Part of 1. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education – in the Senedd at 1:32 pm on 2 November 2016.
Thank you for that comment. Some of our most successful schools are 11-16 schools, but I am not aware of any comprehensive study that looks at the comparative outcomes of schools that offer curriculum through 11-16 or 11-18. What’s really important is that local authorities take into consideration the unique characteristics of the area in which they are delivering education. We are seeing a broad variety of schools, as I said, working across 11-16, 11-18, and, increasingly, we’re seeing the development of through schools, where children are educated for the entirety of their educational journey on one particular site. I had great pleasure recently, joining with the Presiding Officer, of opening such a school in Llandysul. It’ll be interesting to be able to compare outcomes of these different models so that we can learn what works best. But each local authority will have to make the decision that is right for their local population.