Education
A long road back for education

EVEN before schools find out what the new normal will be, the pressure is already on the education system to deliver significantly more.
Some talk about a ‘lost generation’ needing to ’catch-up’ amid concerns those comments stigmatise children. However, the reality is that children have missed months of face-to-face teaching, and that has inescapable consequences.
DISADVANTAGED SLIP FURTHER BEHIND
Wales’s learners have been part of the pandemic’s ‘collateral damage.’
Although, for now, there are more questions than answers, solutions to repair that ‘damage’ will need to be carefully considered and delivered during the Welsh Parliament’s sixth term.
Even before the pandemic, Wales already faced an uphill struggle to secure good educational outcomes for all its learners.
The most disadvantaged learners have extra challenges which can prevent them from achieving their full potential.
Even though the previous Welsh Government invested £585 million since 2012 through the Pupil Development Grant (PDG), the attainment gap it was seeking to close, didn’t narrow.
It also typically widens as learners get older.
There’s a stark difference between children eligible for free school meals and their peers at Key Stage 4, the two years where learners usually take GCSEs and other examinations.
Children and young people themselves are well placed to give their verdict.
A 2021 Children’s Commissioner survey of 20,000 children found that 35% didn’t feel confident about their learning, compared to 25% in May 2020.
63% of 12–18-year-olds were worried about falling behind.
There are countless reports setting out adults’ views about how missing more than half a year of ‘face-to-face’ schooling has affected learners.
One of the major concerns is the variation between what schools have delivered to pupils.
There’s a long list of potential impacts:
· ‘Lost learning’ meaning pupils could underperform academically and have their long-term prospects affected.
· A loss of confidence in the examination and assessment system.
· Long-term reductions in school attendance, a factor known to be key to educational outcomes.
· Difficult transitions between school years and from primary to secondary.
· Challenges in re-engaging learners and addressing low motivation.
· An unhelpful ‘catch up’ narrative about lost learning placing unnecessary psychological pressure on children and young people; and
· A negative effect on learners’ ability and confidence to communicate in Welsh where they haven’t been able to do so at home.
WIDER EFFECTS
As well as these obvious educational issues, there are wider predicted effects.
Current learners could earn less, with one estimate of up to £40,000 in a lifetime.
The harm to children’s physical health and a higher prevalence of mental health issues, including anxiety and depression, are also serious concerns.
The pandemic’s wider economic impact is also likely to increase the number of children living in low-income families.
Again, it’s the most disadvantaged learners who are predicted to bear the brunt in the longer term.
For example, in March 2021, the Child Poverty Action Group found that 35% of low-income families responding to its UK wide survey were still without essential resources for learning, with laptops and devices most commonly missing.
The Fifth Senedd’s Children, Young People and Education (CYPE) Committee heard that there is “plenty of evidence” that” there are striking differences between families in terms of their ability to support young people in their learning: the resources they have around them, the enthusiasm, the engagement, the commitment”.
REBUILDING TRUST
There must be work to rebuild relationships that have been under significant strain during the past 12 months.
Those between teaching unions and the decision-makers within the education system; between parents/carers and schools; and perhaps, most importantly, re-establishing the relationship between learners and their teachers.
Some of the immediate solutions which are already on the table or up for discussion are: more money, including the ‘Recruit, Recover and Raise Standards funding’; more teachers and learning assistants on the ground; changing term times; and setting up summer schools, holiday clubs and home tuition.
However, the longer-term problems are far harder to solve.
One estimate puts the cost of Wales’s journey back from COVID-19 at £1.4 bn to meet the challenges to the education system alone.
The opportunity exists for major reform and an examination of the whole approach to and aim of education.
Children and young people’s return to the classroom has been heralded as a big chance to put their well-being at the heart of education. As well as having a positive impact on well-being, put, mentally healthy children are much more likely to learn.
Following pressure from the Fifth Senedd’s CYPE Committee and its stakeholders, Wales has already made a significant shift towards establishing a ‘Whole School Approach to Mental Health’. The challenge during the Sixth Senedd will be to deliver it.
PERMANENT CHANGE
The potential sting in the tail is that, at the same time, the education system is getting children back to school, it also contends with major legislative reform.
This is in the form of wholesale changes to both the school curriculum and support for learners with Additional Learning Needs.
Some may argue that there’s been no better time to have such significant changes.
If the education system can successfully implement these three major reforms, arguably Wales will complete significant leg work and be on a firmer footing to meet the challenges presented by Covid-19.
At this stage there may be many more questions than answers for the education system.
The world into which learners will move has changed forever.
Not only has the pandemic interrupted their schooling, but the future journeys they were expected to make into the workplace or further and higher education could be unrecognisable.
The skills and aptitudes needed in the ‘new normal’ are only now beginning to be identified and are likely to be different from those needed before the pandemic began.
Education
Improvement in reading and numeracy attainment, Welsh Government announces

