Welsh Labour Manifesto 2016 AMBITIOUS & LEARNING. Welsh Labour Manifesto 2016 Ambitious & Learning.

Transcription

1 Welsh Labour Manifesto 2016 AMBITIOUS & LEARNING 1

2 AMBITIOUS & LEARNING Welsh Labour believes in the transformative power of education; its ability to change the life of an individual, generate prosperity for our communities and to drive economic growth. Everyone deserves the opportunity to achieve their potential. Over the last Assembly term we have been making good on that ambition through one of the most ambitious programmes of educational reform since As a result we have seen record GCSE results, a closing of the poverty attainment gap at every key stage of education and one of strongest apprenticeship programmes anywhere in Europe. Welsh Labour will continue this new momentum into the next term and ensure that every young person, no matter what their background or family circumstance, gets a flying start in life through high quality early years education, a place at a great local school or college and the chance to access high quality training for the world of work or study at a top university. Over the last term of government we have: Delivered over 100m of additional frontline funding to Welsh schools in spite of savage Tory cuts to Wales Ensured the best ever GCSE results, nearly 8% higher than 2011 Developed a national system of School Categorisation for primary and secondary schools Supported 15,000 individuals into good quality jobs through Jobs Growth Wales Ensured total income to Welsh Higher Education has risen by over 200m Kept tuition fees low for Welsh students meaning they leave university with an average of 22,000 less debt than English students Introduced national Reading and Numeracy tests Kept the Education Maintenance Allowance scrapped by the Tories in England Funded a new Pupil Deprivation Grant and Early Years Pupil Deprivation Grant Delivered ten million free breakfasts in primary schools over the last five years 2

3 Early Years Giving every child a fantastic start in life has been at the heart of the work of the Welsh Labour Government over the last term. We have more than doubled our Flying Start programme which is providing high quality early intervention services to over 36,000 children from poorer areas and through our Free Breakfasts in Primary Schools programme we have also delivered ten million Free Breakfasts over the last five years. We have also strengthened literacy and numeracy standards in the Foundation Phase whilst maintaining the play based pedagogy of learning. Families First is developing effective, multi-agency support for families living in poverty right across Wales and the successful Team Around the Family approach is being adopted more widely across the country. Our campaign to provide advice on positive approaches to raising children Parenting. Give It Time complements the Healthy Child Wales and Education Begins at Home programmes in promoting positive parenting. Over the course of the next term we will continue to build a high quality early years offer for all children in Wales. Continue our innovative Flying Start intervention programme Maintain our commitment to the Foundation Phase Seek cross party support for legislation to end the defence of Reasonable Punishment Maintain our Free Breakfasts in Primary Schools programme for the whole of the next Assembly term In line with our Literacy and Numeracy Strategy, we will work to ensure that by 2025 all children leaving primary school are reading well 3

4 Schools Welsh Labour is committed to developing a world class comprehensive model of education that is open to all. We will not replicate the Tory model of Free Schools and Academies here in Wales. Through our new School Categorisation system we have been able to drive up standards and give parents better information about how their local school is performing. We have also directed additional support to the schools that need it most through programmes such as Schools Challenge Cymru. In the next term we will accelerate our work to further reduce the attainment gap between the poorest pupils and their peers, and match world class teaching and learning for young people in the classroom with world class buildings around them. Invest an additional 100 million in school standards over the next term Invest nearly 2 billion in new and refurbished school and college buildings by 2024 Central to our vision for education over the next few years is developing the new Curriculum for Wales to ensure our young people have the skills and experiences they need to thrive in the twenty first century. We will give our young people the digital competence and coding skills they need to operate in the modern economy as well as help them develop the creativity and broader understanding of the world needed to be confident, rounded and outward looking. An education system is only as good as the people at the frontline and we are committed to supporting our teachers to deliver the new curriculum through the New Deal. Develop a new Curriculum for Wales Develop a new system of accredited Initial Teacher Education and Training Work towards establishing teaching as an all-masters profession Support the rollout of digital competence in our schools and develop coding skills in our young people 4

5 To develop a world class school system we have to make better use of the extraordinary talent and leadership we have in our system; encourage schools to work together and ensure stronger schools support weaker ones. We will support leaders at all levels to develop their skills and careers and encourage headteachers to take on new responsibilities as systems leaders. Welsh Labour is committed to making Wales one of the most exciting places in the UK to take on a school leadership role. Work with local authorities to encourage all schools in Wales to become part of a federation or learning network Develop the role of Executive Headship Reform the model of School Governance in Wales to ensure schools have access to the skills they need to be effective Welsh Labour is committed to effectively supporting the entire education workforce in Wales. We are incredibly proud of having delivered a Common Contract in Further Education and developing the new Education Workforce Council to develop professionals working with our young people. We will build on this solid foundation in the next term. Develop a new model for the employment and development of supply teachers in Wales Encourage more Support Staff in Wales to develop their skills and become Higher Level Teaching Assistants It is critical that all young people develop as rounded individuals with support available at key moments in their lives to help them develop as healthy and confident individuals. Critical to the success of this approach is ensuring that schools and professionals have the skills and resources to support pupils and tackle issues like bullying. In the next term we will re-shape guidance and support for young people in our schools. Convene a task force to address the challenge of improving behaviour and emotional well-being in schools Legislate for a new system of Additional Learning Needs support Reshape Careers Support in schools and colleges and develop a new system of Skills Tracks so that all young people have the skills to make the right choices about their future Strengthen the Youth Work sector and opportunities for young people at risk of disengaging from education Schools are at the heart of our communities and should continue to make a difference beyond the end of the school day. If necessary we will legislate to give communities more and better access to school facilities before and after the school day, as well as at weekends and in the school holidays. We will also work with businesses across Wales to strengthen their work with schools and open up new opportunities for young people. 5

