0:00:02 > 0:00:03BELL RINGS
0:00:03 > 0:00:06Un munud. Tri, dau, un. Off we go.
0:00:08 > 0:00:12Your school days. They are supposed to be the best days of your life.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18Electron, good. Is it a slow-moving electron or a quick-moving electron?
0:00:18 > 0:00:19'They certainly were for me.'
0:00:19 > 0:00:21It's funny, isn't it?
0:00:21 > 0:00:23It doesn't matter how many schools I go to,
0:00:23 > 0:00:26and I visit a lot in my job, you come back to your own school
0:00:26 > 0:00:28and you just feel like you're 11 years old again.
0:00:28 > 0:00:32I'm Sian Griffiths, education editor of the Sunday Times.
0:00:32 > 0:00:37And I'm visiting my old school in St Davids in Pembrokeshire.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40- Hello!- Hi!
0:00:41 > 0:00:45Lovely to see you. Looking forward to seeing her.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47This was my wonderful PE teacher,
0:00:47 > 0:00:50who put up with me in the hockey team.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53- Hello.- Bore da. Croeso. Welcome to Ysgol Dewi Sant.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57This school launched my career.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59It gave me the grades to go to Oxford
0:00:59 > 0:01:02and get two degrees in English. I was very happy here.
0:01:02 > 0:01:05And that kind of set me on my career,
0:01:05 > 0:01:08I guess, as a journalist and brought me to where I am today.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10So it is really nice to be back. Oh!
0:01:12 > 0:01:15- CROWD CHANT:- Save our school! Save our school!
0:01:17 > 0:01:21But more recently, Ysgol Dewi Sant has not had it so easy.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26After being judged a poorly performing school,
0:01:26 > 0:01:28it narrowly avoided closure.
0:01:30 > 0:01:33The school was in crisis.
0:01:33 > 0:01:37No leadership, anarchy in the staffroom.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41We couldn't allow this period of uncertainty to go on any longer.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44Good luck. Time starts now.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46The whole school sort of felt the danger,
0:01:46 > 0:01:48everybody definitely felt pressure.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52I feel more angry for the kids that really missed out
0:01:52 > 0:01:56and didn't have that opportunity.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58Save our school! Save our school!
0:01:58 > 0:02:03We were, I think, on reflection, a community
0:02:03 > 0:02:05sleepwalking to oblivion.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10What was going on in St Davids was part of a much bigger
0:02:10 > 0:02:11problem across Wales.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13For six years,
0:02:13 > 0:02:18Welsh results in international tests revealed an alarming decline.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21Schools in Wales are simply not delivering well enough
0:02:21 > 0:02:24for students at all levels of ability.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27This can only be described as a systemic failure.
0:02:29 > 0:02:32It is my job to keep an eye on how schools are performing
0:02:32 > 0:02:34right across the UK.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37In recent years, I have really noticed that
0:02:37 > 0:02:41schools in Wales are among the worst-performing in Britain.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45And not just in Britain. Internationally, too,
0:02:45 > 0:02:47they are lagging behind.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49So I want to know why.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02# It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... #
0:03:02 > 0:03:06Every Christmas, our family return to St Davids.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08This year we are staying in a luxury hotel,
0:03:08 > 0:03:12one of a chain opened by my brother, Keith.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15We have all benefited from our schooldays here.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19It's funny making this in St Davids, because we grew up here.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22In fact, we lived in a council house not very far from this hotel.
0:03:22 > 0:03:25There was a kind of mind-set in Wales, I felt,
0:03:25 > 0:03:27at the time that you...
0:03:27 > 0:03:31Education was kind of the way, not the way out but the way up.
0:03:33 > 0:03:37Keith now lives in Hong Kong and runs one of the world's leading
0:03:37 > 0:03:38architecture firms.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43In order to get out of St Davids, you needed a good education.
0:03:43 > 0:03:47Which was certainly provided for in the '70s here.
0:03:47 > 0:03:54And maybe it's not quite as high-quality an education that is
0:03:54 > 0:03:56provided for now because the rest of the world has moved ahead.
0:03:56 > 0:04:00I don't think it's that St Davids or Wales has ceased to move
0:04:00 > 0:04:03ahead or has regressed in any way whatsoever.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07It's simply that the standards of the rest of the world are going
0:04:07 > 0:04:08exponential.
0:04:08 > 0:04:09Good morning.
0:04:09 > 0:04:12'So when did education in Wales begin to change?'
0:04:12 > 0:04:15And it is a very good morning in Wales.
0:04:15 > 0:04:21Devolution in 1999 moved control of education from Westminster to Wales.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24The National Assembly was free to create its own policies,
0:04:24 > 0:04:29and this led to a major shake-up for our schools.
