A new year rarely begins with a blank slate. We carry questions with us, doubts too, and sometimes, fortunately, a few answers. Often, we also harbour good intentions that fade more quickly than we are willing to admit. Education is no different. What might work, what rarely does, what we thought we knew and need to question again. That is not a weakness, but precisely the strength of a sector that refuses to stand still, while also being an institution.

For 2026, I do not wish us easy solutions, but better questions. Not the next quick fix or fashionable hype, but the time and space to look carefully. Not grand claims about the latest miracle solution that will reappear years later in yet another myth-busting book, but small, thoughtful steps that together make a real difference. For pupils and students. For teachers. For everyone who works in education every day.

May it be a year in which we keep reading, listening, and learning. In which we can disagree without losing one another. And in which education can once again be what it has always been: a slow, hopeful project that requires patience and a long view.

Best wishes.