5. Will the Minister make a statement on attainment levels in Key Stages 1 to 3 in schools in Wales? OAQ(5)0021(EDU)

Thank you, Oscar. We have seen continued improvement this year across all subjects at key stages 2 and 3. There were also improvements in mathematics and the overall foundation phase indicator at foundation phase. These improvements demonstrate a continued positive impact of our focus on improving standards and outcomes for students.

Thank you for the reply, Cabinet Secretary. Welsh Government statistics have shown a marked general attainment gap in the foundation phase, key stage 2 and key stage 3. Girls outperform boys across all key subjects in each of the first three stages of learning and, for the first time, the difference between boys and girls in the key foundation phase indicator has widened. What action does the Cabinet Secretary intend to take to address this gap, which has implications beyond the classroom into the further job market in Wales and abroad? Thank you.

Thank you, Oscar. Just to be clear, and to have it on the record, improvements this year show our highest ever end of key stage 2 results, and results for key stage 3 have also improved. We welcome the news that the gap in performance between girls and boys has narrowed in most subjects at key stages 2 and 3, and there’s yet more improvement in most subjects above the expected level across the areas of learning in the foundation phase. So, the gap between boys and girls is closing, but it is one that still exists. This is not a phenomenon that is affecting Wales alone, but a phenomenon that affects across the UK. Indeed, in western Europe, there is an attainment gap between boys and girls. We will be looking at ways in which we can employ specific strategies in specific schools to address the needs of boy learners. It’s particularly acute for pupils who are on free school meals, and we’re looking at innovative ways of using the pupil deprivation grant to be able to create opportunities and a curriculum and an experience to better engage those young boys in their school education.