0:04:29 > 0:04:33Wales and England were now adopting two very different approaches
0:04:33 > 0:04:34to education.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38Wales can run things, Wales can do things, it is
0:04:38 > 0:04:40part of our maturing as a nation.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44Good evening. The critics call them divisive and of no real value.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46School league tables in Wales have been scrapped.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50What they have not done is reflected the quality of education that
0:04:50 > 0:04:52an individual school gives an individual pupil.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57Testing of 11- and 14-year-olds is to be abolished in Welsh schools.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01It will be an excellent opportunity for schools now to revert to
0:05:01 > 0:05:03assessment for teaching and learning.
0:05:07 > 0:05:11But getting rid of two measures which helped assess school
0:05:11 > 0:05:13performance would prove costly.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17International tests revealed that Wales was
0:05:17 > 0:05:19falling behind the rest of the world.
0:05:21 > 0:05:24The Pisa tests take place every three years.
0:05:24 > 0:05:2815-year-olds in 68 countries were assessed
0:05:28 > 0:05:31in maths, science and reading.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35Asian countries consistently lead the way.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39Scotland, England and Northern Ireland are in the top half.
0:05:39 > 0:05:44But in the last results, Wales was bottom of the UK class.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50It just puts Welsh kids at a massive disadvantage
0:05:50 > 0:05:53and makes me feel that they are really being short-changed by
0:05:53 > 0:05:57something that is going wrong in the education system in Wales.
0:06:01 > 0:06:05Why did Wales slip so badly between 2006 and 2012?
0:06:05 > 0:06:07What is your reading of what happened in the country?
0:06:07 > 0:06:10It is very hard to assess, you know,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13it has been perhaps a lack of attention to performance,
0:06:13 > 0:06:17acceptance of mediocrity at the level of students,
0:06:17 > 0:06:19at the level of classrooms, schools.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22So that suggests that expectations of this system were not
0:06:22 > 0:06:25as high as you might want them to be.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28So we often hear that where children are in poor areas
0:06:28 > 0:06:30and therefore we can't expect too much of them
0:06:30 > 0:06:33in terms of academic success... Do you agree with that?
0:06:33 > 0:06:36Poverty is certainly a challenge but poverty isn't destiny.
0:06:36 > 0:06:38You can see, for example, that the
0:06:38 > 0:06:4110% of the poorest children in Shanghai,
0:06:41 > 0:06:44and they come from backgrounds where parents have no education,
0:06:44 > 0:06:45where they work as construction workers,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48as immigrants in the large cities,
0:06:48 > 0:06:51those children outperform the 10% of the most privileged
0:06:51 > 0:06:52children in Wales.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55At the end of the day, these kids in Wales are going to be
0:06:55 > 0:06:59competing on a global stage for jobs, for top university places,
0:06:59 > 0:07:02with kids from across the world in a way that hasn't happened before.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03Is that what it comes down to?
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Is that why parents need to worry about these rankings?
0:07:06 > 0:07:10Well, your education system today is your economy tomorrow.
0:07:10 > 0:07:13We see that students working under high expectations typically
0:07:13 > 0:07:15do a lot better.
0:07:15 > 0:07:17Particularly students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19So it starts at the school level.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24He said very clearly that culture is set at the top,
0:07:24 > 0:07:26it comes down from the top.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28So the Welsh government, it starts with the Welsh government
0:07:28 > 0:07:31and then trickles down to the different layers,
0:07:31 > 0:07:34down to the head teacher, down to the teachers, down to the parents.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37But it starts with the politicians and their vision
0:07:37 > 0:07:39and their aspirations for a system.
0:07:44 > 0:07:49What happened with Wales in 2012, Wales has the worst-performing
0:07:49 > 0:07:50schools in the UK.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Not only does it have the worst-performing schools in the UK,
0:07:53 > 0:07:57it actually has some of the worst- performing schools across the OECD.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00- Well...- For lots of children in Wales, this is not working, is it?
0:08:00 > 0:08:05OK, the Pisa results of 2012 were a wake-up call to the entire
0:08:05 > 0:08:07system, that's the exact phrase my predecessor used
0:08:07 > 0:08:09and he was quite right to use it.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13But we have not been standing still since 2012.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16We have instituted one of the most profound reform packages,
0:08:16 > 0:08:21I think, any part of the UK has seen since the Second World War.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23What we said is, and we were very honest about it,
0:08:23 > 0:08:26that there was a taking of the eye off the ball,
0:08:26 > 0:08:28if you like, in terms of, most particularly,
0:08:28 > 0:08:33those aspects of accountability within the system.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37When league tables were removed in Wales, there was
0:08:37 > 0:08:41an issue, perhaps, about nothing taking their place in terms
0:08:41 > 0:08:45of accountability so that we had a good picture of what was happening.
0:08:45 > 0:08:50The OECD and the Pisa results called time on that
0:08:50 > 0:08:53period of educational history in Wales
0:08:53 > 0:08:55and things have changed profoundly since then.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59So we have now a very transparent set of literacy
0:08:59 > 0:09:01and numeracy tests for our young people,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04as well as the categorisation system for our schools which we are
0:09:04 > 0:09:07very proud of and we think is one of the most accurate
0:09:07 > 0:09:10measures of how a school system is performing.
