Decision details

Debates are one of the most frequent items of business on the Plenary agenda. Many types of debate are brought forward in Plenary, including:

• Opposition party debates on a topic of their choice;

Other than in the case of Government debates, the time allocated for all other types of debates and their frequency are determined by the Business Committee

Item 4 started at 15.56

 

Voting on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.

 

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:

 

NDM4899 William Graham (South Wales East):

 

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

 

1. Recognises that to improve educational standards and attainment across Wales, there must be a focus on supporting and stretching pupils of all abilities;

 

2. Regrets that the capabilities of many able and talented pupils are not challenged enough in Welsh schools; and

 

3:  Calls on the Welsh Government to address, as a matter of urgency, the decline in the number of pupils achieving top grades in Wales.

 

For	Abstain	Against	Total
13	0	39	52

The motion without amendment was not agreed.

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1- Jocelyn Davies (South Wales East)

 

Insert at end of point 1:

 

'starting in our most deprived communities'.

 

A vote was taken on Amendment 1:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
34	0	18	52

Amendment 1 was agreed.

 

Amendment 2 - Jocelyn Davies (South Wales East)

 

Delete point 2.

 

A vote was taken on Amendment 2:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
34	0	18	52

Amendment 2 was agreed.

 

Amendment 3 - Jane Hutt (Vale of Glamorgan)

 

Delete point 3 and replace with:

 

Welcomes the increase in the number of pupils achieving top grades in GCSEs in Wales since 1999.

 

A vote was taken on Amendment 3:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
34	0	18	52

Amendment 3 was agreed.

 

Amendment 4 - Peter Black (South Wales West)

 

Add new point at end of motion:

 

Welcomes the additional £20 million investment for the Pupil Deprivation Fund agreed in December’s final budget and calls on the Welsh Government to identify how it will monitor the fund to ensure that it is used to improve educational standards.

 

A vote was taken on Amendment 4:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
31	8	13	52

Amendment 4 was agreed.

 

Amendment 5 - Peter Black (South Wales West)

 

Add new point at end of motion:

 

Calls on the government to ensure that data on 'Local Authority Budgeted Expenditure on Schools: Wales/England Comparison' continue to be made available in order to ensure that spending can be monitored to improve educational standards.

 

A vote was taken on Amendment 5:

For	Abstain	Against	Total
52	0	0	52

Amendment 5 was agreed.

 

A vote was taken on the motion as amended:

 

NDM4899 William Graham (South Wales East):

 

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

 

1. Recognises that to improve educational standards and attainment across Wales, there must be a focus on supporting and stretching pupils of all abilities starting in our most deprived communities.

 

2. Welcomes the increase in the number of pupils achieving top grades in GCSEs in Wales since 1999.

 

3. Welcomes the additional £20 million investment for the Pupil Deprivation Fund agreed in December’s final budget and calls on the Welsh Government to identify how it will monitor the fund to ensure that it is used to improve educational standards.

 

4. Calls on the government to ensure that data on 'Local Authority Budgeted Expenditure on Schools: Wales/England Comparison' continue to be made available in order to ensure that spending can be monitored to improve educational standards.

 

For	Abstain	Against	Total
39	0	13	52

The motion as amended was agreed.