The next item is a statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education on the PISA results. I call on the Cabinet Secretary, Kirsty Williams.

Thank you, Presiding Officer. Today sees the publication of the 2015 PISA results. Let me get straight to the point: we would all have liked to have seen greater progress. I think we will all agree in this Chamber that we are not where we want to be. These tests, taken last year, included half a million 15-year-olds in 72 countries. Here in Wales, our national report describes a stabilisation in our reading results. We saw the biggest increase in the UK in our maths score. Of those higher-performing countries that scored over 450 points, only four countries out of the 71 who participated in PISA saw a bigger increase in maths. But, on science, the focus of this round of assessment, the results are, frankly, deeply, deeply disappointing. And although the average score for science has declined across the OECD, this should be of no comfort to us. I will say more on science in due course. I have made clear that international evidence, and learning from the best, will guide our reforms. We will hold firm to that course. We will use these results and the rich data that they give us, allied to the forthcoming OECD report, to support and challenge my priorities and programme. When I invited the OECD last month to look at how we were doing in Wales, their advice to me was unambiguous: stay the course; be brave; you are doing the right things.

And I see the commitment to staying the course of our reforms up and down Wales.  I have visited many schools across the country in my short period since taking up this post. There is an eagerness to be part of our education journey. No longer are we reform fatigued, which was the OECD’s assessment of Wales back in 2014. Wales now has a clear direction of travel. We have plans in place to develop an excellent professional workforce. We know what we want our new curriculum to deliver. We are introducing robust qualifications that will be nationally and internationally respected. A work in progress, but with much, much more to do.

The 2014 OECD report into the Welsh education system also told us that we should, and I quote,

‘Treat developing system leadership as a prime driver of education reform’.

I am convinced that promoting and supporting leadership must be central to our reforms. However, if I’m honest, not enough progress has been made in this area. That is why, last month, I announced plans for a new national academy of educational leadership. It will develop the current and future leadership talent for Wales and ensure that all schools—all schools—can deliver our new curriculum. Now more than ever, Wales needs strong leaders that are up for the challenge.

The results published today have highlighted issues around science that chime with our own understanding of what has been happening. The new science GCSEs were introduced for teaching for the first time only this September. I am pleased that schools are already moving away from teaching a mix of BTEC and GCSEs, which were failing to properly equip our young people. Presiding Officer, it pains me to say that a combination of cynicism, dumbing down and lowered ambitions meant that a significant number of schools were in the habit of entering a high number of pupils just for BTEC science rather than for GCSE. I’m pleased to report that, over the summer, we saw an increase of over 5,500 more entries into GCSEs across all the sciences. Whilst that is promising, it is just the beginning. In the coming months I will be announcing new ambitious plans to tackle this issue head on so our young people are given the opportunity they deserve to study science at a high level.

I know that PISA divides opinion. I hear it from some in the profession. That must change, as, make no mistake, it remains the recognised international benchmark for skills. Countries around the world use it as a signal to entrepreneurs, employers and investors. Just as importantly, it is used to help enhance public confidence in the school system. It has never been more important to demonstrate to ourselves and to the world that our young people can compete with the best. Old securities are on their way out. Other small nations have stolen a march on us on their reform journeys. But if Ireland and Estonia can do it, then so can we.

Our sense of national mission must recognise this truth. PISA is, and will be, the shop window for the success of our reforms. I am confident that my, and our, emphasis on leadership, teaching excellence, equity and well-being for learners, and collective responsibility, will enable us to reach the highest standards. PISA allows us to judge ourselves against the world, and everybody in our system must understand this. It is a check and review against our development and it will remain so.

If you consider the OECD PISA tests to be of great importance, then I hope you will also listen to their prescribed prognosis for Wales, on which our reforms are based. These reforms are rooted in what works. The easy thing to do would now be to rip up the plan and start all over again, and I’m sure some will make that case, but we owe it to our pupils, parents and the profession to do what is right. The OECD has identified Portugal as a country that has much improved. It has taken them 14 years, pursuing reforms that work and holding steady to the course. They took the much-needed tough decisions and now they reap the rewards. Wales must now have the courage to do likewise to deliver on our national mission of education reform.

