We've also extended our pupil development grant to education other than at school provision and those children who are not in a regular school setting. Of course, as David Melding rightly pointed out, we have much, much more to do for this particularly vulnerable group of learners, whose educational achievements, whether within PISA or outside of PISA, continue to be not where they should be. I am hoping that, in the new year, I will be in a position to announce new approaches, learning from best practice from elsewhere, about how we can enhance not just the LAC PDG but also new provision to try and make a difference to those particular children.

Now, the important thing for me is that disadvantage gap in Wales was significantly smaller than the OECD countries. Pupils in Wales are also reported to be relatively more able to overcome the disadvantage of their background than the average for the OECD countries. But let's be absolutely clear: pupils eligible for free school meals scored 34 points below pupils who are not eligible for free school meals on average. Now, that is a closing of the gap by some seven points within the overall improvement in performance, so it is progress. But we will need to do even better, and that is why I remain committed to expanding the PDG grant, providing even more support, as I said, for looked-after children, for our most vulnerable children, in our attempt to raise standards for all. We are also delivering Wales's first-ever action plan for more able and talented pupils, and we are expanding our hugely successful Seren programme. And, finally, we are prioritising leadership within our schools and education system.

As I've always said, and as is made clear in our national mission action plan, PISA is an important signal to parents, to employers and investors. But it is also much more than a benchmarking exercise for the Welsh Government. It provides a valuable source of data and analysis that, together with other sources of data and research, provide us with the evidence base to make key improvements that will bear fruit, and we have seen that with the improvements in mathematics over two cycles of PISA.

We have also acknowledged that we have seen an improved performance at a higher level in this round: increases in reading, where we now have 7 per cent of high performers as opposed to 3 per cent in the last round. We've also increased the proportion in our other two domains—a similar gain for maths, and it's a bit less for science. Now, I set the challenge to increase these percentages three years ago, and I am pleased that we have seen progress. But I am also absolutely clear we are not yet at the OECD average for high performers. So, again, this is another group of students where there is still more progress to be made. And we will delve into this rich data source that this current round has provided, and we will look again at what improvements can be made from what the data tells us and from ongoing collaboration with other countries. So, for instance, on the issue of reading, which has rightly occupied people's minds today, we will be looking specifically at what steps we can take with regard to reading. We have a strong working relationship with the education department in the Republic of Ireland, who have done very well in their reading scores, and we will want to be able to continue to look at what more we can do. But I cannot say strongly enough: we will stick to the course that we have set out for education in Wales, and we are holding fast to the principles of our national mission to raise standards, to tackle that attainment gap, and to ensure that we have a system that is a source of national pride and enjoys public confidence.

Now, last week's results showed success against those objectives, and we have proved that improvement is possible, that we can have it within our system to make progress. There is more to do, but I'm confident, because our teachers have embraced our national mission, that, together, we are heading in the right direction. This morning, I was speaking to our next generation of teachers at Trinity St David in Swansea. They were telling me that they are proud, very proud, to be entering the profession at this exciting time, and a pivotal time for education in Wales. And I have to say, Deputy Presiding Officer, I will pay more heed to their enthusiasm, their ambition and their 'can-do' spirit than some of the cynicism that has been on display in the Parliament this afternoon.

In conclusion, Deputy Presiding Officer, I want to take this opportunity, once again, to thank our teachers and students. These results are a testament to their hard work, their effort and their commitment. I know that they share my ambition that the next set of PISA results will show further progress, and they're dedicated and committed to making that happen. And I want them to be assured that I, as the Minister, and this Welsh Government value their efforts, their experience and their expertise, and we value the opportunity to work with them, because, when we get it right for our children's education, we'll be getting it right for the future of our nation.