Everyone who works in education in Wales should be outraged right now, because, to borrow a line from Hamlet, there’s something rotten in the state of Wales.
It’s clear that the education system is in crisis and many things are happening that are detrimental to our children’s futures.
Now, we’ve used the word ‘crisis’ several times when discussing education in Wales in recent years, especially on the Impact Podcast, but never has it seemed as all-encompassing as it does at the moment.
We’ve been accused of scaremongering for raising concerns in the past, but right now the evidence is there for all to see, and it’s overwhelming. We’re not exaggerating when we say the education system in Wales is in dire straits.
Before we get into the most recent problems, let’s look at the context:
- There’s an ongoing funding crisis in local authorities, which has hit education budgets and left many schools struggling to balance the books.
- Schools are still suffering from the fallout of the pandemic, particularly when it comes to attendance and behavioural issues.
- The PISA results for Wales were dire, with the lowest scores ever recorded and the gap between the other UK nations widening.
- The latest reading and numeracy test results showed reading standards of 7-14-year-olds have fallen since the pandemic.
Two further pieces of evidence were published recently in the form of the Estyn Chief Inspector’s Annual Report and a letter to the minister from an education review team.
Let’s look at the latter first. A team of experts and stakeholders is currently reviewing the roles and responsibilities of education partners in Wales, and in the first phase they gathered evidence from school leaders and the middle tier.
Recently the chair, Professor Dylan Jones, wrote to education minister Jeremy Miles summarising the group’s progress. In the letter, he wrote:
“We have been struck by the consistency of the messages we have heard from school leaders across Wales in both the face-to-face sessions and the responses to the survey. It is clear that the pandemic has had many detrimental effects on our learners, which in turn, has created many challenges for those seeking to provide the best possible learning experience for them.”
The letter went on to list some of the concerns raised by school leaders, including:
- Feeling “overwhelmed by the amount of change in the system” and a “lack of clarity” about key national reforms like curriculum and progression
- Serious concerns about the value added by the Regional Consortia, and concern about a culture of being ‘done to’ rather than ‘done with’.
- The “unnecessary, counter-productive” and bureaucratic requests from the middle tier.
- “Little or no support for some of the biggest challenges currently facing schools following the pandemic, such as attendance and behaviour.”
- Feeling “overwhelmed by the current professional learning offer”. “They also said they didn’t have the time to access much of it and when they did it was of variable quality.”
Any one of these would be bad enough, but together they paint a stark picture. Then we had the Estyn Chief Inspector’s Annual Report, which highlighted some of the serious challenges facing the system.
In his summary, the Chief Inspector, Owen Evans, wrote: “The shadow of the pandemic remains apparent on learners’ wellbeing and the progress that they make. Learner attendance, attitudes to learning and aspects of learners’ knowledge and skills remain weaker than pre-pandemic norms. There are also lingering effects on the education and training workforce, with workplace absences compounding the ongoing challenge providers face in recruiting teachers and support staff members across a number of specialisms.”
The report also highlighted challenges around implementing specific policy reforms such as Curriculum for Wales.
“Whilst the potential long-term benefits of these changes are clear, effecting the changes presents a significant challenge,” it said.
On top of all this evidence of systemic decline, we have an education minister, Jeremy Miles, who is currently campaigning to become the new Welsh Labour leader, and subsequently First Minister of Wales.
Just when the system needs strong leadership more than ever, the man at the top is splitting his time and focus between working at his day job and working towards the job he hopes to have next.
And whether or not Mr Miles becomes First Minister in March, we’re almost certain to have a new education minister in the inevitable cabinet reshuffle.
So, what is the solution? We need a school system that is focused on the changes that need to be made for the best. And we’re not talking about huge changes or major policy reforms. Many small changes can be made that will make a big difference, such as making sure the guidance given to teachers is evidence-informed and designed to make an impact in the classroom.
One thing that needs to stop is the self-congratulatory attitude that pervades the education system in Wales – if we just pat each other on the back all the time we’ll never improve. The only explanation we can see for a continued positive rhetoric when the situation is anything but positive is because those in positions of responsibility need things to be okay for the sake of their careers. We also need a minister who is proactive and not reactive, and who is focused on taking the hard decisions that we elect our leaders to make.
Our key message for the teaching profession is don’t be afraid to speak out and to put your head above the parapet. If you have a concern about the system, raise it. The future of our children is at stake. Ultimately, the more of us who express these concerns, the more attention those in power will pay.
To hear more of our thoughts on these issues, listen to our latest podcast.