Wales sets target for pupils to catch up with rest of UK in 10 years
PLANS to eliminate the qualification gap between Wales and the rest of the UK in 10 years have been announced by the Welsh Government – at the same time as our systems continue to diverge, making comparisons harder.
Education Secretary Kirsty Williams has set out five “tests” to measure the government’s success in delivering on social mobility over the next few years, including closing Wales’ qualification gap in a decade.
Other aims are nearly every pupil in Wales being entered for a science GCSE, a 10% rise in numbers of students studying at master’s level, and doubling the number of students getting experience of studying or working abroad.
The announcement follows years of Wales trailing in the international OECD Pisa tests for 15-year-olds. Ms Williams said:
“We are taking direct action to open up opportunities and improve the life chances of all learners, particularly those from the poorest backgrounds. But there’s always more to do.
“The tests I am announcing today are some examples where I am demanding improvement.
“It is clear to me that progression into postgraduate study is our next challenge in widening participation. By introducing equivalent living costs support for master’s students we will address this challenge.
“Therefore, I can give a commitment that over the lifetime of this government we will see an increase of at least 10% in the number of Wales-domiciled students studying at master’s level.
“Next year we will launch – starting with a pilot scheme – a funded programme to ensure many more Welsh students have international study and work experience opportunities. This will play a part in meeting our ambition to see the number of Welsh students who spend time abroad as part of their studies double by the end of this government
“It is with regret that until recently we had some schools where the majority of 16-year-olds were studying for BTEC science – particularly in more disadvantaged areas.
“That is a culture of lowered expectations that we must, and will, reject. We are already seeing an increase in the numbers being entered for science GCSE.
“I expect that momentum to continue so that by the end of this Assembly term nearly every pupil in our system will be entered for a science GCSE.
“Our Seren Network is already doing a fantastic job and raising ambition and aspiration all across the nation.
“We cannot put a limit on the ambitions of our young people – from all backgrounds. I am setting an aspiration that the percentage of all Welsh-domiciled undergraduate first years going to Sutton Trust institutions will increase by 10% over the next five years.
“It is essential that people are equipped with the right skills and knowledge to ensure they can exploit the opportunities an evolving labour market presents.
“Working across departments and sectors, we will eliminate the gap between Wales and the rest of the UK at all qualification levels in 10 years and ensure in future as a minimum we maintain our performance relative to the rest of the UK.”
Last summer GCSE grades in Wales stopped being directly comparable with some of those in England and Wales has also dropped Sats tests taken at age seven and 11 in England. Wales has also introduced new GCSE and A-level courses.
While Wales is retaining the A*-G grading system for all GCSE subjects, England has introduced grades nine to one for maths, English language, and English literature.
Overall last summer in England, Wales and Northern Ireland GCSE passes (grades C/four and above)
dropped 0.6 percentage points to
66.3%.
Wales’ overall GCSE pass rate fell to a 10-year low in summer 2017 with the dip blamed on early entries and new maths qualifications.
The percentage of pupils achieving an A* to G GCSE grades fell to its lowest since 2006 at 96.9%.
By contrast in summer 2017 Wales recorded some of its best ever A-level results in the first year students sat a course and qualification devised and sat only in Wales.
As a result Wales outperformed England at A-level grades A* and A* to C in 2017 with 19.4% of students gaining an A* and 80.4% gaining A* to C.
In the latest set of results for the international Pisa tests, taken every three years by 15-year-olds, Wales’ ranked the worst in the UK in 2016 for the fourth time.
Students taking tests in 2015, whose results were published in 2016, were adrift of the global and UK average in reading, maths and science.
In Wales 3,500 pupils took the tests and their scores showed we not only do worse on average than the other UK nations but also have fewer high performing and more low performing students in science, reading and maths.