Jan312017

Latest categorisation figures show school improvement

Welsh Government
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Published today, the National Categorisation System has been introduced in 2014 to help identify schools in need of support to improve. Schools are placed into one of four colour-coded support categories to demonstrate the level of support they need.

Each school’s category is determined by a range of factors including its performance data and capacity to improve in areas such as leadership and teaching and learning. Local authorities and their regional consortia play a central role in the process which triggers a bespoke package of challenge and support in each school.

Under the system there are four categories – green, yellow, amber and red. Schools in the green category are deemed to be in need of the least support while schools in the red category are those identified as needing the most support.

This year’s results show that there are fewer schools in Wales in need of the highest levels of support when compared to last year. Similarly, there are more schools categorised as needing lower levels of support. In summary:

  • the proportion of green schools – those needing less support – has increased by 5 percentage points in the primary sector and 7 percentage points in the secondary sector.
  • the proportion of red schools – those identified as needing most support – has reduced by 1 percentage point in the primary sector and 2 percentage points in the secondary sector.
  • 41 per cent of special schools have been categorised as green, and needing less support, with only 8 per cent being categorised as red and in need of most support.

Cabinet Secretary for Education Kirsty Williams said:

“This system is not about grading, labelling or creating crude league tables but about providing support and encouraging improvement in our schools. It is about putting schools into a position that helps them to identify areas they can strengthen and what they need to do achieve further improvements.

“The figures we have published today show that 84.4% of primary and 64.6% of secondary schools are now in the green and yellow categories. This increase is to be welcomed, as these schools will have a key role to play in supporting other schools, sharing their skills, expertise, and good practice. In this way they will be making a vital contribution to our national mission of driving forward improvements in Welsh schools and moving us towards a self-improving system.”

The categorisation for all schools is available on the My Local School website (external link) and the Welsh Government education pages.

Jan312017

The Government must listen to this stark warning from the LGA that councils can no longer meet either their duties or the spirit of the Care Act – Keeley

Labour
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Commenting
on the LGA warning that the Care Act faces failure without new funding,
Barbara Keeley, Labour’s Shadow Cabinet Member for Social Care, said:

“It is time that Tory Ministers accepted that the social
care crisis is caused by insufficient funding in the face of growing demand.
Ministers have ignored repeated warnings from leaders and professionals in the
health and care sectors about the impact of the £4.6 billion of cuts made to
Adult Social Care budgets since 2010.

“It is deeply worrying that councils are now having to
spell out the risks that this lack of funding is causing. We should not
tolerate the fact that growing levels of basic needs are going unmet, care
visits are shorter and there is increased strain on unpaid family carers.

“The Government must listen to this stark warning from
the LGA that councils can no longer meet either their duties or the spirit of
the Care Act. Now is the time for the Government to bring forward genuinely new
funding for social care to protect the vital services that older and disabled
people need.”

Jan312017

We won’t pander to the will of this Tory government to chip away at hard won progress on equality – Champion

Labour
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Today Labour has tabled a targeted amendment to the Article 50 Bill (the European Union [Notification of Withdrawal] Bill).

The amendment seeks to ensure Parliament is able to hold the Government to account throughout the Brexit negotiations on the impact of decisions on women and those with protected characteristics.

Sarah Champion, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Women and Equalities said:

“Labour has a long record of championing and protecting equal rights and we will hold the government to account using the Equality Act brought in by the last Labour government.

“Whilst we respect the will of the British people, we won’t pander to the will of this Tory government to chip away at hard won progress on equality.”