News

Report highlights racism in Wales’s secondary schools

Published

2 years ago

November 30, 2023

A REPORT from the Children’s Commissioner for Wales claims that pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds are the target of racist abuse in Welsh secondary schools.

The report, published on Tuesday, November 28, says minority ethnic children and young people from across Wales experience racism in many ways. According to the report’s authors, those ways range from microaggressions to verbal and physical abuse.

The report claims those experiences are almost commonplace in schools.

The report also states that many incidents remain unreported as the youngsters targeted by abuse don’t want to be seen as “grasses”. If labelled “a grass”, victims of racist abuse fear they will be targeted with escalating abuse and retaliation. They also lack confidence in schools’ ability to tackle the issue.

The authors suggest that reported incidents are only “the tip of a very large iceberg”.

Meanwhile, teachers reported feeling underequipped and unconfident in responding to racism.

Mary van den Heuvel, Senior Policy Officer for the National Education Union Cymru, said: “NEU Cymru is deeply concerned by this report, which mirrors the experience of Black staff, who report a rise in racism in our schools and colleges with both Black students and staff facing varying degrees of racist abuse.

“NEU Cymru believes that all forms of racism must be challenged and that more must be done to support all learners and staff to feel safe and supported to understand and address this behaviour, and to feel valued and listened to in schools.”

Those teachers spoken to during the survey work for the report said they needed more practical and clearer guidance and ongoing support on how to respond.

How robust the report’s conclusions are is open to question.

Welsh secondary schools educate over 175,000 students, of whom 12% come from “Any other ethnic background’ other than ‘White British’.”

That’s 21,000 students, most educated in Cardiff, Swansea, and Newport.

However, researchers spoke only to 170 pupils, less than one per cent of the Welsh total.

In addition, the Commissioner drew on ten children who are members of her office’s existing advisory panel and special interest community ambassador groups.

According to the report, those “were children aged between 11 and 16 and with lived experience of racism who volunteered to join the CYP (Children and Young Persons) steering group.”

One of those participants, who appeared on television news to endorse the report’s findings, is the Youth

Officer for Swansea West Labour Party, whose membership includes the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Rocio Cifuentes MBE.

Whatever issues exist about methodology, there is little doubt that racist abuse occurs in schools in every part of Wales. The scale of the issue in individual schools is likely disproportionate to the number of minority ethnic students. That is, where the number of minority ethnic children is fewest, abuse is more likely to occur.

One student in Pembrokeshire told researchers: “I was called a ‘monkey’ by a student.

“Other students reported it and parents were contacted but she [the student who called her the name] started crying so I didn’t want to make a fuss.”

A group of predominantly White Welsh participants shared that they had not directly experienced racism but had witnessed it, the majority daily.

Their experience included racist slurs in the corridor and people laughing it off. It also included people using a racial slur daily whilst talking about Asian-heritage boys.

One child said: “None of these incidents got reported apart from one. It’s all brushed under the carpet.”
Anecdotally, those incidents do not sound unlikely for Pembrokeshire schools, in which the number of minority ethnic students is comparatively small compared to the rest of Wales.

Problems with how schools tackle racism also feature in a comment by a Pembrokeshire student: “In my school, perpetrators must go to ‘rehab’ where they fill out the equality booklet. I don’t know how seriously they take this.”

Children’s Commission for Wales Rocio Cuifentes said: “There is a need for a whole culture change to support schools to respond more effectively and, more importantly, to help young people and children feel safer and feel confident that their schools will take incidents of racism seriously and something will be done about it.

“There is a real need for a comprehensive approach to dealing with this, rather than at the moment where we have pockets of excellent practice but other schools are really struggling.”

A key differential unexplored by the report is the extent to which racist expressions by children reflect their family, economic and neighbourhood backgrounds or how much those expressions arise from peer pressure and their wish to fit in with their friendship groups.

Absent those voices and that information, tackling the root causes of racism relies on the Welsh Government doing much the same as it is now, but harder and more thoroughly. Changing hearts and minds away from reflexive or learned racism will need much more.

Farming

Basic Payment Scheme 2025 balance paid to 95% of Welsh farmers

Published

7 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Final year of BPS as transition to Sustainable Farming Scheme begins

The WELSH Government says more than ninety-five per cent of farm businesses have now received their full or balance payment under the final year of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), ahead of the introduction of the new Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS) in 2026.

Announcing the update on Friday (Dec 12), Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, Huw Irranca-Davies, confirmed that over 15,400 Welsh farm businesses have been paid £68.7m. This comes on top of the £160m issued in BPS advance payments since 14 October.

Final round of BPS payments

The Basic Payment Scheme, which has been the backbone of farm support in Wales for a decade, provides direct income support to help farmers plan and manage their businesses. BPS 2025 marks the last year in which full BPS payments will be made before the scheme begins to be phased out.

The Cabinet Secretary said officials would “continue to process the outstanding BPS 2025 claims as soon as possible,” adding that all but the most complex cases should be completed by 30 June 2026.

Payments issued today represent the main balance due to farmers following earlier advances, giving many businesses the cash flow they need during the quieter winter period—traditionally a challenging time in the agricultural calendar.

Shift to Sustainable Farming Scheme in 2026

From 1 January 2026, the Welsh Government will begin rolling out the Sustainable Farming Scheme, a major reform to how agricultural support is delivered. The SFS will reward farmers for environmental outcomes such as habitat management, carbon reduction and biodiversity improvements, alongside continued food production.