Attainment in Numeracy, Welsh Reading and English Reading has improved in 2023/24, new statistics show.
English Reading saw attainment levels improve across all year groups compared to 2022/23. Learners in Year 3 showed sustained improvement with levels in English Reading being higher than in both 2020/2021 and 2021/22. Welsh Reading presented some improvement across Years 3 to 9, compared to 2022/23. Younger years have shown the greatest degree of improvement in Numeracy (Procedural), whilst Numeracy (Reasoning) has remained relatively stable. These statistics were published today using anonymised data from the national personalised assessments.
Personalised assessments are adaptive online assessments in four subjects taken by all learners in Years 2 to 9 in maintained schools. They aim to support learning by providing information on the reading and numeracy skills of individual learners. They highlight where learners are making progress, as well as which skills could be developed further.

Cabinet Secretary for Education Lynne Neagle said: “It is encouraging to see progress in attainment in reading and numeracy. This improvement highlights the impact our investments are making in schools to ensure every learner has the opportunity to reach their full potential. These assessments help to support all our learners in their educational journey by providing a valuable insight into their strengths and emerging skills.
“I would also like to thank our teachers and the education workforce for their hard work and dedication in supporting our learners and for their continued commitment and professionalism in responding to our national priorities.”
Headteacher Trystan Phillips at Ysgol Gymunedol Penparc in Ceredigion said: “We have evolved in our use of the Personalised Assessments to move away from their use as a summative resource to being a resource that truly influences progress. The use of the different group reports have been invaluable in not only recognising strengths and areas to improve for year groups but also showing examples and exercises that can be used. They’re very much now a device to support pupil progress”.
Estyn’s Chief Inspector, Owen Evans said: “Personalised assessments are a useful tool for schools. They enable teachers to tailor support for individual pupils and track progress over time. We are pleased to see some improvement, but schools need to work together to support attainment, and ensure there is a relentless focus on improving reading and mathematics for all learners. Estyn will continue to work to support schools, and urge leaders to use resources, such as our recent thematic review ‘Unlocking potential: Insights into improving teaching and leadership in mathematics education’ to help improve teaching and learning.”
Education
Disabled children ‘denied’ school support

DISABLED children in Wales have been refused additional support in Welsh schools due to claims their needs can be met through so-called universal provision, a committee heard.
Senedd Members considered a 1,454-name petition calling for a ban on the term “universal provision” – which refers to the support available to all pupils.
Parents warned councils are using the term to deny disabled children the person-centred, additional support they need in school to reach their full potential.
As part of a “transformation programme”, the Senedd passed a law in 2018 to bring in an additional learning needs (ALN) system to replace special educational needs (SEN) support.
The number of disabled children receiving support has fallen by nearly half since 2020/21 when roll-out began – with 40,000 fewer pupils receiving ALN or SEN support in 2023/24.
In 2017, then-minister Alun Davies assured the Senedd’s education committee that the cohort of pupils within the scope of the new system would be “broadly similar”.
Victoria Lightbown, who submitted the petition, cautioned “universal provision” continues to be used to deny pupils support to truly meet their needs despite guidance from ministers.
The petitioner wrote: “Despite this clarification, local authorities and members of Welsh Government continue to allow this term to be used to refuse a learner ALN status and provide additional learning provision.
“There can only be one solution and that is that this term is banned from use.
“While members of the Welsh Government still use this term when discussing ALN including during media interviews, it gives local authorities opportunity to follow suit and continue to deny ALN to learners.”
Lynne Neagle wrote to the Senedd’s petitions committee in response to the petition, apologising for a near-three month delay in replying to correspondence.