Well, well, well, Cabinet Secretary, this is another fine mess that Carwyn has gotten you into. I have to say, I do appreciate your statement and the briefing that was provided by your officials this morning, and, of course, you’ve spent recent weeks desperately downplaying expectations in respect of today’s results, and we can, of course, all see now why that has been the case.

The children of Wales deserve a first-class, world-beating education system, but the reality is that successive Welsh Labour-led Governments have failed to deliver one. In spite of all the tough talking, all of the promises to do better from the First Minister and previous Cabinet Secretaries, today’s figures leave us yet again languishing at the bottom half of the global education league table, and they reconfirm our shameful status as the worst-performing school system in the United Kingdom. That our results in 2015 were actually worse than back in 2006 signifies a decade of underachievement and a scandal of monumental proportions. And that’s not the half of it: there’s been a sustained decline in science skills since 2006, especially for the highest achieving pupils.

One third of Welsh pupils were deemed to have been low achievers in one or more subjects—the worst performance in the UK. Welsh reading scores were on a par with Hungary and Lithuania. Pupils in England are three times more likely to be higher achievers in science, reading and maths than here in Wales. And while there’s a smaller gap in achievement between people from the wealthiest and poorest backgrounds here in Wales, PISA suggests that this is mainly due to the most advantaged pupils in Wales not performing as well as they ought to be. Welsh pupils are doing more learning outside of the school than their English counterparts, yet still they perform more poorly. These results are a litany of failure—failure by successive Welsh Governments to raise our game.

Now, Cabinet Secretary, your statement suggests that we need to give the reforms that are taking place more time and more time to bed in, but the Welsh Government—and I appreciate you’ve only recently joined the Welsh Government—. Successive Welsh Governments, have had a decade, since 2006, yet have still failed to deliver improvements. Now, tell us: how is it that countries like Poland have been able to turn their education systems around in less than a decade, but the Welsh Government can’t? Poland are managing to sustain that improvement, too.

Now, I am not arguing that the reshaping of the curriculum shouldn’t continue or that the literacy and numeracy frameworks, which were developed by some of your predecessors, should be abandoned. We don’t want you to, and I quote you, ‘rip up the plan’, as you said in your statement, but these things alone are not going to deliver the sea-change in the PISA rankings that you need to deliver. And we must recognise that similar reforms to the curriculum in Scotland, which have been implemented and are further down the line and have bedded in, have not delivered improvement there. In fact, their performance in the PISA results today in reading and science have deteriorated too. Instead, what we need from you, Cabinet Secretary, is a clear strategy with some measurable targets that will sit alongside other pieces of work to turn this performance around. And not just in science, but in maths and reading, too. Our children and our young people deserve nothing less. So, tell us: will you develop such a strategy, and, if so, when will we see it published? Will you set some targets and timetables and stick to them, unlike your predecessors who set targets and abandoned them as they saw time slipping through their fingers, or kicked them down the line?

Will you release good and successful schools in Wales from the shackles that currently prevent them from expanding? Will you do more to support able and talented learners to allow them to fly and reach their potential? Will you trust teaching professionals more so that they can innovate, develop their skills and learn from one another’s good practice, and will you stop closing good schools in communities the length and breadth of Wales and instead invest in them? Will you also introduce PISA type tests into our classrooms on a regular basis so that our young children can familiarise themselves with the sorts of challenge that might come in terms of a PISA test in the future? Because these are the sorts of changes that we would introduce if we were in Government.

Will you also learn, because you have failed to do so so far as a Government—and as I say, I recognise you have recently joined the clan—from international examples such as Poland and some of the others, and you quoted some of the others, who have succeeded in improving their performance and maintaining it? Let’s not forget, Poland found itself with very similar scores to the ones that have been published today back in 2000, and they managed to turn things around by 2009 and they’re now well up there in the top 20.