The government has argued that the new scheme is essential to meeting Wales’ climate and nature targets while ensuring long-term resilience in the sector. However, the transition has been closely watched by farming unions, who have raised concerns about the administrative burden, income stability, and the speed at which BPS is being phased out.

Mr Irranca-Davies reaffirmed the government’s stance, saying: “This government is steadfastly committed to supporting Welsh farmers to sustainably produce quality food. This is demonstrated today in our payment of the BPS 2025 balance payments and will continue throughout the transition period.”

Sector reaction

Farming unions are expected to scrutinise the detail of today’s announcement, particularly around remaining unpaid cases. Last year, late payments led to frustration in parts of the sector, with unions calling for greater certainty as the industry faces rising input costs, supply chain pressures and continued market volatility.

The move to the SFS remains one of the most significant agricultural policy changes in Wales since devolution. Ministers insist the shift is designed to support both food production and environmental stewardship, while critics warn the transition must not undermine farm viability—especially for family-run livestock farms that dominate rural areas such as Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.

What happens next

Farmers still awaiting their BPS 2025 balance will continue to be processed “as soon as possible”, the Welsh Government said. Officials will also publish updated guidance on the Sustainable Farming Scheme ahead of its launch.

The coming year will therefore become a pivotal moment for Welsh agriculture, as the long-standing BPS framework—which provided over £200m annually to Welsh farmers—makes way for a new results-based model that will shape the industry for decades to come.

News

Improved train timetable launches across Wales

Published

7 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Extra services, later trains and boosted Sunday routes as £800m rail investment takes effect

An improved train timetable has come into force across Wales today (Sunday, 14 December), with Transport for Wales (TfW) introducing more frequent services, stronger connections and additional late-night trains on key routes.

The winter timetable update brings one of the most substantial uplifts in recent years on the Wales and Borders network, forming part of the Welsh Government’s ongoing £800 million investment in brand-new rolling stock and reliability improvements.

More trains and later journeys

Among the upgrades, passengers will see:

A new hourly additional service between Chester and Wrexham, effectively doubling the frequency on one of the region’s busiest commuter corridors.
An extra train in each direction every day on the Heart of Wales line between Swansea and Shrewsbury.
Three later last trains from Cardiff to Treherbert, Aberdare and Merthyr Tydfil, supporting shift workers and the night-time economy.
A new hourly Sunday service on the Coryton line in Cardiff.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, Ken Skates, said improved connectivity was “absolutely vital” for economic growth and passenger confidence.

“These changes will make a real difference to customers, who will benefit from more services and greater connectivity,” he said. “This has been made possible by our £800m investment in brand-new trains for the Wales and Borders network.

“We will see the doubling of trains between Wrexham and Chester and a later service from the capital to valley communities. In South Wales, people will continue to benefit from simpler, fairer fares through TfW’s Pay As You Go service, and its forthcoming introduction in North Wales will help even more passengers access easy, transparent pricing.”

Full details of the updated timetable are available at: tfw.wales/service-status/timetables

News

Wrecked guard boat still under watch off north Pembrokeshire coast

Published

7 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Tidal changes monitored after dramatic early-morning rescue

A GUARD VESSEL that ran aground off the north Pembrokeshire coast in the early hours of Thursday morning (Dec 11) remains under close observation as tides continue to shift.

The Resolute, a 24-metre guard boat understood to be working for an offshore wind project off the Irish coast, had been sheltering in worsening weather when she was pushed onto rocks near Aber Hywel, Dinas, shortly after 3:25am.

Four crew members were onboard when the vessel grounded in rough seas and a strong southerly wind.

Major rescue effort launched

The crew issued an emergency alert, prompting a full multi-agency response.
A coastguard rescue helicopter, both Fishguard RNLI lifeboats, and coastguard teams from Fishguard and St Davids were sent to the scene.

Turbulent air made a winch rescue impossible and Fishguard’s all-weather lifeboat was unable to get close due to cliffs and submerged hazards. The inshore lifeboat was instead deployed to attempt a transfer in extremely challenging conditions.

During the evacuation, the third crew member descending to the vessel’s life raft slipped, fell into the water and was swept away. Speaking afterwards, RNLI crew member Cedwyn Rogers said the team immediately switched into “hyper-focused” mode as training took over.

Despite the casualty drifting, helm Warren Bean — a volunteer with more than 30 years’ RNLI experience — manoeuvred the lifeboat alongside, allowing crew to haul the man to safety. The remaining crew member was then retrieved, and all four were taken aboard the all-weather lifeboat and brought ashore to Fishguard.

All rescue units were later stood down.

Vessel still stranded and taking on water

The Herald understands that the Resolute remained aground on the rocks yesterday and was taking on water. The crew were later assisted back onboard by a local fisherman to assess damage on behalf of the vessel’s operators.

Management representatives from Ireland were due to arrive to draw up a recovery plan, including arrangements to remove fuel to prevent any potential environmental impact.

Further inspections have been taking place today as the team evaluates the next steps.

Coastguard statement

A spokesperson for HM Coastguard said: “At 3.28am on Thursday morning, HM Coastguard was made aware of a vessel with four persons onboard aground on rocks at Fishguard, Pembrokeshire. RNLI lifeboats and coastguard rescue teams from Fishguard and St Davids were sent to the scene. The four people aboard were rescued by lifeboat, and the helicopter was stood down. The vessel, which is still aground, is being monitored as tidal conditions change.”