NDM7153 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.

Welsh Government / Statistics for Wales, Academic achievement of pupils aged 4 to 14 in core subjects, 7 August 2019

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.

Estyn, The Annual Report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales 2017-2018

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.