03/12/2013 BBC Wales Today

BBC weather website. That is it all from the BBC's News at Six.

Welcome to Wales Today. Our top story: School pupils here score

below average in reading, maths and science, compared to their

counterparts in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It's a major

embarrassment to Labour, who have been in charge of education for over

a decade. I think there are questions that surround seeking our

eye off the ball with regard to literacy and numeracy. Tonight,

successive education ministers, parents and teachers have some

serious soul searching over years of wasted opportunity in education.

Civil servants maybe didn't do their part and they were some rather

average ministers that probably didn't help. It is not just schools,

it is really everybody and it needs to be everybody that puts things

right. We will be hearing from politicians and teachers about

what's wrong and how we fix it. Our other headlines tonight: A

mother of a three-year-old boy tells us why she fears she could lose her

son in a tug of love. And it was the pride of this church

in the Conwy Valley. A 500-year-old Bible is stolen.

Good evening. An international study shows 15-year-old pupils in Wales

are now three quarters of a year behind the rest of the UK in maths,

reading and science. Although the scores for Wales in the PISA tests

are similar to the results in 2010, other countries have performed

better. In all, 68 countries took part in the tests. Wales is now

ranked 43rd in maths when it's compared with England, Scotland,

Northern Ireland and other countries. A higher score for

reading this time. We are now 41st. And for science, we are joint 36th.

We'll get all the political reaction to today's disappointing results, as

well as the long term implication for jobs here. First, here's our

Education Correspondent, Arwyn Jones.

Science lessons at their school in Bangalore. If only there was a

former lover improving -- if only there was a way of improving our

results. There are very regular changes and unfortunately the

government wants to find quick fixes to problems and it never really

allows sufficient time for new policies to bed down. They are very

often not planned and they don't appreciate the consequences on the

classroom floor. These results will be disappointing for the Welsh

Government. Each country is given a score. Wales stayed pretty much the

same but other countries have raced ahead. So our position of 43rd in

maths is done from 40th in 2010. In reading despite our school going up

the ranking went down to 41st. It was 38th in 2010. Science is our

strongest subject but we have slipped down to 36 compared to 33 is

ago. You are seeing the legacy of the opening decade of devolution

where you had our school starved of cash, there was policy drift and no

focus and the chickens have come home to roost. Having said that, two

of three years ago, we had a wake-up call and we are putting things in

place to remedy the situation. On maths, our rankings show how far

Wales is behind with Scotland topping the home nations. We don't

fear any better in the reading tests. Scotland once again are on

top. In science the score for Wales was higher but our ranking is still

a long way behind other UK countries. These parents, the news

did not go down well. -- for these parents. I am worried. It takes time

for policies to come into place. If we get further and further behind it

does not look good for Welsh education. Frightening. The

politicians are to blame. They are cutting back on everything. But our

scores were so far below the rest of the UK, it is a concern for the head

of PISA. The results are similar to what they were last time. Wales

lagged behind other parts of the UK and it is significant. At the same

time, many of the steps that have been taken in recent years cannot

possibly be reflected in the -- the results in 2012. It takes time for

actions to come to fruition. Finland were 12 in maths, fifth in reading

and sixth in science. But it was countries like Shanghai, Singapore

and Hong Kong who top the International league. Pupils here

work long hours in school and get great results. But there are

concerns about piling on so much pressure on the instead. But what

can we learn from them? Teachers in Penarth recently visited Shanghai to

see what could be learnt from the world's best. We learnt how focused

the students are in Shanghai. They spend long periods of time when they

are very concentrated. The teachers deliver a lesson and the pupils at

expected to focus the longer than they would in the UK. The Welsh

Government had pinned a lot of hope on climbing at the PISA tables but

on the basis of today's results, there is still a lot more work to be

done. Well, the man in charge of education

in Wales is the minister Huw Lewis. He's been giving his reaction to

today's PISA results. Arwyn Jones asked him whether the results are a

fair reflection on the standard of education in Wales. These are

disappointing results but they come as no surprise really. I have made

that clear to everyone. We all need to be concerned and that is a

challenge for everybody in the educational system in Wales.

Everyone needs to take a good long look in the mirror and recognise the

challenges for them as well as the people around them. This is what we

heard three years ago from your predecessor who said it was alarming

and a change was necessary. But three years on, nothing has changed.

