The Welsh Conservatives will today call on the Labour Government
in Cardiff Bay to do everything it can to overcome the impact of
the pandemic on Welsh learners and prevent a generation being
lost to lockdowns.
In the Senedd this afternoon, Shadow Education Minister will lead a debate
proposing, in an effort to “ensure that every young person can
reach their potential”, that ministers:
- Guarantee schools remain open;
- Remove the requirement to wear face coverings in schools and
colleges as soon as possible;
- Accelerate the rollout of improved ventilation
adaptations in learning environments; and
- Level-up school funding across Wales to address the shortfall
with other British nations.
Research by the London School of Economics found that Welsh
children lost out on a third of their learning (66 days) in the
last academic year, more than any other UK nation. This is due,
in part, to unnecessarily strict measures from the Labour
Government.
Meanwhile, Estyn, Wales’ school inspectorate, concluded that
learners’ maths, Welsh language, reading, and social skills have
all suffered as a result of school closures. They also found the
“divide between pupils from disadvantaged and more privileged
backgrounds became more pronounced over the course of the
pandemic”.
However, not all the issues experienced in Welsh schools can be
blamed on the pandemic with long-standing issues such as
underfunding from the Labour Government playing a part in leading
to Wales receiving the lowest PISA scores – that ranks education
systems across the world – of all UK nations since it first
participated in 2006,
Wales spends less per pupil on education than both England and
Scotland, according to the Institute of Fiscal Studies, with
English students benefitting by £100 extra per person compared to
their Welsh counterparts.
Speaking ahead of the debate, – MS for South Wales
East – said:
“The youngest in our society have sacrificed so much during the
pandemic to protect others at a huge cost to their own life
chances. Education is not expendable, especially for the
vulnerable where their time away from home is the only respite
from abuse.
“Therefore, it is essential we do everything to ensure schools
are kept open at their normal capacity.
“Also, while facemasks have played a role in this pandemic, they
have outlived their usefulness in schools: they make minimal
difference to stopping the transmission of Covid-19, yet they can
have an extremely negative effect on learners and learning in the
classroom.
“The British Government’s evidence and Wales’ own scientific
advisor say the same, so if says he follows the science,
then he must scrap the classroom mask requirement now.
“Labour should now use this opportunity to deploy the record
budget increase that has come from the British Conservative
Government to improve education in Wales by addressing the
underfunding of schools and undo the damage of lockdowns,
ensuring each child can fulfil their potential.
“It’s time for Labour to address the chronic problems facing our
schools, whether it be the cost of supply teachers, the alarming
rise in home schooling or lack of guidance and support given to
our teachers to help roll out the new curriculum.
“It’s time for decisive reform and action from Labour Ministers.”
