NDM8447 Welsh Conservatives Debate - PISA results

NDM8447 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)

To propose that the Senedd:

1. Notes the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results, published on 5 December 2023.

2. Regrets that:

a) Wales's performance has fallen to its lowest level ever in maths, reading and science tests taken by 15-year olds;

b) Wales’s results were the lowest of all UK nations, for the fifth consecutive time; and

c) Wales’s results were lower than the OECD average.

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) prioritise children’s education by getting 5,000 more teachers back into classrooms;

b) ensure those with additional learning needs are provided with the right support sooner, with no cuts made to additional learning needs in the 2024-25 budget;

c) reintroduce a form of standardised testing across schools and local authorities to help parents and teachers monitor learner progress at key stages and compare performance;

d) develop an enhanced programme for more able and talented learners; and

e) scrap the regional education consortia and invest savings made into school budgets.

PISA 2022 results

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 Lesley Griffiths (Wrexham)

Delete all after point 1 and replace with:

Notes that the pandemic impacted on PISA scores across the world.

Recognises that Wales saw improvement in literacy and numeracy in PISA 2018, however that progress has declined since the pandemic.

Welcomes:

a) the launch of literacy and numeracy plans to raise standards in these key areas;

b) funding to support learners with Additional Learning Needs has significantly increased over recent years and has been protected in the draft budget;

c) that online Personalised Assessments are used in schools across Wales to support teaching and learning, and data from the assessments will be published annually to track progress; and

d) the establishment of a National Attendance Taskforce to support schools in improving attendance rates.

Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25

If amendment 1 is agreed, amendment 2 will be de-selected.

Amendment 2 Heledd Fychan (South Wales Central)

Delete point 3 and replace with:

Calls on the Welsh Government to:

a) prioritise the recruitment and retention of teachers and teaching assistants, in light of EWC data that shows that 16% of schoolteachers intend to leave the profession within the next 3 years and around 40% of learning support staff intend to leave in the first 5 years;

b) ensure those with additional learning needs are provided with the right support sooner, including through the medium of Welsh, with no cuts made to additional learning needs in the 2024-25 budget;

c) launch a rapid review to tackle education inequality in Wales, reporting and implementing a set of meaningful recommendations.