Wales’ education secretary, who chaired the education committee as it scrutinised reforms in 2017, said: “I want to be clear that ‘universal provision’ should not be a reason to deny ALN.
“However, I am aware that the term ‘universal provision’ is widely used by schools and local authorities when describing the provision… generally available to all pupils of the same age.
“Estyn’s recent thematic review of the ALN reforms reports there is confusion in schools and local authorities around what constitutes ‘universal’ provision and what is ALP. This confusion is causing difficulties when determining whether a learner has ALN.”
Ms Neagle said ministers have launched a review of the ALN system amid concerns about “complex and unclear” terminology, adding that she will outline the next steps in July.
The education secretary, who was appointed in 2024, also pointed to research by the University of Bristol centred on the importance of “generally available” support in Wales.
Politicians discussed the petition during a meeting of the petitions committee on June 16, with members agreeing to keep the petition open until after July’s update.
Vaughan Gething, who appointed Ms Neagle as education secretary during his stint as First Minister, said implementation of ALN reforms has been “a real issue”.

“But… I don’t want the petition to take on a life of its own,” he said, cautioning the petition committee not to duplicate the ongoing work of an education committee inquiry.
He told Senedd Members it would be very unhelpful to take a “twin-track” approach, with the petitions committee commenting on the five-year inquiry into ministers’ education reforms.
Education
Funding pressures ‘fuelling’ pupil behaviour problems

FINANCIAL pressures on schools and wider public services are exacerbating pupil behaviour problems, with “wholly inadequate” health support, trade unions warned.
Claire Armitstead, director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) Cymru, warned behaviour has significantly changed post-pandemic.
She told Senedd Members: “We see challenging behaviour happening for young children… we see behaviour becoming more aggressive… more aggressive than we’ve ever seen.”
Ms Armitstead warned worsening school behaviour increases teachers’ workloads, stress and anxiety, “creating the conditions where people no longer want to stay in the profession”.
Appearing before the Senedd education committee on June 18, she raised concerns about financial pressures forcing schools to cut emotional and mental health support.

“School funding means we’re at a point where we’re nearly at just statutory provision,” she said. “Those people who helped those children change the way they behaved and gave them a life chance they probably would never have without them, they won’t be in schools.”
Laura Doel, national secretary at the National Association of Head Teachers Cymru, added that worsening behaviour shows the impact of the “desperate” situation facing schools.
She told the committee: “They cut the pastoral staff because they’re non-statutory, we have challenges in additional learning needs where we have learners in mainstream.
“For some children, it just isn’t suitable for them – we can’t cater for their needs… there’s nowhere else for them to go, so the pressure is on schools to retain them.”

Ms Doel described the number of educational psychologists in Wales and the waiting list for child and adolescent mental health services (Camhs) as “wholly inadequate”.
She said: “Social services are incredibly stretched with more pressure being put on schools to then step into that space. We can’t continue to do that.
“That will, undoubtedly, have an impact on retention of teachers because they are being asked more and more of the things that they didn’t go into the profession for.”
Ms Doel warned: “At the moment, we’re not seeing any significant move from this government to challenge those behavioural issues that we’ve got.”
She welcomed a summit on behaviour organised by ministers “but what we really need is those people on the ground to be able to build those relationships with learners”.
Ms Armitstead added: “A child with a plan for suicide and very unwell: 28 days for intervention by Camhs. The mental health of our cohorts has significantly worsened [but] the times for them to get the help they need has significantly increased.”
She stressed: “Behaviour is a symptom, not a cause. We haven’t got the multi-agency working to address the cause… health has pulled back so much for education – they are not playing their role in this community where we work together.”
Ms Armitstead, a headteacher for 15 years, said Wales needs multi-agency working or schools need to be funded to deliver those services.
Neil Foley, vice-president of the ASCL and headteacher of Prestatyn High School, warned the expectation is enormous with schools stepping in to fill the gap.

He told the committee: “The link between home and school has been severed, so when a child misbehaves, they have their phone out in class or they’re caught with a vape – we are met with challenge from home as well.”
Mr Foley added: “We can do everything we can but if we don’t get support from home, behaviour initiatives and everything that we’ve put in place – the longevity is not there because the parents are not supportive.”
Giving evidence to the committee’s inquiry on teacher recruitment and retention, the witnesses warned of “toxic” workloads and “mission creep”, raising the example of headteachers acting as caretakers due to a lack of funding to recruit.
Ms Armitstead told the committee: “The reality is – because the workload is so enormous – if you don’t love it, you can’t do it.”
The former headteacher warned of an “almost exponential” increase in abuse faced by school staff on social media, with “hatred breeding hatred”.
“Pre-pandemic, teachers and school leaders were seen as having positive intent, whether we agreed or not – our intent was never questioned,” she said.
“But now our intent is questioned – and publicly.”
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