6 Pilot a new model of Community Learning Centres providing extended services from 8am to 6pm with childcare, parenting support, family learning and community access to facilities built around the school day Pilot lunch and fun clubs in the summer school holidays to improve the nutrition of disadvantaged young people Develop new Business-School partnerships and develop more opportunities for young people to benefit from high quality work experience We have made great strides improving the results of our poorest pupils. The GCSE attainment of our pupils on Free School Meals is at the highest level ever so that in 2015 their results were rising faster than their peers. We will encourage young people from deprived backgrounds to access opportunities previously only afforded to young people from more affluent backgrounds. Extend the Pupil Offer developed in our Challenge Schools Extend our programme of open access to cultural opportunities for young people Set new conditions of funding for sports and cultural organisations that receive public monies to support young people from deprived backgrounds Create a National Music Endowment Fund to help young people realise their musical potential Work with lottery distributors to develop new opportunities for our poorest young people and those with disabilities 6

7 Learning in the new millennium should be possible at any time and in any place. Digital learning in particular offers enormous opportunities that must be embraced if Wales is to compete with the world s strongest economies in the twenty first century. Work with the Open University to develop a new online programme of support for our most able and talented learners Extend the availability of free online education resources so that more Welsh learners can access Massive Open Online Courses Utilise the Business Wales Accelerated Growth Programme to develop new Education Tech Hubs Jobs and Skills Never has the importance of effective skills training been so important for both our young people and the future of our economy. Where factories and furnaces provided prosperity in 20th Century Wales, so creativity and knowledge will provide security and wealth in the 21st. We have been listening closely to what business needs from a small, smart government and we will build on Wales recent inward investment success by transforming our apprenticeship system to support businesses big and small in Wales with the skills they need to grow and expand. We will also reshape employability support and build on the success of previous programmes to support both job-ready individuals and those furthest from the labour market to get the skills and experiences to find work. Create a minimum of 100,000 high quality all age apprenticeships Develop new Higher Level Technical Apprenticeships and create stronger links between academic and vocational routes through education Develop a new employability programme to support individuals of all ages to find good quality employment Support the continued growth of the Wales Union Learning Fund 7

8 Further and Higher Education Welsh Labour values Further Education and the role it plays in boosting our economy and supporting social justice. Over the last few years we have successfully developed larger, more stable Colleges through our transformation agenda and encouraged them all to develop stronger links with local business and industry. Welsh Labour is incredibly proud of its support for Welsh students in Higher Education which has ensured our young people leave university with an average of 22,000 less debt than students from England. A cross-party review of student finance is currently underway and it is vital that work is completed to ensure we have an evidenced based and sustainable student support system that provides help for students of all backgrounds. Offer a package of student support that is better than that offered in England, based on the recommendations of the Diamond Review Develop closer links between Universities and schools to strengthen our widening access work and support more of our looked after children to get into university Create a new funding body for Higher and Further Education in Wales Encourage FE Colleges and Universities to develop stronger links with industry and business to support the regional economies of Wales Welsh Language We are proud to be a bilingual nation. We recently commissioned Professor Graham Donaldson to map out a radical new approach to the curriculum, including the teaching of Welsh in our schools. Taking forward that report and the new Curriculum for Wales gives us the opportunity to reshape the teaching of Welsh in our schools and encourage more people to speak the Welsh language. Set an ambitious target of 1 million Welsh speakers by 2050 with key milestones for the decades leading to this Ensure that Welsh remains compulsory in all schools up to the age of 16 Support our young people to develop transactional competence in the Welsh language that will allow them, by the age of 16, to utilise their Welsh language skills in wider society and fulfil our ambition for Welsh to be a genuinely living language Nothing is more important to Wales future than the skills and knowledge of its people. Our education system today is our economy tomorrow and in a world changing so quickly Welsh Labour believes in helping people to be qualified for life by ensuring they have the right balance of skills, knowledge and creativity to succeed in work and study. 8

9 TOGETHER FOR WALES For more information about our Welsh Labour Manifesto and our plans for a Prosperous and Secure Healthy and Active Ambitious and Learning United and Connected Wales, go to: _16 Reproduced from electronic media, promoted by David Hagendyk, General Secretary, Welsh Labour, on behalf of Welsh Labour Party, both at 1 Cathedral Rd, Cardiff CF11 9HA. 9