Part of 1. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:43 pm on 1 November 2016.
I would be cautious about using the view of somebody who is clearly disgruntled, who has just written a book and wants to sell it, and is, therefore, making statements in order to sell that book. So, I don’t accept what Dr Philip Dixon is saying. I don’t think that the department has any kind of problem. We have seen, over the last few years, a consistent improvement in standards, consistent investment both in schools and the profession, with new schools being built all across Wales, improvements in GCSE results and improvements in A-levels. All these things have been happening over the last few years. What we have seen, under his party in England, is academisation, a step backwards to grammar schools and a failure to invest in schools. That is not a route that we want to take in Wales. One thing I can say, and I say this absolutely clearly, is that, as is the case in other areas where pay and conditions have been devolved, there is no question—no question at all—of teachers in Wales being paid less than teachers in England. That is simply not going to happen. We will ensure that our teachers are well rewarded for the skills that they have and ensure that the profession is able to practise in Wales with the full support of the Government. I have absolutely every confidence in the department in Welsh Government.