We have reform programmes but we were clear that time that these

sorts of reforms take time to have traction within the system. Labour

education Minister -- ministers have been in power since 1999. We have

heard from teaching unions today. They say not enough... My apologies

for the technical issues on that report.

The Education Minister, Huw Lewis, speaking to our correspondent, Arwyn

Jones. Well, the PISA results have dominated debates at the Senedd

today. Our Political Editor, Nick Servini, is there for us.

The anti-was always known to be high on this one. This is the last set of

PISA results before the next assembly elections. It is always a

political background and the 15-year-olds that have been tested

at the first-generation going into their GCSEs that have had their into

higher education system and a devolved Labour administration. So

there was always going to be plenty of pressure on this subject and that

was reflected in many of the debates today.

Labour ministers from Jane Davidson to Jane Hutt to Leighton Andrews

have been running education in Wales for 14 years. Today's PISA results

indicate the country has failed to keep up with the rest of the UK but

the results don't show why. There are many theories from the abolition

of school tests and league tables to a weakness in the way that policies

are implemented on the ground. In a tense first Minister 's questions,

opposition leaders went on the attack. It is quite shameful that on

a day when we have had more damning evidence of educational failure

under Labour, you cannot show any humility for the people of Wales who

have depended on education as a route out of poverty and a route to

good jobs and above all developing an economy fit for the 21st-century.

Today you have delivered the worst set of PISA results in western

Europe. Are you now going to take full responsibility for those

results? As a Labour Assembly Member for 14 years and the Cabinet member

to 13 years and now as the first and serve our nation, are you not

ashamed? No. Complacent, complacent, complacent. Carwyn Jones responded

by challenging the opposition to come up with alternative policies of

their own. They have quite rightly held me to account. It is my

responsibility to explain to the people of Wales what we're doing to

improve results in the future. But it is also a responsibility for the

opposition parties to outline what they would do differently and not

once have we heard a suggestion as to how things would be done

differently. The first Minister said none of the results across Britain

were particularly good but it didn't stop the UK Government highlighting

Wales as the poorest performer. The Welsh Labour government chose to

abandon league tables, abandon external accountability and the

current administration is not matching our commitment to spending

in schools. The conclusion we can draw from this is if you want to

know what our education system would be like if the country were

foolishly to vote Labour at the next election, you need only look to

Wales to see a country going backwards. The coalition government

already criticises the government over its record in the NHS and no

education will join the list. So how bad is this for the Labour

run Welsh Government? This is the last set of PISA results before the

next assembly elections so whenever the education system is mentioned

here you can guarantee the opposition parties will roll out

these figures and refer to them. The danger for the Welsh Government is

it has a resonance with parents and grandparents that are going to care

passionately about the state of the education system. An interesting

point that came today from Plaid Cymru was a comparison with the

system in Scotland which has many of the same social economic problems

that parts of Wales has and yet it has performed better. In terms of

the perspective of the Welsh Government, Carwyn Jones said today

that while the figures are disappointing it is not show the

entire Welsh education system is in crisis and he also pointed to some

of the reforms that were introduced by the former education minister to

bring in things like numeracy tests and school banding. So it will

really come down to how those tests take effect and whether they can

continue and live up to this aim of getting into the top 20 of the PISA

test results when those results are made in 2015. It is a big challenge.

Business leaders say the poor performance in the PISA results must

be a "wake-up call". CBI Wales say it's unacceptable that we've slipped

so far behind other countries. Here's our business correspondent,

Brian Meechan. ?6 billion of trade deals have been

unveiled during the Prime Minister's visit to China and it's

no coincidence that the economic powerhouse is also leading the way

in the PISA tables. By 2016 PISA, unless we have moved up the league

tables so business people think it is worthwhile to come here, we will

frankly cease to exist as a major industrial society. The importance

of skills to boost Welsh companies in international marketplaces is a

lesson they don't need to learn here near Cardiff. This manufacturer

produces enzymes to improve food shelf life and enhance flavour. For

many of our positions, we recruited locally. Lab technicians and

production technicians. When we come up to scientists and commercial

people, we do actually recruit internationally. We have two

Spanish, three Irish, an Indian and many people from Wales. This

employer set up a training company in the depths of the recession in

2008 and has had recruitment prop -- problems. We have had applicants

from people who do not have the skills. We are good at providing

skills. Fixed training goes into businesses to improve skills

including nearly as likely to and numeracy. Much of the funding comes

from the European Union and the Welsh Government. Business leaders

say businesses should not have too paid for a shortage of basic

indication or maths skills. The reality is, people come from

different perspectives and they might have a different experiences.

