8. Will the Cabinet Secretary outline how the successful collaborative work instigated by Schools Challenge Cymru will be continued? OAQ(5)0082(EDU)

Diolch i chi, Jenny. O’r cychwyn mae rhaglen y consortia rhanbarthol a’r awdurdodau lleol wedi gweithio’n agos gyda’u hysgolion Her Ysgolion Cymru i annog a sefydlu cydweithio priodol. Bydd fy swyddogion yn parhau i weithio gyda’r rhanbarthau i sicrhau bod yr arfer da hwn yn cael ei gynnal a’i rannu ar draws y system gyfan.

The very successful London Challenge, which obviously inspired our own Schools Challenge Cymru, lasted for a full eight years. Ours is being wound down after three years. Some of the achievements of Schools Challenge Cymru have been really quite outstanding: in secondary schools, for those who are on free school meals, there has been a 65 per cent increase in maths and Welsh or English attainment to the level required. I know that Professor Ainscow, the champion for Schools Challenge Cymru, has said there have been some staggering results. I wonder whether we are pulling the rug out too soon in terms of not just getting swift but also sustainable improvement. How are we going to sustain this fantastic improvement?

Thank you, Jenny. As you will know, the programme was initially set up as a two-year programme. The programme was extended for a third year. I have made a decision to extend the support for Schools Challenge Cymru schools until the end of this academic year rather than the financial year. We will also have funding in place to address new types of interventions in those schools that have not made progress. Whilst I absolutely acknowledge that many of the schools in the programme have made significant progress, unfortunately there is a minority of schools where the results have not seen that progress and, in some cases, they’ve even slipped further behind. I’m sure you would agree with me we need to refocus our efforts on those particular schools.

With regard to the schools that have made progress, we don’t want them to slip back. That’s why we have tasked the consortia with ensuring that all of those schools have an ongoing programme of support and mentorship agreed with the school improvement service. I was recently with a headteacher, with Alun Davies, in the Blaenau Gwent constituency talking to him about his post-Schools Challenge Cymru plan, which has already been agreed with the Education Achievement Service consortium, of which he is very pleased and very happy with, and I would expect that that example is replicated in all the schools that are affected.