0:09:13 > 0:09:17The educational landscape of Wales is changing.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20And across the country, head teachers have the
0:09:20 > 0:09:23responsibility to drive these new measures.
0:09:23 > 0:09:28In St Davids, a new head was promoted to tackle
0:09:28 > 0:09:30the problems they faced.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35It comes back, doesn't it, at the end of the day it's a great head,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39- great teachers who just keep wanting to get better?- Yes.
0:09:39 > 0:09:43Culture, ethos, high aspirations of staff,
0:09:43 > 0:09:50high expectations of children. Yeah. It's not difficult.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54Well, it is, but it's not complex in terms of what makes a school good.
0:09:54 > 0:09:58Huw Lewis talks about that in-built dynamo of improvement.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01He would like himself to make himself redundant, wouldn't he?
0:10:01 > 0:10:02Would he?!
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Course he would, in terms of being the Minister of Education,
0:10:05 > 0:10:07he doesn't want to be a busy minister,
0:10:07 > 0:10:08he would like all schools to have that
0:10:08 > 0:10:12in-built dynamo of self-improvement where we have excellent
0:10:12 > 0:10:14outcomes across the whole of Wales.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18What happens in the four walls of a classroom is what counts.
0:10:20 > 0:10:25For Hannah Daniels, the GCSE experience wasn't great.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28She was on course to fail one key subject, maths.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31The school was going downhill,
0:10:31 > 0:10:34the maths department was probably one of the worst hit.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39She ended up, I think, having five or six different teachers in one
0:10:39 > 0:10:43year and she is an intelligent girl but she was failing dramatically.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48Our new headmaster now, he completely turned it all around.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50He actually employed an extra teacher
0:10:50 > 0:10:52and he believed in all of us,
0:10:52 > 0:10:56he thought that it was ridiculous that we weren't getting Cs.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00And actually, I went from a U to a C in one term.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05It's amazing the cultural changes that a headmaster can make
0:11:05 > 0:11:09and the ability, you know, for teachers to feel...
0:11:09 > 0:11:14empowered, energised, um... motivated...
0:11:14 > 0:11:16All those things.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18What type of ferns are they?
0:11:18 > 0:11:21'Thank goodness that she had that experience.'
0:11:21 > 0:11:23At least she knows she can do maths now.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31Cool. OK, so that's text A then, OK? So, if you now...
0:11:31 > 0:11:34In 2013, the Welsh Government introduced
0:11:34 > 0:11:37numeracy and literacy assessments.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41Every year, pupils aged five to 14
0:11:41 > 0:11:44are scored for their maths and language skills.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47Teachers now prepare students for these measures
0:11:47 > 0:11:48as well as their exams.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52There's more of an emphasis now on them being pushed
0:11:52 > 0:11:55and every student within the school reaching their ability.
0:11:55 > 0:11:57And what things are we analysing then and how?
0:11:57 > 0:11:58We're looking at the writer's...
0:11:58 > 0:12:01'It's a continual progress, really, from the top to the bottom.'
0:12:01 > 0:12:03Technique, superb. The writer's technique.
0:12:03 > 0:12:04How's he created that meaning?
0:12:04 > 0:12:06'It comes from the top first, doesn't it?'
0:12:06 > 0:12:08Then obviously the Welsh Government...
0:12:08 > 0:12:10They're pushing a lot more than what they used to do,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13and then the county is pushing us, pushing the head,
0:12:13 > 0:12:14head teachers then, it's feeding down.
0:12:14 > 0:12:16- ..inspection, isn't it? - Mm-hm, yeah. So, yeah.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18We'll start off with the self-evaluation.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20So, we've kind of started off with...
0:12:20 > 0:12:21I think that full literacy...
0:12:21 > 0:12:26'Today, St Davids is being ranked under another new initiative -
0:12:26 > 0:12:27'categorisation.
0:12:27 > 0:12:30'It's supposed to drive up standards
0:12:30 > 0:12:32'and help parents see how well'
0:12:32 > 0:12:36or badly their schools are performing.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38Each school must provide information,
0:12:38 > 0:12:42like pupil attendance and exam results.
0:12:42 > 0:12:44They are then given a colour rating,
0:12:44 > 0:12:46green at the top and red at the bottom,
0:12:46 > 0:12:50which indicates the level of support the school needs.
0:12:50 > 0:12:54Last year, only 30 secondary schools were awarded a green.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58And a couple of years ago, St Davids was given a red.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02That's where we are with literacy. It's really promising and I think it's cos we've come a long way,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04and there's still some way to go as well.
0:13:04 > 0:13:05I think...
