So as to facilitate a conversation - both online and in-person, certain assumptions have been made:

1. That education is a public good and needs to be driven by public processes.
2. That equity of both access and outcomes is a major driver for public policy with respect to education.
3. That teaching is a profession which requires the support, recognition and respect of the public.
4. That teaching, and learning is what takes place in school - learning can take place anywhere, but schools are a place in which teachers make a difference.
5. That the purpose of school is broader than preparing students for the world of work - that is as much about citizenship, social awareness, critical thinking, finding a specific passion and cultivating it than it is about skills and competencies.
6. That curriculum - the focus for the work of teachers and learners in schools - should be flexible and adaptable by professional teachers to reflect the reality of their classrooms.
7. That assessment and feedback are intended to support teaching and learning and are not intended as vehicles to hold teachers and learners accountable against some performance standard which is arbitrarily imposed.
8. That different students require different supports so as to achieve their potential as learners - students with special needs, disabilities, gifted students, students who dance or are artistic all need different kinds of support to enable them to be successful.
9. That the public deserve to know how their schools are performing, but this public assurance should not become the driver for teaching and learning - the needs of learners should drive what happens in school.
10. That the role of Government and its agencies is to support the professional work of teachers and provide the resources to enable effective schools rather than to command and control what teachers and schools do.

These are "big" assumptions and are clearly open to challenge.