5. Statement by the Minister for Education and Welsh Language: Evaluating and Improving Education and Learning in Wales

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:24 pm on 28 June 2022.

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Photo of Jenny Rathbone Jenny Rathbone Labour 4:24, 28 June 2022

Well, I certainly defer to the expertise of Vikki Howells and agree with her that the value added by schools is the most important measure, because you could have a brilliant child starting school aged four or five, brilliant at maths—you want to ensure that that progression continues, otherwise they'll be sitting at the back causing trouble, because they'll be bored. And, equally, you want to ensure that we're rewarding the effort that's involved in teaching less able children; it's far harder than teaching more able children. And the old system of the league tables and the coloured system, I think, really rewarded those sorts of schools that were able to coast.

So, I really support this and I just want to make sure that the new approach really does track the value added by each school with each pupil. They're not necessarily going to be published, but that system of self-evaluation is going to really reward schools for the effort they put into every young person, so that it's every child attaining to the best of their ability.