If you saw the recent ITV coverage on Welsh education, you know the picture painted isn’t just concerning, it is a wake-up call that cannot be ignored.
For years, Ministers in Cardiff Bay have insisted that new frameworks, sweeping curriculum reforms, and administrative restructuring would transform our schools. Yet, when placed on the international stage through PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) scores, Wales continues to lag behind England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the broader developed world across core subjects like reading, mathematics, and science.
As a dad of four and Member of the Senedd for Sir Gaerfyrddin, watching our education metrics drop while taxpayer funding increases isn’t just a political issue; it’s personal.
Watch the video here:
Core Academic Standards Over Bureaucracy
The ITV footage and recent reports highlighting teacher pressures and falling outcomes reveal a fundamental flaw in how education is being managed in Wales:
- Abandoning the Fundamentals
The ongoing decline in PISA scores is the direct result of shifting focus away from core numeracy, literacy, and rigorous subject knowledge. When you lower benchmarks or replace clear academic targets with vague administrative frameworks, standards slip. Our pupils deserve a firm foundation in math, science, and English/Welsh language skills.
- Teachers Over-Burdened by Red Tape
Speaking to teachers across Carmarthenshire, the common theme isn’t a lack of effort, it’s burnout from constant administrative changes forced down from Cardiff Bay. Teachers should be in classrooms teaching core subjects, not spending hours filling out compliance forms for failing government initiatives.
- Incapable Governance
The Welsh Government has overseen education policy in Wales for over two decades. Continuous decline in international league tables is not bad luck; it is a policy failure. Continuing down the exact same road while expecting different outcomes defies common sense.
What Needs to Change
We need an immediate return to basics. That means:
- Refocusing the curriculum heavily on core literacy, STEM, and essential life skills.
- Slashing administrative red tape so teachers can focus on teaching.
- Restoring academic accountability so parents in Carmarthenshire know exactly how their local schools are performing compared to national and global standards.
Our children are just as capable and talented as young people anywhere else in the world. They are being let down by a system that refuses to measure itself against real standards. I will continue to push in the Senedd for practical, common-sense reform that puts academic excellence back at the centre of Welsh education.
Graphic. ITV News/Youtube
