01/04/2014 BBC Wales Today


01/04/2014

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Good evening. You might be disappointed with your poor GCSE

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English exam results, but there will be no regrading. That's the blunt

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message from the Education Minister tonight. Some teachers had

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complained about unexpectedly low grades. But a review by the Welsh

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Government has said, 'no one single factor' contributed to the results.

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Here's our Eucation correspondent Arwyn Jones.

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These year ten pupils will sit at their GCSE exams next year. The

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outcome today's report will affect them directly. Following the fiasco

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in the summer of 2012, a unique GCSE English language exam was offered

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only to pupils in Wales. January this year was the first time schools

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could sit those exams. At the beginning of March, the results were

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published and headteachers across the country raised concerns over the

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unexpectedly low grades. The next day, the government ordered a

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review. Schools said that the marking of the papers had been

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unduly harsh. The increase in pupils sitting the exam early might have

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been a factor above the Welsh government could have prevented

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that. Teachers also said the training on offer last year was pure

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and unhelpful although no complaints were made at the time. And the

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report found that teachers had been too generous in predicting pupils'

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grade. I've been teaching for 15 years and we have been very good at

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assessing and judging our students. We would expect them to be in a

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certain place and these results are not what we expected. Having looked

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at the papers, the papers do not add up. It does not make sense where the

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marks have been awarded. The report said the exam board should do more

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in future to provide online papers so that teachers know what is needed

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in the exams. It also said that the deadline for deciding if pupils want

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to resit in the summer should be extended to the end of April. The W

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JC says that the actions identified in the report are ones for which

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they have already sought brutal and are implementing. As the matter was

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debated today in the chamber, opposition parties turned their

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attention to the role of the Welsh government as the exam regulators

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year, overseeing these tests. I was staggered when I've read the comment

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about greater vigilance, and that the Welsh government were not aware

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of what was going on, not aware of the standards that these students

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were going to be achieving. I think every grading exercise would be a

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retreat from the agenda of rigour that we have promised to parents and

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learners and employers. In terms of the worst of -- worth of the Welsh

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GCSE. The Welsh government has made it clear that the GCSE results

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should be similar to last year but be more rigorous. Exams will be

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tougher in future of these pupils need to be prepared.

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The Swansea born MP, Nigel Evans, has accused the prosecution in his

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trial for rape and sex offences, of portraying him as a cross between

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Allen Clark, Oscar Wilde and Benny Hill. He appeared in the witness box

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at Preston Crown Court for a third day, being cross examined about nine

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allegations against seven men. Mr Evans denies all the charges against

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him. The Conservative MP, Guto Bebb, has

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accused the shadow Welsh Secretary, Owen Smith, of a U-turn over a

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proposal which could give the Welsh Government more powers over income

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tax. Mr Bebb says the policy contradicts a number of comments

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made by Mr Smith in recent weeks in which he expressed concern about

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devolving income tax. Mr Smith says Labour's position is quite clear.

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They do not accept the devolution of income tax is a priority.

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149 staff at a factory in Flintshire, which makes frozen ready

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meals, could lose their jobs. A proposal has been put forward to

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close Creative Foods on the Aber Industrial Estate. The company says

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the business may not be viable following an extensive review.

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A mother and her baby daughter who were found dead at their house could

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have been there for three weeks, an inquest has heard. Joanne Thomas was

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found in bed alongside four-month-old Harper at their home

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in Troedyrhiw, last July. The coroner recorded an open verdict,

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after hearing that, the cause of their deaths could not be found.

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Matthew Murray was in Court. Joanne and Harper Thomas' family

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were looking for answers into this tragedy but they left the coroner's

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Court today with many more questions. We have still not got any

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closure and we do not know why they died. It is a tragedy. I do not know

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how my mother is going to get over this. There must be so many

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unanswered questions. More questions than answers, unfortunately. Joanne

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was found in her bed alongside four-month-old Harper at their

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terraced home in Troedyrhiw, near Merthyr Tydfil, last July. The

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bodies could have been there for up to three weeks and had to be

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formally identified via dental records and DNA testing. The inquest

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heard how Harper had been on the "at-risk register" due to a

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relationship of Miss Thomas's but by the end of May she was removed from

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that list and placed on a lesser voluntary scheme. It was said the

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mother and daughter had moved to Troedyrhiw to start a fresh and had

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only been living there a few months. The inquest heard that concerns have

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been raised weeks before when Joanne Thomas failed to take the baby for

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injections. Social services had been called to the property three times

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but there had been no answer. Today, the family said that social services

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should have done more but the coroner said that they had acted

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accordingly. Today the inquest ruled out foul play as well as discounting

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the possibility of carbon monoxide poisoning. Joanne Thomas had a

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history of depression but the coroner also said there was no

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evidence to suggest she had taken her own life. At school Joanne

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achieved 12 straight As at GCSE and her family believed she was turning

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her life around before this tragedy. The BBC's English language

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television programming in Wales has been "eroded" in recent years,

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that's according to the BBC's Director General. Tony Hall made the

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remarks in Cardiff during a wide-ranging speech to mark BBC

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Cymru Wales' 50th anniversary. Despite BBC Wales' success, we must

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acknowledge that English-language programming for and from Wales has

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been in decline for a decade. The reduction in ITV Wales' contribution

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has played a part of the BBC's output has also been eroded. What

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does that mean for audiences? It means that inevitably there are some

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aspects of national life in Wales that are not sufficiently captured

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by the BBC's television services in Wales and a wooden clued in that

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comedy, entertainment and culture. Gwent Police officially re-opened

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seven of its stations to the public today, two years after they were

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closed to save money. The force will keep front desks open for a year so

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their use can be monitored. The area's Police and Crime Commissioner

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says it will be paid for by cutting 'overstaffed' units and dipping into

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reserves. We are able to take some money from our reserves, until we

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have done the evaluation. If it is ongoing and the stations remain

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open, because that is what the community needs, we will need to

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think about where we make savings. Let's get the weather forecast for

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Wales and it's all change. Let's get the weather

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Some rain and April showers heading our way. You may hear some rumbles

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of thunder. Some lovely sunshine today, with a high of 17 Celsius. It

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is dry at the moment, but showers will spread northwards after

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midnight. Some of them will turn heavy and sundry. In mild night than

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last night. Tomorrow, not as nice as today, breezy with thundery showers.

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And you may see some more of that dust turning up on your car. Some

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places are dry, but some of us will be hit by showers and possibly

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thundery ones. The best of the weather across south-east England

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tomorrow. Dry with lovely sunshine. 21 Celsius in London. Further west,

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rain and showers drifting north. The North of Scotland will stay dry but

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meanwhile, north-east England, dull, cold and misty. Seven Celsius in

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Newcastle. Keep the brolly handy in Wales tomorrow afternoon. Further

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showers, heavy and thundery. Dry spells mixed in. A southeasterly

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breeze mixed in. And watch out for poor air-quality tomorrow. High

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levels of pollution and Hayes coming in from the new continent.

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Especially in the south-east. -- Hayes. Thursday, some of this rain

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could be wintry. The week and looks changeable. Some rain and breezes,

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but not as warm as last weekend. Thank you. Jeremy Paxman's got

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Newsnight's over on two now, asking if house prices are now overheating.

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We're back in Breakfast with the latest news and sport from six

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tomorrow morning. That's Wales Today, thank you for watching from

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all of us on the programme, good night.

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