Home Menu

Press room

 

Press and Media contacts:

Millie Clarke
Head of press 
07933 032588

Rob Devey
Senior press officer
07970 907730

Email: press.office@naht.org.uk 

Click on the image above to
read our award-winning entry to
the TUC Comms Awards 2023.

 

Study shows need for investment in Welsh schools, but doesn't reflect education reforms says NAHT Cymru

Responding to the OECD's latest PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) results, Laura Doel, NAHT Cymru national secretary, said:

“The pandemic has undoubtedly had some impact on these results. But after a decade in which investment in our schools has been nowhere near what is needed and they are struggling with a growing recruitment and retention crisis, it is notable that the OECD also highlights the effect of other underlying issues facing education systems. The dedication of schools in helping pupils through this difficult time and its aftermath hasn’t been matched by the level of government ambition or investment required.

“But Wales is on an education reform journey, and this cohort of learners hasn’t benefitted from the new curriculum.

“While international comparisons can be interesting and useful, we have to be very careful not to over-interpret these results. The value in studies like PISA are the questions they raise for policy-makers, but rankings or league tables are unhelpful and can be misleading if we’re not careful. We of course should be keen to learn from other nations - that requires a deep understanding of different systems and not just simplistic comparisons. We also need to factor in that different nations will be at different stages of education policy development, and that can influence the results too.

"It is important that politicians and policy makers remain inquisitive about these results, rather than using them for political ends.”  

First published 05 December 2023
;