0:13:07 > 0:13:13OK, so I'm looking at this website called My Local School
0:13:13 > 0:13:16and I'm trying to find out some information about my old school -
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Ysgol Dewi Sant - and whether it's a school I'd want to send
0:13:18 > 0:13:20my kids to if I lived locally.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22But it hasn't got the kind of information I'd find
0:13:22 > 0:13:24if I was looking...
0:13:24 > 0:13:25for a school in England.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27In England, I could pull up a school
0:13:27 > 0:13:30and find out its position on a kind of league-table ranking,
0:13:30 > 0:13:33how it compares against... all the other schools in England.
0:13:33 > 0:13:36Is it first? Is it 25th? Is it 397th?
0:13:36 > 0:13:38I can't seem to do that here.
0:13:40 > 0:13:41What it does say
0:13:41 > 0:13:45is that St Davids was last judged to be a yellow school.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49But might the new assessment turn them green?
0:13:50 > 0:13:56OK, so, I've just come out of a meeting of the assessment board.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58And they had quite a young team in there
0:13:58 > 0:14:01presenting a lot of evidence about what
0:14:01 > 0:14:03they were doing to improve children's reading,
0:14:03 > 0:14:05writing and maths skills.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09And I think the assessor was quite impressed, but I think we're going
0:14:09 > 0:14:12to have to go back later on to see if they actually have done enough.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14So I hope they have.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23There's one measure that many hail as the key to success in England
0:14:23 > 0:14:26but which Wales continues to resist.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29The introduction of academy schools.
0:14:29 > 0:14:31And to see one of the best in action,
0:14:31 > 0:14:33I've come to Mossbourne Community Academy
0:14:33 > 0:14:35in the London borough of Hackney.
0:14:35 > 0:14:40Strict code on school uniform, clear sanctions for rule-breaking
0:14:40 > 0:14:44and daily line-ups in the school yard are part of what makes
0:14:44 > 0:14:47Mossbourne one of the best-performing schools in England.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50I was completely shocked when I first came here,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53a little bit in awe and wondering what was going on.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55But at the same time, I can see that it works.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59If you have a uniform, enforce a uniform.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02I don't like going to schools where the top button is undone,
0:15:02 > 0:15:03the shirt's not tucked in.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06You have a uniform policy, follow it. It's very simple.
0:15:06 > 0:15:10The line-ups... Yeah, they work. It's a method.
0:15:10 > 0:15:11It's not the only way,
0:15:11 > 0:15:14but it's a method used in Mossbourne Academy that works.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19An academy really is a private school in the state sector,
0:15:19 > 0:15:21and the biggest thing about academies is
0:15:21 > 0:15:23you have freedom over your budget
0:15:23 > 0:15:27and you also get the delegated monies that would have gone to
0:15:27 > 0:15:31the local authority into your budget to buy those services as you wish.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35So, the budget for this school is approximately £11.5 million.
0:15:35 > 0:15:38And you are the person who decides how that is spent?
0:15:38 > 0:15:42I decide that with the strategic vision of my governing body,
0:15:42 > 0:15:45but then I'm ultimately accountable for how that money is spent, yes.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48And why is that better than having the local authority...
0:15:49 > 0:15:53..in control of that money and passing some of it on to you?
0:15:53 > 0:15:54Because I can decide, for example,
0:15:54 > 0:15:56instead of somebody else deciding how
0:15:56 > 0:15:58they think that money should be spent,
0:15:58 > 0:16:00or a portion of that money should be spent, I can decide
0:16:00 > 0:16:04if THIS particular school needs that money spent in that way.
0:16:04 > 0:16:09- Mm-hm.- So, for example, if I am able to save money on the way WE do HR
0:16:09 > 0:16:13and finance, I can put that money more into the front line
0:16:13 > 0:16:16and not having it sent off to the local authority.
0:16:16 > 0:16:19And by the front line, I mean I can pay for better teachers.
0:16:19 > 0:16:23- And you do, don't you? Tell me how that works.- Yeah, so we have...
0:16:23 > 0:16:27We call it the Mossbourne Allowance and we pay people on the main scale
0:16:27 > 0:16:31£1,600 more than they would get in another school.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34I think the fundamental thing is we are like a business,
0:16:34 > 0:16:37we go out and deliberately seek trainees.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40We deliberately go out to find the best people to train,
0:16:40 > 0:16:43we train them with us, and then they have a career with us.
0:16:43 > 0:16:49I aspire to maintain an inquiring mind,
0:16:49 > 0:16:53a calm disposition and an attentive ear,
0:16:53 > 0:16:57so that in this class and all classes,
0:16:57 > 0:16:59I can fulfil my true potential.
0:16:59 > 0:17:00OK.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06Three, two, one.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08OK. I want us to look...
0:17:10 > 0:17:12..at this scene once more.
0:17:12 > 0:17:14The kissing scene.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17Mossbourne attracts the brightest graduates from the best universities
0:17:17 > 0:17:20and helps train them on the job.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22The school's first principal
0:17:22 > 0:17:24is a firm believer in the academy system
0:17:24 > 0:17:28and will be keeping a close eye on its expansion across England
0:17:28 > 0:17:30over the coming years.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34You're in favour of moving power from the town hall,
0:17:34 > 0:17:37from the local council to the school, to the head teacher...
