NDM6776 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.