Cabinet Secretary, these PISA rankings are important. They provide an international benchmark for the performance of our education system, which can impact on investment and employment in future generations. If these things go unchecked, if this poor performance continues and goes untackled, then it will be devastating for Wales. Holding steady to the course alone is not the answer to our problems; we’ve got to be more ambitious, we’ve got to be more bold. Future generations are counting on you, and we want to see what action you’re going to take.

Thank you very much, Darren. I don’t regard this as being dumped in a mess. I regard this as a fantastic opportunity to do what I have consistently said since 2011, and consistently argued in this Chamber, from that position over there, which is that we need to focus relentlessly on school standards, leadership, continuing professional development and ITET reform, and that’s what I intend to do.

Now, Darren, nothing that you say here in this Chamber today can make me feel personally any worse about these results. I want better for my nation, I want better for our children, and I am determined to take the decisions and actions that will deliver it. You said, ‘Will there be a revived strategy?’ There will be and it’ll be published in January. You want us to teach to the test, but that’s not where success lies. Success lies in whole-system reform. But let’s be absolutely clear, our new qualifications at GCSE level in maths, English and science will demand a better alignment with a depth of knowledge and understanding and critical thinking skills that will allow our children to thrive in PISA tests. Now, we need to support the profession to do just that. That’s why you will be aware, just a month ago, I announced the development of a maths national network of excellence, supported by £800,000 of funding to develop and extend peer-to-peer support, new resources and better development for our maths teachers. I intend to do exactly the same for science, working in collaborating with our higher education institutions so that we can drive up standards across the piece.

We will be sticking to the timetable. Only last week in questions, I was being urged by Members in this Chamber to slow down our reforms of the curriculum. We need to push on. That curriculum will be ready for teaching by 2021. Our new ITET courses will be marketed in the summer of 2018. We will have new professional teaching standards available in the spring of this year. I will reform the governance arrangements of our schools when the consultation that is currently open is closed. And I will leave no stone unturned in my work with the professionals, with LEAs and with the consortia to ensure that we do better as a nation. I will indeed look to good practice. It is important to note that there are very different approaches to reform in this country, as opposed to Scotland. I look across the rest of the world to ensure that what we’re doing is the right thing. I tested that by asking the OECD to come back last month. They will be back in two years’ time because I’ve asked them to come back in two years’ time, because I will regularly challenge myself and this Government that we are doing the right thing.

Clearly, these results tell us a very grim story. Wales is still the lowest-performing country in the UK, Welsh scores are worse now than they were a decade ago and we’re further behind, of course, the UK average than we were in 2006. So, would you not agree with me, Cabinet Secretary, that this is a damning indictment of Labour’s performance and that they’ve failed, failed and failed Wales in the education system that we have?

In 2009, the then Minister told us there would be no alibis and no excuses. In 2012, the then Minister told us that we’d all need to take a long hard look in the mirror. Today, I’m not quite sure what the First Minister told us, to be honest, or at least what we learnt. He certainly didn’t take responsibility. You in your statement tell us that we’re not where we want to be, so maybe you could tell us where you want us to be. We know that we dropped, or the Government dropped, the target of achieving a top-20 ranking by 2016, and introduced a target or an ambition of achieving 500 points across the different areas by 2021. Are you sticking to that? The First Minister wouldn’t explicitly commit to that in his answer to the leader of Plaid Cymru earlier, although he did say something about being confident we’ll see an improvement. So, are you committing to that same target and if not, what is your ambition and your target?

You tell us that you’re holding firm to the course, and I say that’s the right course of action. The reforms are taking us in the right direction, but that’s not to say that I still don’t have concerns that I have already raised with you, and that you sort of alluded to earlier. And I have raised previously the need for a pause in this process for reflection. And will you—I ask you again—consider implementing a break in this process so that we can take stock, so that we can address the number of emerging issues around the two-tier system between pioneer schools, non-pioneer schools and the other concerns that have been expressed by the sector, and also an opportunity to reflect on these PISA results and where they leave us in the context of the proposed reforms, so that we can consolidate those reforms and move forward more confidently and more coherently as a sector? The important thing is that we do what is right and not force through change too quickly. It’s doing it properly that’s the important thing.

