Meetings
NDM7153 Welsh Conservatives debate - GCSE and A-Level Results
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Meeting: 02/10/2019 - Plenary - Fifth Senedd (Item 10)
Welsh Conservatives debate - GCSE and A-Level Results
NDM7153 Darren
Millar (Clwyd West)
To propose that the National Assembly for
Wales:
1. Notes this summer's GCSE and A-Level
results in Wales.
2. Regrets that the GCSE A*-C results in
summer 2019 were worse than in summer 2007.
3. Further regrets the fall in the
percentage of learners securing A*-C GCSE grades in English, maths and Welsh
second language.
4. Notes that Welsh Government research has
found that performance against key indicators for years 4-9 have deteriorated.
5. Calls on the Welsh Government to
acknowledge its failure to significantly improve GCSE and A-Level attainment in
Wales and apologise to pupils, parents and schools for letting them down.
The following amendments have been tabled:
Amendment 1 - Rebecca
Evans (Gower)
After point 1, delete all and replace with:
Congratulates pupils, teachers and school
staff for their hard work and strong set of results.
Welcomes that:
a) A-Level results this summer remained at
a historic high;
b) compared to English regions and Northern
Ireland, Wales improved A-Level ranking for all grades and, for the first time
ever, is rated first for A*;
c) overall GCSE results showed improvement
this summer;
d) the increase of over 50 per cent in
science GCSE entries since 2016, and increases this year in the percentage of
pupils gaining A*-A and A*-C grades in science subjects;
e) the number of pupils achieving A*-C in
Welsh second language full course increased by 12.5 per cent;
f) the number of pupils who sat GCSE
English literature increased by 22.8 per cent, with over 2,800 more achieving
A*-C grades compared with 2018.
[If amendment 1 is
agreed, amendments 2, 3 and 4 will be de-selected]
Amendment 2 - Rhun
ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn)
Delete points 2 and 3 and replace with:
Believes that it’s not possible to make
meaningful comparisons with GCSE and A-level results from previous years for a
number of reasons.
Amendment 3 - Rhun
ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn)
Add new points after point 4, and re-number
accordingly:
Notes the Estyn findings that pupils who
attend half the secondary schools in Wales are unable to reach their full
potential by the time they leave school.
Believes that the pupil-teacher relationship
is key to academic attainment and that schools must be sufficiently funded in
order to raise standards.
Calls for improvements to teachers’ conditions
of employment, and abolish bureaucracy and unnecessary intervention, in order
to strengthen academic achievement.
Calls on the Welsh Government to provide
sufficient funding for our schools ac move spending towards preventative
services within its next budget, in order to create the conditions that will
enable our pupils and teachers to succeed.
Amendment 4 - Rhun
ap Iorwerth (Ynys Môn)
In point 5, delete "to acknowledge its
failure to significantly improve GCSE and A-Level attainment in Wales and
apologise to pupils, parents and schools for letting them down" and
replace with “to apologise that the current education system does not allow
half the pupils in Welsh schools to achieve their full potential”.
Amendment 5 - Caroline
Jones (South Wales West)
Add as new point at end of the motion:
Believes that Welsh GCSE and A-Level
learners are being harmed by recent changes that water down school accountability
and calls on the Welsh Government to reverse this trend.
Minutes:
The item started at
17.36
Voting
on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.
A
vote was taken on the motion without amendment:
NDM7153 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)
To propose that the National Assembly for
Wales:
1. Notes this summer's GCSE and A-Level
results in Wales.
2. Regrets that the GCSE A*-C results in summer
2019 were worse than in summer 2007.
3. Further regrets the fall in the
percentage of learners securing A*-C GCSE grades in English, maths and Welsh
second language.
4. Notes that Welsh Government research has
found that performance against key indicators for years 4-9 have deteriorated.
5. Calls on the Welsh Government to
acknowledge its failure to significantly improve GCSE and A-Level attainment in
Wales and apologise to pupils, parents and schools for letting them down.
|
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|
11 |
0 |
41 |
52 |
The motion without amendment was not
agreed.
The
following amendments were tabled:
Amendment 1 - Rebecca Evans (Gower)
After point 1,
delete all and replace with:
Congratulates
pupils, teachers and school staff for their hard work and strong set of
results.
Welcomes that:
a) A-Level results this summer remained at
a historic high;
b) compared to English regions and Northern
Ireland, Wales improved A-Level ranking for all grades and, for the first time
ever, is rated first for A*;
c) overall GCSE results showed improvement
this summer;
d) the increase of over 50 per cent in
science GCSE entries since 2016, and increases this year in the percentage of
pupils gaining A*-A and A*-C grades in science subjects;
e) the number of pupils achieving A*-C in
Welsh second language full course increased by 12.5 per cent;
f) the number of pupils who sat GCSE
English literature increased by 22.8 per cent, with over 2,800 more achieving
A*-C grades compared with 2018.
A vote was taken on
amendment 1:
|
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|
28 |
0 |
23 |
51 |
Amendment 1 was agreed.
As amendment 1 was
agreed, amendments 2, 3 and 4 were de-selected
Amendment 5 - Caroline Jones (South Wales West)
Add as new point at end of the motion:
Believes that Welsh GCSE and A-Level learners are being harmed by recent
changes that water down school accountability and calls on the Welsh Government
to reverse this trend.
A vote was taken on
amendment 5:
|
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|
12 |
2 |
36 |
50 |
Amendment 5 was not agreed.
A
vote was taken on the motion as amended:
NDM7153 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)
To propose that the National Assembly for
Wales:
1. Notes this summer's GCSE and A-Level
results in Wales.
2. Congratulates pupils, teachers and
school staff for their hard work and strong set of results.
3. Welcomes that:
a) A-Level results this summer remained at
a historic high;
b) compared to English regions and Northern
Ireland, Wales improved A-Level ranking for all grades and, for the first time
ever, is rated first for A*;
c) overall GCSE results showed improvement
this summer;
d) the increase of over 50 per cent in
science GCSE entries since 2016, and increases this year in the percentage of
pupils gaining A*-A and A*-C grades in science subjects;
e) the number of pupils achieving A*-C in
Welsh second language full course increased by 12.5 per cent;
f) the number of pupils who sat GCSE
English literature increased by 22.8 per cent, with over 2,800 more achieving
A*-C grades compared with 2018.
|
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
|
27 |
8 |
15 |
50 |
The motion as amended was agreed.