0:17:37 > 0:17:39Well, yeah. Bureaucracies do not improve schools,
0:17:39 > 0:17:44people sitting behind desks in the town hall do not improve schools.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46It is people in the school
0:17:46 > 0:17:49who improve schools, so why not give them
0:17:49 > 0:17:54the necessary tools to deliver better outcomes for children?
0:17:54 > 0:17:58And that's what the English system has done over the last few years,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01and I think it is working and it's something, I think,
0:18:01 > 0:18:06the Welsh system should try to replicate.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09One of the things that England has done to try
0:18:09 > 0:18:12- and improve standards is to turn schools into academies...- Mm.
0:18:12 > 0:18:15That's not something that you've done in Wales.
0:18:15 > 0:18:17You very carefully, very deliberately,
0:18:17 > 0:18:20have not gone down the academy route.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Why are you not prepared to consider that as an idea?
0:18:23 > 0:18:27Well, the House of Commons Select Committee themselves
0:18:27 > 0:18:30have said that there is no convincing evidence of academisation
0:18:30 > 0:18:33as being something that drives school standards.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37In other words, changing structures does not of itself raise standards in schools.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39And I come back to my original point,
0:18:39 > 0:18:43it's the level of professionalism of the teacher in the room
0:18:43 > 0:18:45that is really the key driver.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49The second point I'd make is that the highest-performing
0:18:49 > 0:18:53school system in the UK doesn't happen to be in England and doesn't
0:18:53 > 0:18:58feature academies at all, it happens to be in Scotland.
0:18:58 > 0:19:02So, you can ask this question of the minister in England.
0:19:02 > 0:19:06"Why have you chosen to go down the path of moving
0:19:06 > 0:19:08"away from a community comprehensive model,
0:19:08 > 0:19:12"when clearly the highest-attaining model of education in the UK
0:19:12 > 0:19:15"is a community comprehensive model?"
0:19:15 > 0:19:18What you're talking about, really, is administrative autonomy,
0:19:18 > 0:19:22teachers...head teachers being free to be more powerful administrators.
0:19:22 > 0:19:26- Yeah.- What I want our head teachers to be are leaders in terms
0:19:26 > 0:19:29- of the quality of teaching and learning in the classroom.- Yes.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32I want them to concentrate on that, not on school budgets,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35necessarily, and not on the degree of independence
0:19:35 > 0:19:38they might have in terms of paying for school transport.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47In the Cynon Valley, a new super school has been built,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49within the Welsh system.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Aberdare Community School merged three comprehensives,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56two of which were performing poorly,
0:19:56 > 0:20:00into a brand-new purpose-built school.
0:20:00 > 0:20:05Head teacher Sue Davies is in charge of this £50 million site.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11You know, I came in at flatpack version of the school, when we were
0:20:11 > 0:20:14just a picture, you know, on a page, if you like, with the architects...
0:20:14 > 0:20:16- Mm.- And I insisted
0:20:16 > 0:20:19on seeing everybody teach, and if they wanted to be
0:20:19 > 0:20:23a part of our school, they had to be excellent classroom practitioners.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25In England, they've got this system, you know,
0:20:25 > 0:20:27- the academy system, where you get given a budget...- Mm, mm.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29..and they have powers to hire and fire staff,
0:20:29 > 0:20:31- they have powers to lengthen the school day.- Mm.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Would you like that kind of autonomy as a head?
0:20:34 > 0:20:38I think, if I'm honest, within this authority, no, I wouldn't want that.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40I feel we are supported by the authority, I think
0:20:40 > 0:20:44it's dynamic, I think it has a vision, and I think...
0:20:44 > 0:20:47You know, it has a vision with teeth, I suppose,
0:20:47 > 0:20:48is the best description.
0:20:48 > 0:20:53They stick to the vision. I like the system we've got.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58I've been invited to take part in the new teaching scheme.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00In one English class, they are studying Oliver Twist.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02..start us off on the video, Mr Heath,
0:21:02 > 0:21:04and we'll have a look at exactly where we go.
0:21:04 > 0:21:05Oh, just pause there, Mr Heath.
0:21:05 > 0:21:08This, ladies and gentlemen, is Miss Griffiths.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10- Just missed us, Miss Griffiths, with our...- I'm so sorry.
0:21:10 > 0:21:12# All we ever get is gruel... #
0:21:12 > 0:21:15It would have been perfect if you'd come in then, because you
0:21:15 > 0:21:17could have marched your way in and popped
0:21:17 > 0:21:18yourself down in your seat at the back.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21I shall pop myself down in my seat at the back. Thank you.
0:21:21 > 0:21:22And we've already...
