs
SEND Reform Readiness Planning Guide
The Inclusion Readiness Assessment
Why do some pupils flourish while others struggle, even when teaching is strong? The OECD Learning Compass 2030 offers a useful lens for thinking about how pupils learn, why learners learn differently, and what this means for schools.
Download PDFWhy do some pupils flourish while others struggle, even when teaching is strong? The OECD Learning Compass 2030 offers a useful lens for thinking about how pupils learn, why learners learn differently, and what this means for schools.
Why do some pupils flourish while others struggle, even when teaching is strong? The OECD Learning Compass 2030 offers a useful lens for thinking about how pupils learn, why learners learn differently, and what this means for schools.
Why does having everything in one place matter for SEN interventions? Stone Soup Academy share how PAGS supports whole-school intervention, saves time, and drives measurable progress - improving attendance, outcomes and evidencing impact for Ofsted.
