In Our Own Words: Looking Back to Move Forward
Looking Back to Move Forward: Reflections by Kristin Armour
This time last year, I wrote about parent voice, about frustration, fatigue, and the feeling that too many parents were still fighting to be heard in a system that felt overwhelming and, at times, immovable. That reflection came from listening to families and from a growing belief that education reform cannot happen to parents, but only with them.
A year on, I find myself reflecting again, but from a different place.
Another humbling year for me having the privilege of working with parents through the Assembly from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. Parents of children with Additional Support Needs sit alongside parents whose concerns relate to attendance, curriculum, behaviour, wellbeing, transitions, and confidence in the education system more broadly. What unites them is not a single issue, but a shared commitment to improving education for their children.
It is true that ASN features strongly in these conversations and that is not accidental. When systems work well for children with the greatest barriers, they work better for everyone. ASN issues often sit at the sharpest edge of wider challenges in education, and listening to those experiences helps illuminate where reform is most urgently needed.
What has become increasingly clear this year is the power of collective voice. Individual concerns can be dismissed or delayed but shared experiences are harder to ignore. When parents and carers come together, patterns emerge, priorities sharpen, and the conversation shifts from isolated issues to systemic questions. That collective insight is one of the most important strengths of the Assembly’s work.
What has stood out most this year is not just what parents have said, but how they have said it. There has been a clear shift from sharing individual frustrations to identifying shared priorities and proposing solutions. Parents are increasingly confident in challenging systems that prioritise process over people, and in articulating what meaningful change should look like.
The Assembly has not solved everything. Education reform is complex, slow, and often uncomfortable. But this year has shown that when parents are trusted as partners rather than positioned as consultees, the conversation changes. It becomes more honest, more grounded, and more focused on children’s real experiences.
Looking ahead to 2026, I feel cautiously optimistic. Not because the challenges have disappeared, they haven’t, but parent voice feels as if it’s no longer sitting quietly at the edges of the conversations. Parents from all backgrounds are engaged, informed, and increasingly confident in shaping discussions about education reform.
As we move forward, my hope is that we continue to listen early, act meaningfully, and resist reducing parent participation to a tick-box exercise. Education reform must be built on lived experience, trust, and collaboration and parents must have a vital role in shaping what comes next. We will always continue to support this and seek out the opportunities!
Progress doesn’t always arrive loudly. Sometimes it looks like growing participation, deeper conversations, and a shared belief that change is possible.
That feels like a strong foundation on which to step into 2026.