Welsh Conservatives today called on the Education Minister to review school banding plans to take on board feedback from parents and teachers.
Welsh Conservatives have supported greater availability of transparent data on school performance, but have been critical of the confusing and complex way in which bands have been compiled.
Angela Burns AM, Shadow Minister for Education, said, “Parents have the right to access greater information about standards and performance of local schools.
“However, taking a crude average of 12 different indicators, including statistics on free school meals, fails to allow parents to identify specialisms or strengths and fails to give an accurate overview of school standards.
“Now that secondary school bandings have been released in full, albeit by the media rather than the government, it would be timely to review whether banding is, in its current form, a useful tool for parents.
“The Education Minister needs to seek the feedback of parents and teachers and as necessary, go back to the drawing board to devise a system which more accurately reflects the successes and shortcomings in our schools.
“Ahead of the impending introduction of primary school banding, the Education Minister should at least learn from the failings of his policy at secondary level and amend his plans accordingly.”