Business leaders say that tackling the basic skills problems of today

can lead to higher skilled jobs for the future. That issue may be being

addressed but it will take a long time to see the benefits.

Much more to come before 7pm. It was the pride of this church but a

500-year-old Bible has been stolen. The mother of a three-year-old boy

from Bala, whose been ordered to return to Italy with her child after

a custody battle, says she fears her son will be taken into care if she

returns. Paula Reynolds decided to return to Wales in September. But

taking her son out of Italy breached child abduction laws and a British

judge has told her she must go back. Caroline Evans reports.

Precious moments in front of the TV with her little boy. Paula Reynolds

has been told she must get on a plane on Monday morning but she's

frantic about what might happen if they go back. I am absolutely

terrified because nobody can reassure me that I won't be arrested

at the other end. I am terrified he could be put into these state run

institutions. I have lived with the threat the two years and nobody can

assure me it will not happen. I am petrified. She says despite the

court here accepting her ex-husband's assurances that he

won't seek to have her son removed from her, she fears the legal system

in Italy may not enforce those undertakings. Her MP plans to raise

her case in Parliament tomorrow. If what I am told is correct, that she

will have to go back on Monday and she is likely to be -- to be

arrested and the child will be put in a care centre, where she will

only see the child once every 15 days for a few minutes, it is

absolutely inappropriate for that to happen in this case. I hope to raise

this matter in Parliament so that this government can put pressure on

the Italian government not to treat as a common criminal and allow her

back and allow the child to stay with her pending the outcome of the

court case in Italy. She is, she says, desperate and doesn't yet know

what she will do, but while she fears arrest in Italy, if she

doesn't go she could be arrested here for contempt of court. Either

way, she risks losing her son. A religious education teacher, who

exchanged messages with a 17-year-old girl pupil on Facebook

about a boy in the school, has been suspended from the teaching register

for 18 months. The General Teaching Council hearing was told that Lisa

Manship, who worked at Cwm Rhymni school near Caerphilly, behaved in

an unacceptable professional manner. She had claimed she was offering

support and a shoulder to cry on. Reducing the number of patients not

turning up for GP appointments is a "top priority", according to the

Chief Executive of the NHS in Wales. Giving evidence to the Assembly's

Public Accounts Committee, David Sissling confirmed as many as 11% of

patients in some areas weren't attending their appointments. Mr

Sissling said work is underway to get a better understanding of the

problem. A rare 500-year-old Bible has been

stolen from a Conwy Valley church. The 16th Century Geneva Breeches

Bible had been on display at St Mary's Church in Trefriw, but

churchgoers noticed it was missing from its case on Sunday. They fear

it could be sold or destroyed. The Geneva Breeches Bible was

produced in 1589 and takes its name from a description of the "breeches"

Adam and Eve made from fig leaves. It is usually displayed in this case

at St Mary's in Trefriw but whoever took it switched it for a modern

version of the Bible. The church warden and her husband made the grim

discovery after a service on Sunday. Being the rector 's warden as well,

I feel I have let everybody down. I am the main key-holder. But what can

I do? We will keep it open whatever happens. At first, I thought I would

never open again but it will be open. Similar bibles are available

to buy online and in book shops, sometimes for thousands of pounds.

