In November 2022, the European Education Policy Network on Teachers and School Leaders (EEPN) held its Annual Conference in Trim, Ireland. At the time, nearly 80 education professionals, researchers, and policymakers gathered to explore a transformative theme: teachers and school leaders towards a sustainable Whole School Approach (WSA) for inclusive, high-quality education.

Now, in 2025, as European education systems continue to recover, adapt, and evolve in the face of global crises and demographic shifts, the conclusions drawn from that event are proving more relevant—and more urgent—than ever before.

Looking Back, Moving Forward: The Enduring Relevance of EEPN 2022

The 2022 conference was far from just a routine academic gathering. It produced research and policy insights that have since shaped education development across the continent. Its forward-thinking focus on community building, equity, and whole-school transformation laid a foundation that, three years on, is still guiding schools through the complex realities of the post-pandemic era.

Parents International, a key partner in the EEPN network, was proud to contribute to the conference and to see its work on meaningful parental engagement featured in the research portfolio. Today, we reaffirm our commitment to this vision and call on school leaders and policymakers to revisit those findings—not as past reflections, but as a blueprint for today’s solutions.

EEPN’s Research Focus: Still the Right Questions

At the heart of the 2022 conference were five interconnected areas of focus that remain strikingly relevant in 2025:

• Teachers’ and school leaders’ competences and support for effective blended learning: As hybrid education becomes a permanent fixture, schools need sustainable strategies—not emergency responses.
• A whole school support and networking to ensure school success for all: With increasing inequality, schools need strong internal and external networks to support every learner.
• A whole school approach for sustainable development, with a focus on the role and competences of school leaders: Climate, digitalisation, and migration challenges require schools to lead with sustainability and inclusivity.
• Schools as learning communities to support teachers’ and school leaders’ professional learning and well-being: Burnout remains a serious threat. Schools must become spaces where educators thrive, not just survive.
• The EEPN policy recommendations: These serve as a clear roadmap for turning research into practice at scale.

Each of these themes intersects with today’s educational priorities, reaffirming that the Whole School Approach isn’t just a theory—it’s the system 21st-century schools need.

Whole School Thinking for a Whole New Reality

The urgency of 2025 demands more than small-scale interventions. Schools are navigating increased migration, youth mental health crises, widening digital divides, and the pressing need for environmental literacy. In this landscape, fragmented efforts fail. What’s needed is a holistic approach that brings coherence, inclusion, and collective responsibility to the entire school environment.

This is what the Whole School Approach offers.

WSA is not about occasional wellbeing programs or adding sustainability to the timetable. It’s about ensuring that every aspect of school life—leadership, pedagogy, relationships, policies, and community links—reflects shared values of inclusion, equity, and empowerment. And crucially, it invites families to be active co-creators in that process.

Families: From Margins to the Centre

One of the strongest messages from the 2022 conference—and one that resonates even more deeply now—was that parents and families must be at the centre of school transformation.

When Peter Kelly (Plymouth University) summarised the EEPN research, he identified community-building, active participation, and shared leadership as key drivers of educational change. In all of these, families play a vital role. Initiatives like Parent’R’Us exemplify how parent leadership and collaboration can strengthen schools—not just by increasing engagement, but by deepening mutual respect between families and educators.

In 2025, these partnerships are no longer a ‘nice to have’—they’re essential. Today’s students face social complexity, environmental instability, and digital saturation. Schools cannot support them alone. Families bring context, culture, continuity, and care—assets that schools must integrate, not overlook.

Leadership with Courage and Vision

Another theme that has grown more pressing since 2022 is the need for strong, inclusive school leadership. As we face escalating demands and limited resources, school leaders must move beyond administrative functions. They must become facilitators of collaboration, supporting staff, students, and families in building resilient learning communities.

The EEPN policy recommendations laid out concrete ways to support leaders in this role—from professional development to wellbeing strategies and cross-sector partnerships. Schools that have embraced these principles are showing greater adaptability and stronger staff retention, even amid ongoing stressors.

The Path Ahead: Action, Not Aspiration

Three years on from the EEPN conference, it’s clearer than ever: the Whole School Approach isn’t just timely—it’s timeless. In 2025, its principles align with the challenges schools face every day. And its power lies in the simple truth that education works best when it is collaborative, caring, and community-based.

At Parents International, we continue to champion the WSA model. We advocate for policies that embed parental partnership, support inclusive leadership, and empower schools to serve all learners. The 2022 EEPN conference gave us the evidence. Now, it’s time to act.

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