We’ve heard how the reforms in Wales are based on experiences they’ve had in Scotland. Indeed, Professor Donaldson was engaged because of his experience in relation to the change in Scotland. We have heard, of course, that there has been a dip in results in Scotland this time, so maybe you could tell us what that maybe tells us about the reforms here in Wales, if anything, and if you believe that there are any lessons that we can learn from that in Wales.

You assert in your statement that Wales is no longer reform-fatigued. Well, there may be some in the profession that might not agree. Then you go on to say that you’ll be announcing new and ambitious plans, and I could hear the sharp intake of breath from the sector as well. But capacity is, of course, an issue that has been highlighted under the current reforms, and you recognised as much in your answers to me last week. So, what I’d like to know is: how will you strike a balance between introducing your new plans whilst not adding to the burdens of teachers, and doing so in a way, of course, that complements and does not cut across the reforms that are currently under way? And are you confident, Cabinet Secretary, that teachers truly believe in PISA? You do, clearly, and the Government does, but are you and the sector singing from the same hymn sheet, because I don’t feel that the sector in its entirety is buying into PISA? There are questions about the level of uptake of secondary schools that were given the opportunity to look at PISA-style testing; I think it was 89 out of 213. That’s not, maybe, the kind of endorsement for PISA that the Government, I’m sure, would be looking for.

In 2012, when the last results were published, you said that you were sad and angry that Labour policy had led us to 14 years of poor PISA results. Well, it’s now 17 years of poor PISA results. I presume, therefore, that you’re even sadder and even angrier. And you did ask the First Minister back in 2012 whether he was not ashamed at the results. Now, these are worse results, so I presume you will also be asking the First Minister whether now he’s even more ashamed of his record.

Thank you, Presiding Officer, and thank you to Llyr. Llyr, I’ve sat where you are and asked those questions, but I can assure you that no amount of hand-wringing and complaining about what has gone on in the past is going to take us forward. My job is to ensure that we move forward because that’s the only way we are going to see the improvements that we need. Now, you are right, there have been concerns expressed around the difference between the pioneer and the non-pioneer network and we are addressing those concerns, as I outlined to you in questions last week. But it is absolutely my intention to ensure that the curriculum is delivered on time. You asked whether we will be pausing to learn the lessons of this set of PISA results—there are many, many things in this set of PISA results that we need to reflect on and ensure that our reform agenda addresses it.

So, in particular on the issue of science, we know that across England—sorry, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the reasons why we have done badly in science is because of the drop in performance of our highest performers. I believe that is directly related to decisions not to have high levels of ambition for our children in sciences in our schools, and that we’ve have some schools that almost predominantly have only entered their children for BTEC science, which we now recognise has not equipped them with the scientific reasoning skills that they need to succeed at a higher level. We’ve made it quite clear—of our expectations and the reform of our GCSE science papers that are being taught from this September—that that has to change.

But it’s not just in science where our more able and talented children have not performed as well as we would have expected them to. There has been, over many years—quite rightly—a large focus on level 2 plus indicators as performance measures for schools, because we needed to up the number of Welsh children who were leaving schools with five good GCSEs including their English, maths or Welsh first language. But I recognise that in doing that, perhaps we have taken the opportunity not, at the same time, to push our most able learners. That’s why capped point scores will now be included as part of the accountability measures for our secondary schools. It cannot be beyond the wit of us to be able to ensure we turn Ds into Cs but also to be able to turn Bs into As and As into A*s. Our system should be able to make the most of every child’s talents and opportunities, and that will be reflected in our accountability measures to ensure our more able children are being stretched. That’s why our expectations for children leaving primary school—where once it was level 4, we now expect children to be leaving primary school at a level 5. So, our expectations across the piece are about raising standards and demanding more of our education system, so that our brightest children aren’t just left at level 4—because that’s all the Welsh Government asks us to do—but that our brightest children are pushed to the next level, to level 5.

With regard to targets, again I’ve been there. I’ve never actually asked for the setting of PISA targets in all the questions that I’ve asked the First Minister because you can hit the target and miss the entire point. We have seen—we have seen that perhaps in the past some of those targets were misconceived. I’m absolutely clear that we need to improve our scores, not within the margin of error, but we need statistically robust improvements in our schools, and that is my expectation.

Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for her statement today? I do appreciate her honest appraisal of the situation and, like her, I also believe that we are not where we want to be yet and it’s important to recognise that. But I also recognise that all countries that have improved their PISA rankings have taken some years to do it, and I don’t think we would do our children any favours by changing course now, being mindful of the advice that’s been given by the OECD that we need to hold our nerve and pursue the reforms that are in train.

You referred in your statement to the importance of school leadership. Can I just ask what you plan to do, going forward, to give additional support to existing and inspiring headteachers in Wales?

Thank you, Lynne, for that. I do want to reflect on, and let the Chamber know, because the Chamber may not be aware, what Andreas Schleicher—I can’t even say his name properly—who is in charge of the education department of the OECD, the director of education, said about our results today. He says:

‘It is true that there is a big performance gap but there are signs of improvement, if you look at the latest mathematics results—they’re going in the right direction’.

He also goes on to say

‘there’s no reason why Wales is so far behind but I see many things in place now that are putting it on a more promising track.’

He said that we were building a new curriculum, and that we were moving from reform fatigue to people taking ownership of change, which was an important ingredient for success in the longer term. And we have to keep testing ourselves against that advice. So, I am confident that we are making the right decisions.

With regard to leadership, however, in the report of 2014 by the OECD, leadership was identified as a crucial component, and if we’re being honest—and we need to be honest today—not a lot changed between 2014 and now with regard to leadership. Perhaps that’s because there were other aspects of the reform agenda that were being taken forward and were regarded as more time-sensitive and important. But I announced, last month, my intention to establish the new academy for leadership. It will focus initially on headteachers and aspiring headteachers. We need to be much more proactive in how we manage the career and support the development of people who aspire to be school leaders. We need to ensure that they have the opportunities throughout their careers to develop the essential skills that will make school leadership a success for them. We have revamped our headteacher qualification to make sure that it is fit for purpose and ensure that those people who are taking it will go on to develop a career in headship.

The leadership academy can’t stop there. Once we have embedded issues around school leadership at head level and senior management team level, we need to look to see what we can do to support governors—an essential part of the accountability regime. Too many of our governors, if you read Estyn reports, don’t have the skills that they need to hold headteachers to account, and we need to look at leadership throughout the education system, in local education authorities, in consortia, indeed, I would say, at Welsh Government level too, so that we have the very best people leading our education system at every level.

I’m sure the Cabinet Secretary will agree with me that today’s PISA results are disappointing—for the Government, parents, and, most importantly, the children of Wales. The 2006 results showed that Wales was below average in maths and reading; 2009 revealed that we had performed lower in all areas compared to 2006; 2012 results showed that we had fallen further in maths and science, and although the score had increased in reading, it was still lower than the figures for 2006. Now, we have the 2015 results, and despite a slight improvement in mathematics, Wales trails behind Northern Ireland, Scotland and England in all three areas. It is particularly disappointing that Wales has fallen further still in reading and science. And, again, I’m sorry to add, Wales falls behind its own record in 2006. Furthermore, England, Scotland and Northern Ireland are above the OECD average in all three areas, but Wales falls below average in every single category. Some might draw the conclusion that consecutive Welsh Governments have failed and, more worryingly, that this Government is continuing to do so.

Other countries are improving, so why can’t Wales? It strikes me that not only should the Welsh Government go back to the drawing board, or at least think about it and consider the future for children in Wales, but while it does this, it should open its mind to new ideas and a fresh approach. The Labour Party opposite are so stuck in their educational dogma of the 1970s that they cannot see how destructive their policies are to the children of this nation, and that they are devoid of new ideas. The Government must divert from its current path of mediocrity and fear of competition. Only last week, the Cabinet Secretary responded to my colleague Mark Reckless, stating that he had—and I quote—

‘come across from a system that believed in competition. The Welsh education system is based on a system of collaboration and co-operation.’

But competition is exactly what Wales needs. The education system should be based on an ethos—[Interruption.]

