Meetings
NDM6776 Welsh Conservatives debate - School Standards
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Meeting: 19/09/2018 - Plenary - Fifth Senedd (Item 6)
Welsh Conservatives debate - School Standards
NDM6776 Paul
Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire)
To propose that the National Assembly for
Wales:
1. Regrets that the GCSE attainment of A*-C
grades in Wales for summer 2018 were the worst since 2005.
2. Expresses
concern over school standards, given the number of Welsh schools placed in
special measures by Estyn and in receipt of warning notices from Welsh local
education authorities.
3. Calls on the
Welsh Government to invest more in education to address the funding gap per
pupil between England and Wales.
The following amendments have been tabled:
Amendment 1 - Julie James (Swansea West)
Delete all and
replace with:
To propose that the
National Assembly for Wales:
1. Welcomes:
a. that the proportion of pupils being awarded
top grades at A*-A in GCSE and A-levels has increased;
b. an increase of 50 per cent in the number of
entries for GCSE Science, with more entries gaining A*-C;
c. an increase in A*-C in GCSE Mathematics and
Mathematics-Numeracy when recognising best outcome obtained by 16-year-olds
across November and summer series; and
d. that 76.3 per cent of A-Level pupils gained
A*-C, the highest since 2009.
2. Notes:
a. Qualification Wales’s warning that with the
scale and complexity of recent changes, care should be taken when drawing any
conclusions from comparing summer 2018 GCSE results and previous years but
overall performance remains broadly stable;
b. that the OECD reported progress in several
policy areas and a shift in the Welsh approach to school improvement away from
a piecemeal and short-term policy orientation towards one that is guided by a
long-term vision; and
c. the Institute for Fiscal Studies’ conclusion
that school spending per pupil has fallen by more in England than in Wales over
the last eight years, virtually eliminating the gap in spending per pupil
between the two countries.
Qualifications
Wales Report - Overview of GCSE Results in Wales Summer 2018
OECD Report - The
Welsh Education Reform Journey
The Institute for
Fiscal Studies’ Report – Comparing Schools Spending per Pupil in Wales and
England
Amendment 2 - Rhun ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn)
Add as new point at
end of motion:
Calls on the Welsh
Government to provide enough investment in education to ensure that the whole
education workforce receives sufficient training of a high standard.
Amendment 3 - Rhun ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn)
Add as new point at
end of motion:
Calls on the Welsh
Government to provide enough investment in education to ensure that the pay and
conditions on the whole education workforce attracts a highly skilled
workforce.
Minutes:
The
item started at 16.41
Voting
on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.
A
vote was taken on the motion without amendment:
NDM6776
Paul
Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire)
To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:
1. Regrets that the GCSE attainment of A*-C grades
in Wales for summer 2018 were the worst since 2005.
2. Expresses concern over school standards, given
the number of Welsh schools placed in special measures by Estyn and in receipt
of warning notices from Welsh local education authorities.
3. Calls on the Welsh Government to invest more in
education to address the funding gap per pupil between England and Wales.
|
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|
16 |
0 |
35 |
51 |
The
motion without amendment was not agreed.
The
following amendments were tabled:
Amendment
1 - Julie James (Swansea West)
Delete
all and replace with:
To
propose that the National Assembly for Wales:
1. Welcomes:
a. that the proportion of pupils being awarded
top grades at A*-A in GCSE and A-levels has increased;
b. an increase of 50 per cent in the number of
entries for GCSE Science, with more entries gaining A*-C;
c. an increase in A*-C in GCSE Mathematics and
Mathematics-Numeracy when recognising best outcome obtained by 16-year-olds
across November and summer series; and
d. that 76.3 per cent of A-Level pupils gained
A*-C, the highest since 2009.
2.
Notes:
a. Qualification Wales’s warning that with the
scale and complexity of recent changes, care should be taken when drawing any
conclusions from comparing summer 2018 GCSE results and previous years but
overall performance remains broadly stable;
b. that the OECD reported progress in several
policy areas and a shift in the Welsh approach to school improvement away from
a piecemeal and short-term policy orientation towards one that is guided by a
long-term vision; and
c. the Institute for Fiscal Studies’ conclusion
that school spending per pupil has fallen by more in England than in Wales over
the last eight years, virtually eliminating the gap in spending per pupil
between the two countries.
A
vote was taken on amendment 1:
|
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|
29 |
0 |
23 |
52 |
Amendment
1 was agreed.
Amendment
2 - Rhun
ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn)
Add
as new point at end of motion:
Calls
on the Welsh Government to provide enough investment in education to ensure
that the whole education workforce receives sufficient training of a high
standard.
A
vote was taken on amendment 2:
|
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|
50 |
0 |
2 |
52 |
Amendment
2 was agreed.
Amendment
3 - Rhun
ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn)
Add as new point at end of motion:
Calls on the Welsh Government to provide enough investment
in education to ensure that the pay and conditions on the whole education
workforce attracts a highly skilled workforce.
A
vote was taken on amendment 3:
|
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|
50 |
0 |
1 |
51 |
Amendment
3 was agreed.
A
vote was taken on the motion as amended:
NDM6776
Paul
Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire)
To
propose that the National Assembly for Wales:
1. Welcomes:
a. that the proportion of pupils being awarded
top grades at A*-A in GCSE and A-levels has increased;
b. an increase of 50 per cent in the number of
entries for GCSE Science, with more entries gaining A*-C;
c. an increase in A*-C in GCSE Mathematics and
Mathematics-Numeracy when recognising best outcome obtained by 16-year-olds
across November and summer series; and
d. that 76.3 per cent of A-Level pupils gained
A*-C, the highest since 2009.
2.
Notes:
a. Qualification Wales’s warning that with the
scale and complexity of recent changes, care should be taken when drawing any
conclusions from comparing summer 2018 GCSE results and previous years but
overall performance remains broadly stable;
b. that the OECD reported progress in several
policy areas and a shift in the Welsh approach to school improvement away from
a piecemeal and short-term policy orientation towards one that is guided by a
long-term vision; and
c. the Institute for Fiscal Studies’ conclusion
that school spending per pupil has fallen by more in England than in Wales over
the last eight years, virtually eliminating the gap in spending per pupil
between the two countries.
3.
Calls on the Welsh Government to
provide enough investment in education to ensure that the whole education
workforce receives sufficient training of a high standard.
4.
Calls on the Welsh Government to provide enough investment in education
to ensure that the pay and conditions on the whole education workforce attracts
a highly skilled workforce.
|
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|
35 |
0 |
16 |
51 |
The
motion as amended was agreed.