Part of 1. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:55 pm on 24 January 2017.
Well, you always know when you strike a nerve with the First Minister: he brings up statistics that don’t stand up to any scrutiny at all. We’re talking about the here and now and the Estyn report that was delivered today, which is a damning indictment of your stewardship here in Wales. If you take one local education authority—Cardiff—nearly 50 per cent of headteachers have left their posts in the last three years—50 per cent. Nearly 50 per cent have left. Initiative after initiative have I highlighted you’ve brought forward, and you are failing to drive up standards here in Wales. Kids get one chance to go to school, First Minister. You said education is the priority; you have failed to deliver. It’s about time you accepted some accountability for this and, instead of rehearsing the arguments of yesterday, start mapping out a vision for tomorrow and the success that we all want to see in our education system here in Wales.