9. Welsh Conservatives Debate: A national school workforce plan

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:08 pm on 18 April 2018.

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Photo of Darren Millar Darren Millar Conservative 6:08, 18 April 2018

Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I know I've got very limited time, so I just want to refer, if I can, to the Cabinet Secretary's comments. I heard what you had to say, and I acknowledge that some work is going on in the Welsh Government to try to address this problem. I'm pleased that you at least acknowledge that we have a problem, even if you don't acknowledge that it's a crisis. What baffles me is that when you were in opposition you took forward a comprehensive piece of legislation on nurse staffing levels, which required a national workforce plan and effort. Why are you rejecting a national workforce plan for our education system, for our schools? Why are you saying that you don't want to work with the EWC to develop one? Because that's what you're doing by trying to vote down our motion today. It just doesn't make any sense. You say that the quality of teaching is what matters, and you're not prepared to dumb down on the quality and have unqualified teachers in our classrooms, and yet that's precisely what we've got. We've got people who aren't qualified to deliver English lessons, and yet 20 per cent of our English lessons have people who are teaching those lessons who are not qualified in English as their specific subject. Seventeen per cent in maths; 27 per cent in religious education; and 23 per cent of teachers who are in Welsh lessons aren't qualified to deliver in Welsh.

So, the reality is that what you're saying is supporting a system that continues to have people who are not qualified to deliver those specific subjects in those areas. So, listen to some common sense, let's have a national education workforce plan, let's make sure that you work with all of the stakeholders to develop it, let's look at these new routes into the teaching profession for learning support workes, for people in further education and people who are qualified by experience. Let's take some examples internationally, both good, bad and indifferent, in part of that learning process, and make sure that we have an education workforce that is fit for the future.