Aled Roberts, Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Education in the National Assembly, has criticised the latest update from the Education Minister, Huw Lewis, on the Future Delivery of Education in Wales (the Hill Review).
Commenting after the Minister’s Oral Statement to the Siambr, Aled Roberts said:
“Whilst we have stated previously that change should not be undertaken lightly, there is a danger that this statement is characterised by further uncertainty.
“The Hill review of education was announced a year ago this week, yet we are still without any clear direction from the Welsh Government on the way forward for regional working.
“There are important decisions to be made on where responsibility lies for educational welfare and additional learning needs and whether or not those matters will ultimately rest with local authorities or regional consortia.
“It is particularly frustrating that we are now told that the organisation of school improvement services cannot be considered until the Commission on Public Services has reported: how much longer will we then have to wait while the Welsh Government considers its options?
“There are also on-going funding issues between local authorities and regional consortia which should have been resolved by now, and in the meantime many of us are concerned about the lack of progress on improving attainment levels in Wales.
“Countless reviews of education have emphasised the need for strong leadership in Wales, but this Welsh Labour Government continues to drag its heels”.
