It's a pleasure to take part in this debate tonight on the Estyn annual report 2021-22. I want to start by paying tribute to our dedicated members of staff up and down the country, who work hard, day in day out, to ensure that our learners are given the best opportunities to learn possible. 

This is the first Estyn annual report since the pandemic began that has remained largely unaffected by lockdowns impacting Wales or, indeed, the wider UK. However, it was concerning that there are some identifiable lasting impacts of that time picked up within the report, as 2021-22 was characterised in all sectors with their handling of the ongoing impacts of the pandemic. Some of the negative consequences, such as the damage it did to the literacy and numeracy skills of learners, particularly regarding the oracy skills of younger pupils, as well as their slow rates of improvement since. And let's not forget that we on this side of the Chamber in the Welsh Conservatives called for mask mandates in schools to end sooner, and instead, this Labour Government allowed them to stay in place longer than needed, thus stifling class participation and social development.

When it comes to the new curriculum, the report claims that the majority of providers recognised the importance of adapting and improving their teaching, as well as their curriculum content. However, as I keep hearing myself on a tour of local schools in my constituency, leaders remained concerned about the assessment and progression and what progress through the curriculum should look like. 

It was also found that support received by schools from local authorities and consortia was often too generic, rather than bespoke for each school's needs. The implementation of the CfW was not sector-limited either. In fact, the report distinctly notes that very few primary schools used curriculum guidance confidently, and only half of secondary schools have already begun to introduce the Curriculum for Wales. By pressing for curriculum reform, the Welsh Government have caused schools to prioritise curriculum design over improving the effectiveness of teaching, and have failed to acknowledge sufficiently the significant impact that improving the quality of teaching has on ensuring the progress of pupils. Yet, the Welsh Government have cut the teacher development and support by £2.2 million in real terms in the budget, and that just doesn't add up.

We in the Welsh Conservatives called for the curriculum's roll-out to be delayed so that schools in Wales would have time to focus on recovery from the pandemic and to shore up teacher numbers, rather than having their efforts and focus distracted at such a critical time. Myself and colleagues in the Chamber, on various occasions, have called for a more concrete end goal and for the Ministers to address concerns around assessment and progression, and what progress is meant to look like. It's very clear that we have an issue with too much flexibility and when it comes to the additional learning needs that the Minister mentioned, and the recent reforms, the report noted that the understanding of individual members of staff about their responsibilities in supporting pupils with ALN needs is variable.

We in the Welsh Conservatives acknowledge that a National Association of Head Teachers Cymru report from November 2021 highlighted that 92 per cent of school leaders believed that funding for pupils with special education needs in their schools was insufficient, and that 94 per cent believed that the funding was insufficient to meet the needs of reforms, and so call for funding for pupils with SEN in their schools to be increased. We want the Welsh Government to take steps to ensure that children are identified as having ALN far sooner than they currently are, so that they can join waiting lists quicker, and sooner get the help that they require. It's not rocket science, but it's having a massive effect on ALN and non-ALN learners in classrooms up and down Wales.

As with previous reports, leaders confirmed that they continue to face significant challenges around the recruitment and retention of suitably qualified and experienced staff. This is a Welsh Government staffing crisis that only appears to be getting worse, not better, and something that, once again, we've brought up in this Chamber time and time again. 

There are so many more points of this report that I could go over from the serious issues in Welsh-medium education to the mental health crisis sweeping our schools, but I can see that time is quickly running out. Overall, we have a report that clearly shows that Welsh education has a long way to go to claw back from the damage that the pandemic has caused. However, after 25 years of failure and neglect from this Labour Government propped up by Plaid Cymru, and a budget that cuts education funding in real and cash terms, I do not hold out much hope.