Concern over standard of secondary schools in Wales

ACTION is needed to improve secondary schools in Wales with a “high proportion” causing concern, says the Chief Inspector of Education and Training in a hard-hitting report today.

Speaking as his annual report shows standards in secondary schools in Wales have remained largely static in the past year, Meilyr Rowlands believes long and short-term measures are needed and are being taken to improve all schools causing concern.

The report says standards are good or better in only half of secondary schools, the same as last year. In primary schools, standards were judged as good or better in eight in 10, up from seven in 10 last year.

Teaching and learning experiences are good or excellent in only half of Wales’ 195 secondary schools, four in 10 are adequate and need improvement and just under one in 10 are unsatisfactory.

The document, based on findings from inspections and reports in 2017-18 including 27 inspections of secondary schools, adds that in half of them there are shortcomings in teaching and assessment.

Mr Rowlands says: “The high proportion of secondary schools causing concern is a concern itself.”

“The new curriculum will help in the long term but there are things that need to be tackled immediately.

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “The report shows that standards in our schools are continuing to improve and that our new professional standards, together with a focus on the new curriculum, are helping to improve teaching and learning.

“The challenge now is to ensure that schools that need additional support are identified at an earlier stage and that we work closely with schools and the profession to address these issues.

The report highlights examples of good practice in secondary schools including Bishop of Llandaff Church in Wales School and Ysgol Bro Edern in Cardiff.