Children only get one chance for an education – Labour should not be allowed to waste it
14/02/2012
Plaid responds to ESTYN report on education in Torfaen
Children only get one chance for an education and Labour must not be allowed to waste it. That was the message today from Plaid Cymru in reaction to a report from ESTYN which described education standards in Torfaen as ‘unsatisfactory.’ Plaid Cymru’s Education Spokesperson, Simon Thomas AM described the report as damning evidence of the need for a radical transformation in the Welsh education system.
Local Plaid Cymru politicians, Lindsay Whittle AM, whose office is in Pontypool, and Cllr Jeff Rees said that Labour rule at a national and local level is letting the children of Torfaen down. Cllr Jeff Rees, who chairs the council’s Learning Communities committee, added that standards must be improved.
Plaid Cymru’s Education Spokesperson, Simon Thomas AM, said:
"Estyn’s report is damning and is further evidence that the current system is failing too many children in Torfaen, and across Wales. It is clear that root and branch reform is necessary. Our children are being let down by a system that is simply not good enough and this cannot be allowed to continue.
"The education system in Wales has been mismanaged by Labour over decades and they should apologise for this. The Labour Education Minister needs to take real action to improve standards in all schools. His current plans for banding are heading in completely the wrong direction with no support system in place for failing schools. I will be calling on the Minister to make a full statement to the Assembly at the earliest opportunity."
Plaid Cymru AM Lindsay Whittle, who is based in Pontypool said:
"It is clear from this report that the standard of education in Torfaen is unacceptably low. This cannot be allowed to continue. The children and communities of Torfaen have been badly let down by the Labour council and I hope that this will not be forgotten at election time. In my view this damning report demonstrates that Labour is not fit to govern. However I have every faith in Councillor Jeff Rees and his Plaid Cymru team. Education is at the heart of Plaid Cymru’s policies, we want to see the system transformed so that all our children are enabled to succeed."
Plaid Cymru Councillor Jeff Rees, who chairs the Learning Communities Overview and Scrutiny committee said:
"It is disappointing that Estyn has called the overall education service ‘unsatisfactory’ and it’s important that Labour Torfaen Council acts on the recommendations. Standards must be improved across the board. Our children only get one chance for an education and we cannot allow Labour to waste it.
"Parents have a right to question why, during Labour Party rule at a Wales and Torfaen level, their children’s education system is deemed unsatisfactory. I sense that Labour’s record on education will be a key battleground in the forthcoming local elections and the Estyn report is a key indicator of that record. The time has come to stop rewarding failure."