Secondary school head teachers from across Wales will be put to the test today at a key conference hosted by the WLGA aimed at preparing our schools for future PISA testing. Heads will be asked to sit a PISA mathematics exam at the conference to give them a taste of the task facing their students.
Wales was involved in PISA for the first time last year and the results, released last December, were disappointing with Wales being out performed by many of our European neighbours.
Following the PISA results, the Education and Skills Minister, Leighton Andrews AM, laid down a challenge to local authorities to improve our PISA standing and this conference is the first step towards meeting that challenge.
The WLGA spokesperson for Education, Cllr Peter Fox (Monmouthshire), who is attending the conference in Builth Wells, said:
“Education is a shared responsibility between schools, local authorities, the Welsh Assembly Government and other stakeholders and we need an air of urgency, honesty and openness as we seek to address these issues. We are all committed to improving outcomes for children and young people but that needs to translate into improved attainment.”
“This conference brings together the people who are the front line of school improvement in Wales. It is essential that we all work together to address the issues of poor attainment in schools. This group of head teachers, local government officers are best placed to find a Welsh solution to this problem.”
The conference will be addressed by two of the leading education academics in Wales, Professor David Hopkins and Professor David Reynolds, and will also hear from head teacher Phil Whitcoombe who has experienced preparing for PISA first hand. 120 delegates are expected to attend.
