06/03/2014 BBC Wales Today

of those living with HIV. Don't forget, there is

Good evening. Head teachers from across Wales have raised concerns

over the "unexpectedly low" grades, for GCSE English language exams, sat

by pupils earlier this year. Teaching unions say the results were

"far below what was expected". Tonight, the Head of the WJEC exam

board has questioned whether new GCSE courses - due to be introduced

- should be delayed. Here's our Education Correspondent, Arwyn

Jones. Last August, sunny days and happy pupils. As GCSE results came

out, they were warmly welcomed as the best performance the years. --

for years. Today, near the weather nor the results could have been more

different. Pupils who sat the exam in January have been getting their

results, but there has been disappointment all round. We are

beginning to get a flood of concern, that has spread across all parts of

Wales. It also covers different types of schools. Schools in

relatively affluent areas and also in areas of deprivation. A picture

is beginning to emerge, and it is not pretty. Any schools can put

pupils forward to have early exams, it can free up time to study other

subjects before summer. But it will be scrapped next year. At this

school, pupils have not yet got their results. Staff are releasing

them tomorrow with a letter explaining what happened. Our

results were significantly under what we expected. All our internal

data suggested they should be much better. From the children going from

the top to bottom grades, they were all two or three or even four grades

below what they were expecting. So what has gone wrong? There could be

possible answers according to the body that sets the exams. There is

now a different emphasis on what counts towards the exams. Accuracy

now accounts for 50% of the available marks for writing, whereas

it was previously contributing 30%. As a result, the proportion of

candidates getting a grade C has fallen from 23% to 5%. Were teachers

made aware of the changes? Another explanation could be more people

sitting early exams. The number taking GCSE English Language in

January has increased from an 18,000 last year to well over 22,000 this

year. The main exam board here says that schools will struggle from

changes to one course this year, so maybe the extra changes for next

year should be delayed. It has been shown from today's experience that

that is a challenge in itself, so the question is, how shown -- how

soon should be let another significant change occur? We are

still working with teachers on the current changes. The new courses are

designed to boost disappointing exam results, but the man, the worry is

that rushing to watch them too soon could do more harm than good. -- to

launch them. An extra ?4.2 million has been promised by the Welsh

Government to repair the country's battered flood defences. The money

is going directly to local authorities, on top of ?3 million

already promised. Conwy Council is to get the lion's share of the cash.

Roger Pinney reports. The tide was out when we visited this beach

today, but there is plenty of evidence that people here already

fear the next storm and high tide when it comes. There is plenty of

evidence as well of the one at the beginning of December. In this home,

floorboards are having to be replaced. Plaster has been hacked

off the walls. Coming down here, it was like a torrent, like a river,

bringing debris with it. It surrounded my house. And there are

plenty of people ready to describe what happened to them. The waves

were coming over the grass verge at the top and flooding down everywhere

it could. So how much at risk do you feel for the future? I feel very

much at risk in the future, because you do not know how much at risk you

are in the future because you do not know how much worse it could get. In

this bay, Conwy Council was to spend ?1million. With its long coast,

Conwy Council gets the biggest share of the cash. Almost ?4 million.

Neighbouring Denbighshire is in line for around 700,000, with Ceredigion

and Pembroke should receiving half a million. -- Pembroke shire. Smaller

amounts go to other councils around the Welsh coast. We have been

working closely with local authorities and national Wales since

we saw these storms since then we have understood the damage, we have

not invested into protecting homes, businesses and communities. I have

said that since the storms we are born rebel, this money will put us

back into position where we are less likely to flood. The damage caused

by the storms is not always apparent. Here on the north shore,

the beach material has been scoured away. That meet at high tide, the

water will be deeper. And deep water means the force of the next storm

will be much greater when it hits the shore. Restoring the beach will

mean restoring 1,500 tonnes of shingle. That will cost ?1.5

million. 4,500 homes will be protected. This winter 's storms and

high tides were exceptional. The damage will be repaired. It is a

short-term measure. In the long term, much more money will have to

be spent. The High Court has quashed the decision by a state-owned

savings bank to withdraw its Welsh language service, saying it was

unlawful. National Savings and Investments dropped its Welsh

service last April, saying it wasn't an effective use of public money. It

led to a legal challenge from the Welsh Language Commissioner. The

bank says it's now working to re-instate its Welsh service. The

key message is, Welsh language services are really important for

people who use those services, whether they are coming from

Westminster, or coming from Wales. And in delivering those services,

people need to have security that they are going to be there. Wales'

highest-paid council boss survived an attempt to see him ousted this

evening. Bryn Parry Jones will stay as the head of Pembrokeshire

Council, after a motion of no confidence failed. It follows the

recent scandal over pension payments made to the Chief Executive, which

were deemed unlawful by the Wales Audit Office. Gwynedd councillors

have approved a council tax increase of 3.9% for the next financial year.

The authority says it'll go towards bridging the shortfall, caused by a

reduction in government funding. Several Welsh councils have already

approved similar increases. Labour have accused the cloud Cymru MP

Jonathan Edwards of being "mean-spirited" for questioning how

Sam Warburton could captain the Welsh rugby side and describe

himself as British. Warburton - who has captained the British Lions -

made his comments on feeling British in response to remarks from England

players, suggesting some some Welsh players "hated" the English.

Let's get the weather forecast for Wales. Here's Behnaz Akghar.

It looks like spring is around the corner, and we can look forward to

some settled weather going into next week. Tomorrow, at the start but the

drier and bright afternoon. Tonight, lots of cloud around and rain

spreading from the West, with temperatures reaching two Celsius.

Then we have that ridge of high pressure building, then it will

become unsettled again for the weekend, and then high pressure

takes charge going into next week. Tomorrow, wet and windy start but

that rain band will through quickly. Across Scotland, some heavy

showers, and the show was there could be wintry across high levels.

# showers there. Good news to -- tomorrow, with

sunshine and height temperatures of 12 Celsius and the winds becoming

lighter as well. For a time tomorrow night it could be called, so

gardeners beware, a possible touch of frost. And then the wind comes

from a south-easterly direction. On Saturday, the best of the

brightness, the further east you are. Clouding over with with a of

rain. Quite blustery conditions, as well. On Sunday we will see

outbreaks of rain, but the best of the dry, bright weather, the further

inland you are. Then, things will start to settle as we go into next

week. We can look forward to sunshine and settled conditions,

certainly, it will be cold at night time. Newsnight is over on BBC Two

Wales now, talking direct to the undercover cop who says it was his

job to infiltrate and stop the Stephen Lawrence campaign. There is

more news on our website. We'll have the latest for you in Breakfast from

6:25am. That's Wales Today. From all of us here, goodnight, nos da.