ATL

Wales

Some vital statistics about education in Wales are being overlooked

I'm writing this at the end of the predictable pyrrhic debate about attainment and falling standards at GCSE and A-level. The important facts are overlooked every year: in Wales, 14 per cent of 16-year-olds fail to get five GCSEs at any level, while 25 per cent of 19-year-olds have not achieved at least a Level 2 qualification. Other statistics are equally depressing: more than 10 per cent of 16- to 18-year-olds are not in education, employment or training. And perhaps the most telling statistic of all: in 2009 one in four children in Wales lives in poverty.

Those who blame 'failing' schools and 'trendy' teaching tend, very conveniently, to ignore that last statistic. And yet it is key. Study after study has shown the biggest determinant on educational outcome is social class. Find out the income level of the child's family and you will be able to predict, with a few exceptions, their likely educational path. Just as women faced all sorts of obstacles to achievement based on gender at the start of the 20th century, so the children of the poor face similar obstacles based on class in the 21st.

The Welsh government has made the tackling of social inequality and deprivation one of its key aims. Innovative programmes such as Flying Start and the Foundation Phase show its commitment. But now it needs to go further. As the debate about school funding continues, ATL will be lobbying to ensure that those in most need get the most resources. A child's achievements should be based on their talents and hard work, not on their parents' bank balance.