0:21:22 > 0:21:26Teach First Cymru is designed to draw the brightest graduates
0:21:26 > 0:21:30into Welsh classrooms with six weeks' intensive training.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33"Of this festive composition,
0:21:33 > 0:21:35"the boys had one porringer and no more..."
0:21:35 > 0:21:38"..with the view of catching up any stray splashes of gruel
0:21:38 > 0:21:40"that might have been cast thereon."
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Who do you like best, Pip or Oliver?
0:21:43 > 0:21:46- Oliver.- Yeah? Why do you like Oliver best?- He can stand up for himself.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50Cos he stands up for himself? Pip doesn't stand up for himself?
0:21:50 > 0:21:52CHILDREN CHATTER
0:21:52 > 0:21:54Three graduates from top universities have been
0:21:54 > 0:21:56brought into the school.
0:21:56 > 0:22:00Levi Baynham got a first in maths from Cardiff University.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Presumably, you don't feel at all worried that you could get A grades
0:22:05 > 0:22:07for your students because you got A grades yourself
0:22:07 > 0:22:10- so you know exactly... - They love that. Students love that.
0:22:10 > 0:22:12They want to know what you had in your GCSE.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14"What did you have in A levels? What did you have at uni?"
0:22:14 > 0:22:18They're like, "Wow. It's crazy. You couldn't have had that."
0:22:18 > 0:22:19Yeah, I did.
0:22:19 > 0:22:21And do you think that they think,
0:22:21 > 0:22:23- "If miss can do that, I can do that"?- Yeah.
0:22:23 > 0:22:25"How is that possible?" I'm like, "It is."
0:22:25 > 0:22:28I worked hard and they see that.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30I think the fact that we've got high-flyers coming in
0:22:30 > 0:22:31is really important -
0:22:31 > 0:22:35you know, we've got an Oxbridge graduate with us now -
0:22:35 > 0:22:37and I think they act as amazing role models
0:22:37 > 0:22:40and they can talk to children
0:22:40 > 0:22:42about the experience at Oxford or Cambridge
0:22:42 > 0:22:44and they can talk to them about how to get there,
0:22:44 > 0:22:47and I think that's powerful for our children.
0:22:47 > 0:22:48Thank you very much.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50I appreciate you dressing up for me this morning.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53You can take your seat as normal.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55What about this next bit? The green bit?
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Well, that was really interesting, actually,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06and it kind of made me realise that, actually,
0:23:06 > 0:23:08teaching's a lot more difficult than I thought.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11It's really hard. It's really hard to get kids engaged
0:23:11 > 0:23:14in a half-hour lesson in a complicated and difficult piece
0:23:14 > 0:23:17of literature that they have to understand.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20It's kind of like, yeah, a lot of credit to teachers, really,
0:23:20 > 0:23:24for doing that and teachers who do it well. I think it's a real gift.
0:23:26 > 0:23:29One pupil, suspended in her old school,
0:23:29 > 0:23:32has here been made head girl.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34I came here, I was given a second chance here,
0:23:34 > 0:23:37which I am really grateful for, because a lot of schools
0:23:37 > 0:23:39wouldn't have accepted me
0:23:39 > 0:23:43so, when I came here, it was just the opportunity I needed, really,
0:23:43 > 0:23:46and I took it and then I'm head girl, so...
0:23:46 > 0:23:48I was surrounded by people who wanted to achieve
0:23:48 > 0:23:50and that was the best thing about it.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54I was surrounded by people who wanted to get somewhere in life
0:23:54 > 0:23:58and it's really made me think I want the same.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01I sincerely believe that any child who comes through my gate
0:24:01 > 0:24:03should have the opportunity to reach for the stars,
0:24:03 > 0:24:05and that's one of our mantras.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07It's about giving them that goal
0:24:07 > 0:24:11and making them really value their own education.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14But, over the border, there's still a perception
0:24:14 > 0:24:17that Wales is slow to replace its teachers.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19So I've got the question on the board.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22Who'd like to come up and show us what we can do?
0:24:22 > 0:24:25I'd love to go home and teach in Wales,
0:24:25 > 0:24:27but the fact is the positions aren't coming up
0:24:27 > 0:24:30because maybe you've got too many people
0:24:30 > 0:24:32seeing out the ends of their career.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35We know that cystic fibrosis is a recessive condition.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38That's what really frustrates me,
0:24:38 > 0:24:42because I think there are so many young people
0:24:42 > 0:24:45who would love to go to work in their hometown,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48would go to work in Wales, just like I would love to go and work
0:24:48 > 0:24:51in Llanelli or Swansea and educate there, but I can't
0:24:51 > 0:24:52because there's no jobs there
0:24:52 > 0:24:54because people are seeing out their careers.
0:24:54 > 0:24:57As part of our research, we talked to a young teacher
0:24:57 > 0:25:00in one of the most successful schools in England.
0:25:00 > 0:25:03He's a Welsh boy from Llanelli.