Legend has it that Llywelyn the great founded this site. The Bible

was written 300 years after that. He was the witness of the theft of the

book but it might turn up on the open market. The church is regularly

open to visitors and police believe the Bible was taken at some point

over the past month. It's now a race against time to recover it. Some

enquiries have been made which indicate that the item is of some

considerable value financially but probably more importantly is the

value to the church and the community. The congregation at St

Mary's just want the book returned. They've expressed their gratitude to

North Wales Police and hope their investigation will result in some

good news. It's a week when you have a big

decision to make. Who will be this year's BBC Cymru Wales Sports

Personality of the Year? There's a short list of five for you to choose

from - Gareth Bale, Aled Sion Davies, Becky James, Non Stanford

and Leigh Halfpenny, Your votes will decide the winner. We're looking at

each of the candidates in turn this week. Tonight, it's Paralympic

athlete Aled Sion Davies. Athlete Aled Sean Davis is certainly

mining array seam of gold at present. Last year it was the

Paralympic gold, this summer the World Championships beckoned and

once again the big man led the way. He said a new world record in the

shop that and in the final round of the disc as he took bold with one of

the biggest throes of his life. Success at another major

championship confirms him as one of the best Paralympic throws in the

world. -- throwers. Let's get the weather forecast now.

Derek is here. If you're fed up with the grey,

cloudy weather, I've got some good news. A cold front is heading our

way. That's going to bring a drop of rain followed by sunshine tomorrow.

Dry for most of us this evening. A few mist and fog patches. However,

rain will spread from the northwest after midnight. The wind picking-up

on the coast. No frost. Temperatures staying above freezing. Here's the

picture for 8.00am in the morning. Some rain in the far south and

southeast but this will soon clear. Elsewhere, most places dry and

clear. Just the odd shower in the northeast. Breezy on the west coast.

So a big improvement tomorrow. Rain in the southeast will clear during

the morning. The whole country then dry and much brighter than recently

with sunshine for a change. Top temperatures, 7C to 9C, with a west

to north-westerly breeze. In Gwynedd tomorrow, much nicer than today. Dry

with sunny spells. Breezy on the coast with a high of 7C in Halrech.

A good day for a walk tomorrow. Nice and clear on Cadair Idris, but cold.

Freezing on the summit. Tomorrow night will be dry. A touch of frost.

A few mist and fog patches forming. However, late in the night, cloud

will increase. The wind picking-up as well. And that sets the scene for

Thursday. A windy day. Strong winds and gales. There is a warning in

force for northern most counties. Gusts of around 60mph or more in

exposed places. The morning will be dry but rain will spread from the

north during the afternoon and evening. The rain will clear before

midnight leaving us in colder air from the Arctic. Coldest in Scotland

and North East England. Temperatures will drop a few degrees in Wales but

it'll be less windy on Friday. A few wintry showers, mainly in the north,

but I'm not expecting much snow. So a cold snap to end the week but it

will be brief. Temperatures will recover over the weekend. The main

concern this week will be the strength of the wind on Thursday.

And during high tide, some fairly big waves are likely on the Bristol

Channel coast. Our picture tonight is from Lloyd Thomas. Red sky at

night, shepherds delight. Before we go, let's return to our

top story. International test results show school pupils in Wales

are continuing to lag behind England, Scotland and Northern

Ireland in reading, maths and science. Let's get the final word

now from our Education Correspondent, Arwyn Jones. Arwyn,

disappointing but not surprising? These are disappointing results but

they come as no surprise. We are on an educational improvement journey

and there are no quick fixes within it. It will take some years to learn

the lessons from PISA and turn the system around.

Let's have a final word with our education correspondent. This

appointing but not surprising. Yes. The tone of the Huw Lewis interview

earlier spoke volumes about how they are feeling. The Welsh Government

were expecting it but it was disappointing. You don't want to be

seen as constantly slipping down these international league tables

and that is what we have done. Another thing he said was that he

thought the Welsh Government has taken its eye off the ball when it

came to education policy early on in the life of the assembly. Other

countries focused on driving up standards and improving the quality

of teaching and teacher training but Wales was more interested and

concerned with tinkering the curriculum in order to change and

have a specifically Welsh curriculum. I think the sense you

get from the government now is they think they have turned the corner.

They have introduced a whole raft of policy changes in schools and in

terms of testing children every year. They are looking to the future

and they think we will be seeing and improving picture. The opposition

parties were having none of that today and said that after 14 years

of Labour rule we are in a bad situation. But there is no golden

rule that education in Wales has to lag behind other countries. We have

been at the top of the pile in the past. The feeling is, let's hope

that can happen again in the future. I'll have an update for you here at

8.00pm and after the BBC News at 10.00pm. That's Wales Today. From

all of us on the programme, good evening.