‘Shocking, disappointing, woeful’: Reaction to Wales’ fall in the global schools Pisa scores – live

Ioan Rhsy Jones general secretary of teaching union UCAC, said: “Whatever your views on Pisa as a way of assessing education, this year’s results are disappointing.

“However, it must be acknowledged that Pisa only provides a quick snapshot of the education system, across a limited range of skills. We must also remember that only a sample of schools participate in these tests every three years.

“Having said that, it is clear that there is a need to plan improvements, and attention should be accorded to basic skills across the country.

We can only hope that the Curriculum for Wales, once fully established, will provide

a solid foundation for learners and that the new Foundation Literacy and Numeracy

Framework will be a means to plan, benchmark, and ensure national improvement in

the years to come.

It is crucial that all improvement plans consider all aspects of education, including

the community and the home. We would welcome robust financial investment in our

schools, therefore leading ultimately to an improvement in standards. The education

workforce is currently working hard under challenging circumstances. Hopefully, we

will see the present government appreciating the importance of investing in

education, thus providing solid and strong foundations for our students, who are our

future.’