0:25:03 > 0:25:04He'd love to come back to Wales and teach
0:25:04 > 0:25:07but what he said to us was that there is a level,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09a layer of teachers in Wales
0:25:09 > 0:25:12who are just sitting in their jobs waiting for retirement.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16Well, this isn't about getting rid of individuals.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19It's about getting rid of negative attitudes
0:25:19 > 0:25:21and I'm sorry that your...
0:25:23 > 0:25:27The story that was related to you by that individual
0:25:27 > 0:25:29does seem to be a very negative one
0:25:29 > 0:25:33and I would encourage that person to maybe come back to Wales
0:25:33 > 0:25:35and take a look at what's going on here,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38because something very profound is happening,
0:25:38 > 0:25:40something that has never happened before,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43and it is about the remaking of the teaching profession.
0:25:48 > 0:25:53A range of new measures, including teacher training and the curriculum,
0:25:53 > 0:25:56are about driving standards up,
0:25:56 > 0:25:59which should help Wales in the next round of Pisa assessments.
0:26:01 > 0:26:0515-year-olds across the world have already taken the latest tests
0:26:05 > 0:26:08and the results are due later this year
0:26:08 > 0:26:09but, in Welsh schools,
0:26:09 > 0:26:13there are still mixed feelings about the value of Pisa.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17For me, if I'm perfectly honest,
0:26:17 > 0:26:21it's about making sure that I prepare children as well as I can
0:26:21 > 0:26:26for their English GCSEs, their maths GCSEs and all their subjects
0:26:26 > 0:26:30and give them a learning pathway that is suitable to them
0:26:30 > 0:26:31and gives them the best outcome.
0:26:31 > 0:26:37Now, maybe that's naive but, if along the way Pisa results go up,
0:26:37 > 0:26:38that's great.
0:26:38 > 0:26:40Good.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43So the charge is +2, the master's 4.
0:26:43 > 0:26:47It's a view shared by St Davids' head of science.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50Pisa testing is a waste of time.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54It's on a test that is not prepared for
0:26:54 > 0:26:57so we don't do any revision, any preparation for it.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00We don't get the grades back. The students don't get the grades back.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02They actually get pulled from lessons
0:27:02 > 0:27:05where they are learning things that affect their future.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08Something that quick, is something that quick going to be a particle?
0:27:08 > 0:27:12- No.- So it must be a...- Wave.- A wave.
0:27:12 > 0:27:14I will happily take it seriously
0:27:14 > 0:27:18if it's going to affect my students' futures.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21But that's the point. It is going to affect your students' futures,
0:27:21 > 0:27:24because your students are going to be competing against students
0:27:24 > 0:27:27from Shanghai or Poland or South Korea for jobs
0:27:27 > 0:27:29- in this global economy that we all live in.- They will.
0:27:29 > 0:27:32If you don't take this test seriously,
0:27:32 > 0:27:34your students won't take it seriously.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37"International rankings, who cares? They don't matter." But they do.
0:27:37 > 0:27:39I didn't say international rankings don't matter.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42I said the Pisa test doesn't matter. I'm not happy with the Pisa test.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46If you want to have an international test, that's fine,
0:27:46 > 0:27:49and my students are competing for jobs worldwide in the economy,
0:27:49 > 0:27:54I agree, and they get that by doing the GCSEs, A levels, universities.
0:27:54 > 0:27:56Our universities are some of the best in the world.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58Our students go to them.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01That's where they learn how to become a citizen of the world.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04The Pisa test is on content that some people have studied,
0:28:04 > 0:28:06some people haven't.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08It's invariable that, if we haven't studied the content,
0:28:08 > 0:28:10our students will not do as well.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12- You're talking just in science. - Just in science.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15Give me the grades. If Pisa's so important,
0:28:15 > 0:28:17how come I will not actually find out
0:28:17 > 0:28:19how my individual students did?
0:28:19 > 0:28:21As a parent, if I said to you,
0:28:21 > 0:28:23"I'm going to prepare your child for the next two weeks for a test,
0:28:23 > 0:28:25"they won't get the score back,
0:28:25 > 0:28:27"you'll never find out how well they did,
0:28:27 > 0:28:29"but, sorry, they won't be preparing for their maths exam
0:28:29 > 0:28:31"while they're doing this," how would you feel?
0:28:33 > 0:28:37For me, the Pisa tests really do matter.
0:28:37 > 0:28:41Governments and businesses from all over the world take them seriously.
0:28:43 > 0:28:47But, today in St Davids, there's another important judgment,
0:28:47 > 0:28:51the results of their latest categorisation assessment.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53Hey! How did it go, David?