Allow the Member to be heard. [Interruption.]

[Continues.]—each generation on bettering themselves, whether it is in a classroom or on the playing field. [Interruption.]

I said, ‘Allow the Member to be heard.’

We exist in a time where there is competition for places in higher education, in the workplace and generally in all elements of life. So, why not teach our children to be the best they can possibly be? These results also demonstrate that this Government must prioritise core subjects in the classroom. It should reflect on the other areas in the curriculum where time can be better spent on maths, English and science. Let’s move to a system that really does educate our children.

We should allow existing schools to apply to become grammar schools, and select according to ability and attitude. [Interruption.]

Look, you may not agree with what the Member is saying, but the Member has a right to say it. Allow the Member to be heard, once more.

This will allow all schools, both selective and non-selective, to craft an education fit for their students, encouraging each and every child to excel in their abilities. A one-size-fits-all approach clearly is not the answer. We ask our children to have vision and aspire. I now encourage the Cabinet Secretary to do exactly that. Don’t underestimate future generations; have a system that gives them targets, permits league tables, allows them to compete, and fundamentally gives them the opportunity to enter an increasingly competitive world with the best possible start in life. Thank you.

Look; allow the Member to be heard. The Member has now finished. Thank you very much for your contribution. I ask the Cabinet Secretary to respond. I’m sure you’ll all be very quiet now. [Laughter.]

Michelle, I had hoped that I had made it very clear in my opening statement and in my subsequent answers to colleagues across the Chamber that these results are not good enough. There is no doubt about that. It should also be noted that, today, the OECD has issued a stark warning to countries not to move to greater forms of selection within education systems. With all due respect to your contribution, I will be following the advice of the OECD.

Let’s be absolutely clear: to suggest that we are not differentiating our teaching in school to adapt to the different needs of children is to not understand what is going on in the best of our classrooms. Good teachers know that they need to differentiate their lessons. They plan in that way, they deliver their lessons in that way, and they make sure that each child performs to the best of their absolute ability. Now, that goes on in our best schools; but if we’re honest, that is not going on consistently in all of our schools, and that’s what we need to do to ensure that we make progress. That’s why we will be introducing new teaching standards for the profession in the spring of next year.

You say that we don’t want mediocrity, and I would absolutely agree with you. I have no time for mediocrity in our system. I do not believe, like some say, that adequate is good enough. It’s not. And I have no time for those who think they are the finished article. Every teacher—every good teacher—knows that they will be a better teacher tomorrow than they were today, because the biggest student in the classroom should be the teacher themselves, continuously reflecting on their practice, looking at international best practice, learning new techniques and new skills, and incorporating that into their work. That’s the very best of teaching, and that’s what our teaching standards will expect of the profession.

You say we need competition. I suggest we need competition like I need a hole in my head. Although after today—. [Laughter.] Let me be absolutely clear: we know that high-performing education systems in the world rely on a system of self-improvement and collaboration and co-operation across the profession. Our best schools and our best teachers don’t keep that practice to themselves because they are fearful of somebody coming up on the rails and overtaking them in a league table; they share that best practice. They share those good ideas, and they do so knowing that they can be generous with their skills and generous with their time, and not have to worry about being overtaken by somebody on the flanks. We need our schools to co-operate, not to compete, because doing that will drive up standards for all.

Cabinet Secretary, amidst the disappointment, we can at least be encouraged by the performance in maths, where Wales saw the biggest increase in the UK and, as you mentioned, of the 71 countries that took part in PISA, only four outperformed us in the rise in maths performance. So, what lessons can we draw from the improvements in maths that can be applied to the other subjects?

As the OECD themselves have said, the progress that we have made in maths is encouraging. What we can learn from that is the successful implementation of the numeracy framework, which of course has only been formally assessed for a couple of years now. We have reformed the GCSEs and we have put substantial resource into getting schools ready for the uptake of those new GCSEs. So, a substantial amount of money has gone into supporting maths development already. We’re also working with outside networks to look to expand maths skills within the profession. I think there is stuff that we can learn from that for other areas. We are building on that progress in maths, as I said earlier, by the new specialist network that I announced in November. There’ll be £800,000 going into that.

