Following my re-election to the Senedd in May this year, I was delighted to be appointed the Shadow Minister for Education.

Being one of the largest portfolio areas of the Senedd, there is a significant amount of responsibility that comes with the role. Being a Mother of two boys, I am a acutely aware of how important it is to get education right, so that every child in Wales, has the very best education possible.

In recent years, it has become glaringly apparent that the Welsh Labour Government are letting down children across Wales, with myriad issues. From confusing covid schools guidance, to inadequate funding to support our children’s education, and to support teachers to do what they do best, teaching our children.

Wales remains at the bottom of the PISA tables in the UK for reading, and has done since 2006. It is a damning indictment of the legacy of the Welsh Government that Wales has only risen by two single points in their score since then.

In spite of all the tough talking and promises from the Welsh Labour Government over the last two decades, too little has changed, and generations of children across Wales have been let down.

I welcome the New Curriculum, but we need to ensure that teachers and schools feel prepared enough to deliver it, to enable flexible advantages are fully felt by pupils and teachers alike.

We need investment to increase the levels of teaching staff, pay and an increase in per-pupil funding to match or surpass that of the other UK nations, and higher teacher-to-pupil ratio to make sure that children are getting the education they deserve.

We need a clear strategy with measurable targets, not hiding behind the impact of the pandemic on education which, although had a significant impact, has shown the versatility and determination of our hard working teachers and school staff. Unfortunately, education in Wales has lagged far behind the rest of the UK for decades, and although the Education Minister expressed his happiness this week that Wales had met the average OECD level for reading, for me, this is far from ok. Former Soviet Union Bloc countries are the same level. We should at least be in-line with England and Scotland.

Having received a record increase of £2.5 billion from the UK government for Wales, I have called for greater investment into the Welsh education system. Only with direct and urgent action, and a significant funding increase directly into our schools, we will get our education system back on track.