Welsh Conservatives will today announce plans to raise school standards to put Wales alongside the best educational systems in the world, if elected to government in May.
After 17 years of Labour rule, Wales has fallen down the rankings of international education tables, and continues to be outperformed by other nations in the UK. Carwyn Jones has admitted that he and his Labour Ministers took their “eye off the ball” on education.
In recognising that successful learning relies on people far more than structures, a Welsh Conservative government would empower teachers and parents to be the key drivers behind educational reform – moving away from the one-size-fits-all approach which has dominated education in Wales since 1999.
Central to these reforms will be plans to fund schools more directly, giving greater spending control to teachers, parents and governors, directing more money to the classroom.
Quality of teaching will be ensured by incorporating unannounced spot-checks into Estyn Inspections. The establishment of an HE institution solely focused on teacher training and educational research will be instrumental in bringing the teaching profession up to a reputational par with, for example, medicine. A new college of teaching focused on continual professional development and setting teacher standards will also play a key role in educational reform.
Overhauling the curriculum to include a modern foreign language and a renewed emphasis on the Welsh language will help Wales become a trilingual nation, helping to nurture citizens capable of embracing an ever-globalised world.
Angela Burns, education spokesperson for the Welsh Conservatives and Assembly candidate for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, said:
“In order to achieve excellence in education we need to recognise one absolute truth: the quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers.
“Teacher training must be a top priority. Worryingly, Estyn has found that ‘the quality of teaching is inconsistent’ in about a half of schools in Wales – emphasising the need to secure real change in our approach to supporting teachers.
“By placing renewed focus on teacher training, and ensuring our institutions are set-up to best deliver support to teachers, we can secure real change by transforming our approach to the profession’s development.
“That’s why Welsh Conservatives are today committing to establishing a higher education institution that will focus solely on initial teacher training and educational research, as part of a package of educational reforms, which will also include the establishment of a college of teaching focused on continuous professional development.”
Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies, said:
“Welsh Conservatives believe that young people in Wales deserve the very best start in life.
“Our nation is home to some of the world’s most inspiring teachers and ambitious pupils – there is no reason why Wales shouldn’t be performing alongside the best educational systems in the world.
“After 17 years of Labour, however, the Welsh education system has fallen down the international league tables and our GCSE attainment is behind the rest of the UK.
“A Welsh Conservative government would re-energise teacher training in Wales; placing greater emphasis on continuous professional development and empowering the profession to have more direct control over the educational experience of students.
“Research has shown that schools with successful leaders have a strong culture of professional learning and focus on improving the quality of teaching and learning.
“Welsh Conservatives would seek to establish a college of teaching focused solely on continuous professional development and setting teacher standards, ensuring our students receive the best educational experience possible and that Welsh schools become synonymous with international excellence.”