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Peter Black and South Wales West Liberal DemocratsRepresenting Aberavon, Bridgend, Gower, Neath, Ogmore, Port Talbot, and Swansea |
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Labour failure on school buildings affecting children's education
January 24, 2007 11:46 AM
Peter at Bishop Gore School, Swansea
Labour's failure to meet their target of getting all school buildings fit for purpose by 2010 will be a major obstacle to the improvement of academic standards, the Welsh Liberal Democrat Education Spokesperson, Peter Black, has said.
Mr. Black was responding to comments in the annual report of Schools Inspectorate Agency, Estyn, that children's education benefits from the modernisation of their school and that the advantages are even greater in areas with high levels of social and economic deprivation. New or refurbished buildings allow schools to offer a greater quality of teaching and a wider range of subjects says the Chief Inspector for Wales.
"Estyn is quite clear in their report that the dire state of many of our school buildings is a major obstacle to better educational attainment," said Mr. Black. "The failure of the Labour Assembly Government to meet their own target of getting all schools fit for purpose by 2010 has added to that problem. Even they have now acknowledged that this will not be possible."
"I am aware of many schools where the building has deteriorated so badly that teachers have to contend with water pouring into their classrooms, variable temperatures and pieces falling off walls and ceilings. Although they are doing an excellent job coping nobody could argue that these are ideal circumstances and Estyn confirm this."
"Although the Assembly Government has put a lot of money into school buildings they have not invested enough to meet their own target. Nor did they even establish the scale of the problem before they made their promise to put things right. As a result they have been left with egg on their face, but it is teachers and pupils who are suffering."
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