It is my intention to do exactly the same in science, and we’re looking, as I announced following the GCSE results in the summer, at a new collaborative programme for English teaching as well, because we need to make improvements in English—not just for the reading test, but we need improvements in English GCSE and English A-level results. So, I think that network of bringing professionals together with identified lead practitioners who can develop the practice of other people is something that we can learn the lessons from, but we need to find the resources to do that. In discussions with the Minister responsible for the budget, I’m confident that we will have the resources to develop our new science network and to support the work in English, too.

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. The wide-ranging educational reforms introduced by the Welsh Government in areas including the curriculum, qualifications and teachers’ professional development have been welcomed by teachers and fully supported by the OECD. I welcome your categorical assurances that we will hold firm to this agenda, not deviate from the path we’ve set ourselves and give reforms the opportunity they need to bed in. PISA may be the international benchmark, but it is widely regarded as being a crude educational measure, bearing, in many respects, little relation to the skills required for GCSE. GCSEs are quite rightly the focus of teachers and students at the age of 15, and these are the measures that, in reality, lead to the qualifications that have a direct impact on our students’ futures. So, while PISA grabs the headlines today, it’s GCSE results that make a real and measurable difference. My question is: how can we merge these two often-competing progress markers together to continue improving and delivering the very best for our students?

Thank you for that, Vikki. I should have—. Apologies to Llyr because I didn’t address the question about my ongoing commitment to PISA and how important it is. I do believe PISA is important. It is my absolute determination to continue to participate in the PISA study. We do need to see it as an important test, not of individual schools and not of individual pupils, which is what GCSEs are about, but it is a reflection on the health of our system as a whole. They measure different things, I believe. But you’re right, there has previously been a disconnect between the types of skills that are best tested in PISA, and allow pupils to do well in PISA, and the nature of our GCSEs.

Our GCSEs are not changing to enable us to do better at PISA. Our GCSEs are changing to ensure that they are fit for purpose, modern, testing, stretching, but also ensuring that the children have the skills that they need to go on to further study or into the world of work; but the way in which they are being taught and the way in which they are being examined are better aligned to the type of knowledge and skills that children also need to participate and do well in PISA. Our new maths qualifications are a very good example of that, with what I would regard as pure maths and calculations and applied mathematics in terms of numeracy—the ability to use a mathematical technique to solve a real-life problem—and that’s why we have gone down that path.

In terms of our English, for instance, we still consider the ability to present orally as an important part of how we grade English GCSE—something that’s gone out of the window in England. But their ability to read competently and speak competently, which is still part of our English GCSE, is something that is tested in PISA. So, I think there is greater alignment going forward, but we’re not doing it so we can just do better in PISA, we’re doing it because our GCSEs will better prepare our children for the challenges that they will face when they leave school or go on to study at a higher level.

Cabinet Secretary, many of us raised an eyebrow or two when you joined the Welsh Government and accepted the education portfolio. Today’s PISA results are a great disappointment for all of us here in Wales, especially for parents with children in the education system right now. The only good news for you, I guess, is that you can legitimately blame your predecessors for today’s results. But in three years’ time, it will all rest firmly on your shoulders.

I noted that you commented to our colleague Michelle Brown that you would rather listen to the OECD and listen to their advice over the advice of the people here in this Chamber. Well, may I just point out to you that—? Well, I guess I’ll make one statement about the OECD: like they get it right all the time, don’t they? I’m just reminding you about their Brexit forecast and the doom and gloom that they gave us, and the fact that, as we leave the year, Britain is actually going to be one of the best performing of the G7.

I have a question for you. [Interruption.]

Let’s hear the question.

If you listen to the most successful people in our nation, they will all tell you one thing about goal setting, and that is that if a goal is imposed on us by someone else, we do not have ownership of that goal and it is harder for us to achieve that. Can I ask you, have you engaged with the heads of our schools to ask them what targets and goals they have regarding PISA? If they set the goals themselves, they will own those goals and they will be more likely to achieve them.

