Education minister vows to boost literacy and numeracy after Wales falls behind UK

Ella Groves – ICNN Senedd Reporter

Wales’ education minister has pledged to drive up literacy and numeracy standards following international test results which showed Welsh pupils lagging behind the rest of the UK.

Speaking in the Senedd on Tuesday September 15, education minister Anna Brychan told members the basic education skills needed “significant and sustained focus”.

This follows Wales’ latest results from PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment), which showed children falling further behind their English, Scottish, and Northern Irish counterparts.

A “clear expectations for action” would be set under a new strategy, bringing together early years practitioners, teachers, and parents under a “vision for change”.

Ms Brychan, a Plaid Cymru MS for Caerdydd Penarth, said: “We owe it to current and future generations to get literacy and numeracy right.

“This means allowing teachers, leaders and support staff to focus on what matters most: teaching, learning and supporting learners to succeed.”

Reform’s deputy leader, Helen Jenner, agreed and welcomed the focus, despite their “political differences”.

However, she labelled the PISA results as “a national emergency in Welsh education” and wanted to know why results had been allowed to fall behind other parts of the UK.

The Bangor Conwy Môn MS said: “On the headline scores, Wales is now closer to Vietnam than to England in both mathematics and science.

“I believe we should recognise this for exactly what it is: it’s a national emergency in Welsh education.”

In response, Ms Brychan said she wanted to see progress in this area before the end of this Senedd term and would chair a new delivery board to oversee the new strategy.

Lynne Neagle, Labour’s spokesperson for children and education, praised the Plaid administration for continuing many of the schemes begun under her party’s government.

She said: “What matters is that the work happens to benefit children and young people.”

Ms Neagle – who served as education minister in the sixth Senedd – called on Ms Brychan to share further detail about mental health provision in schools as part of the plan.

Noting it includes wraparound mental health support from this autumn, she pressed the education minister for an update on the school counselling toolkit – commissioned from the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy – which has yet to be published.

Ms Brychan described mental health as a “key priority”, which impacts on pupil attendance and resulting academic performance.

While expressing support for elements of Plaid’s new plan, such as an emphasis on supporting children from birth to the end of their compulsory education, Welsh Conservative spokesperson for education Sam Rowlands said the results were a concern for parents.

He said: “Literacy and numeracy don’t suddenly start when a child walks through the school gates and we need to understand where children are starting from, track that progress and identify where support is needed before problems become entrenched.”

The Fflint Wrecsam MS added that he was “pleased” to see parental involvement highlighted within the plan, noting the “huge difference that good parenting and support at home can make to those children in their first few years”.

Ms Brychan agreed, adding: “Education, the schools system, cannot do this on its own.

“I think it’s also important to support parents with teaching, reading and reading with their children.

“People are very pressurised. It can be difficult to find the time, but giving parents support around that is a key part of this plan as well.”

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