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.