Also, how do you intend that our children will benefit from an outward-looking Wales post Brexit? Brexit is going to provide fantastic opportunities for our young people, but unless they are given the right tools, they won’t be able to grasp those opportunities. This Welsh Labour Government are guilty of many things, but their failure to equip our children for an ever-more-competitive twenty-first century must count as their greatest incompetence.

Thank you, Nathan. It’s good to see you. [Laughter.] Can I say that blame will not improve a single PISA score? It’s easy to do, it might provide entertainment for those of us here in the Chamber, it might get you on the tv tonight, it might provide fodder for a Twitter feed, but it will not, in any way, shape or form, improve the education of our children. So, rather than spending and wasting my time blaming people, I am here to get on with what needs to happen to reform our education system.

Now, you ask what we are doing to have an outward-looking country. I’m assuming—but, in this world, you should never assume anything—that you have read the Donaldson report, and you will know that one of the expected outcomes of our new curriculum is to have ethical and informed citizens. That is one of the stated goals of curriculum reform, and we will be developing areas of learning and experience to ensure that all our children leaving our schools are ethical and informed citizens.

You asked whether I have been engaging with the sector. Well, I can tell you that, in recent weeks, I have met with and addressed the headteachers unions, the school and college leaders unions. We’ve had two national education conferences—one in the south and one in the north—at which I’ve addressed over 50 per cent of the headteachers in school. We will have another headteachers conference for secondary schools in the spring term. So, I spend a great deal of my time talking to the sector about how we can take this forward. And, as I said in my opening statement, I detect an absolute willingness, indeed, a passion, to get this right in our schools. And those schools are leading from the front, and I welcome the engagement with the sector in that way.

And finally, Huw Irranca-Davies.

Diolch, Lywydd. Today, particularly, I want to pay tribute to the efforts of the teachers and the governors, and the young people in my local school, some of whom achieved record GCSE results earlier this year. And I say that because PISA is important, but to pretend that it is the only indicator of success is wholly wrong. Now, I commend the Cabinet Secretary on her frank recognition of the continuing challenges for education in Wales laid out in the PISA report, but also on accepting the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s view that we must continue steadfastly with the reforms we’ve already set in place to get the results we need, and we need to be ambitious for our young people.

The centrality of excellence in teaching has been cited by the OECD authors of the PISA report, as well as the correlation between the best results and the reach of science into lessons. Could I therefore commend to the Cabinet Secretary the work of those like the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, engaging between schools and colleges and industrial partners, providing applied work experience for school pupils, and, through their insight programme, providing opportunities for teachers to learn more about the real world of engineering in different sectors, showcased at an event today hosted by Hefin David, my colleague, and running events to inspire pupils in engineering such as the one that I was pleased to speak at only recently in Techniquest, just across the other side of the bay? This is only one of the organisations doing great work in science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects, opening the eyes of young people to the world of careers available to them and boosting their academic attainment at the same time.

So, would the Cabinet Secretary encourage schools in Wales to engage with partners like these, like the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and others, so that we can boost the educational attainment of our young people, help them access exciting potential careers, and contribute towards rising school performance as well?

Thank you, Huw. You’ll be aware of my agreement with the First Minister that highlights our shared priority to develop better links between the world of education and the world of work and industry. And, building on those links, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, which you’ve highlighted, is just one organisation that is doing great work in this area. It’s not so long ago that I was at Sony in your constituency to see the outstanding work that Sony is doing with both primary and secondary schools in the area in the field of digital competence.

We need to show children why it is important to study science, and the opportunities that will open up for them. And that’s difficult to do if you have no experience of that in your family or in your particular area. So, we need to create those opportunities for children. Because, if they don’t see it, they will never aspire to be it. And we need to do that, especially, in the case of girls, when it comes to studying science subjects. But we need to be able to make sure that our children are equipped to pursue those careers in science, which is why we have reformed our science GCSEs, which are being taught for the first time this September, which will equip them with the level and depth of understanding and knowledge that will allow them to go on to do A-levels or other qualifications in science at a higher level.

I thank the Cabinet Secretary.