0:28:53 > 0:28:56Well, it's been a busy day and thanks for coming here
0:28:56 > 0:28:59on the day that we've been on our categorisation
0:28:59 > 0:29:02and challenge and support meeting.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05Yes, we have had lots of the leadership team coming in,
0:29:05 > 0:29:09giving presentations on where we believe we are
0:29:09 > 0:29:13in terms of progress against our self-evaluation report
0:29:13 > 0:29:17and our school development plan and what we're hoping to become,
0:29:17 > 0:29:21and I'm delighted that we've been categorised as a yellow school.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24- But you were a yellow school before. - We were a yellow school last year.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26We were a red school the year before.
0:29:26 > 0:29:29The feedback was positive today from Aero? You're still progressing?
0:29:29 > 0:29:31- Absolutely.- You've improved since last year?
0:29:31 > 0:29:34It's a really strong partnership with Aero.
0:29:34 > 0:29:35They are our colleagues.
0:29:35 > 0:29:38They offer another set of eyes on how things are progressing
0:29:38 > 0:29:40within the school.
0:29:40 > 0:29:42We were in total agreement
0:29:42 > 0:29:45and we believe that working closely over the next year
0:29:45 > 0:29:47with ten days' additional support
0:29:47 > 0:29:49will help us improve standards further.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57Does another yellow constitute progress?
0:29:57 > 0:30:00I'm not sure if the new categorisation system
0:30:00 > 0:30:02makes this totally clear
0:30:02 > 0:30:07or whether parents will be able to understand exactly what it means.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09I don't know if you remember, this time last year,
0:30:09 > 0:30:11I turned to St David and said,
0:30:11 > 0:30:14"Come on out, St David, help us out."
0:30:14 > 0:30:16Well, I think he's answered our prayers.
0:30:16 > 0:30:18As another year draws to a close,
0:30:18 > 0:30:22there's no doubt about the school's renewed optimism,
0:30:22 > 0:30:25but, for others, wider concerns remain.
0:30:25 > 0:30:28I'm not an expert on the performance of Welsh schools
0:30:28 > 0:30:33but what we mustn't see in the UK is a growing divergence in performance
0:30:33 > 0:30:37between the constituent parts of the UK.
0:30:37 > 0:30:41I'm of the view that the English education is moving ahead quickly
0:30:41 > 0:30:44for the reasons we've just been through.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46It's really now up to the Welsh government
0:30:46 > 0:30:48to look at its own performance
0:30:48 > 0:30:51and ensure that it matches the performance in England.
0:30:51 > 0:30:56So all eyes are now on the next Pisa results due out in December.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59Can Wales make significant improvement?
0:30:59 > 0:31:02It's certainly possible. Is it likely?
0:31:02 > 0:31:04You know, that depends really whether the kind of policies
0:31:04 > 0:31:09and initiatives that Wales put in place are successfully implemented.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12There have been a lot of good ideas put on the table.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15I think the test of truth is whether those things
0:31:15 > 0:31:19are actually put effectively into practice.
0:31:19 > 0:31:21It seems to me a lot rests
0:31:21 > 0:31:23on whether Wales does improve its Pisa score.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28So, if the schools don't come up to this 500-point score in December,
0:31:28 > 0:31:31you won't be stepping down? You'll stay in your job?
0:31:31 > 0:31:33I'd be very disappointed. I'll be very disappointed
0:31:33 > 0:31:37but I'm absolutely confident that we will see an uplift
0:31:37 > 0:31:39in terms of Wales's Pisa scores
0:31:39 > 0:31:41and all the other measures, as well,
0:31:41 > 0:31:46that show that a system has momentum, has forward momentum,
0:31:46 > 0:31:50and the evidence is undeniable that that has been happening
0:31:50 > 0:31:53over the last few years here in Wales.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55A few weeks after this interview,
0:31:55 > 0:31:58Huw Lewis announced he will not be standing for re-election
0:31:58 > 0:32:00as an Assembly Member.
0:32:00 > 0:32:04A new person will succeed him as Education Minister
0:32:04 > 0:32:06and they will face the same challenge -
0:32:06 > 0:32:08to make a Welsh education system
0:32:08 > 0:32:12that can compete with the rest of the world.
0:32:12 > 0:32:14Thank you, students. Have a brilliant holiday.
0:32:14 > 0:32:16You deserve it.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19You're allowed a couple of days off, Christmas Day, Boxing Day.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22Don't forget you've got exams when you come back, all right,
0:32:22 > 0:32:23so make sure you revise.
0:32:23 > 0:32:25OK.
0:32:25 > 0:32:26APPLAUSE
0:32:30 > 0:32:33Is it really enough in today's age
0:32:33 > 0:32:37when this generation of kids is going to face a world
0:32:37 > 0:32:40that is more ferociously competitive when it comes to getting a job
0:32:40 > 0:32:43than probably any other in history?
0:32:43 > 0:32:47Don't we want our schools to be academically excellent,
0:32:47 > 0:32:52places where our kids can really achieve the best that they can do?
0:32:54 > 0:32:57Children do only get one chance at an education
0:32:57 > 0:33:00and we, all of us, have a responsibility to make that
0:33:00 > 0:33:02the best that it possibly can be.