Teachers welcome grade boundaries decision by Welsh Government

Posted by Now Cardiff on Sep 10, 2012

The NUT has welcomed the Welsh Government’s decision to call for a re-grading of WJEC English papers at C and D grades following the changes to the grade boundaries and has urged the British Government to follow suit. 

“The NUT has been very vocal in calling for an immediate re-grading, not re-marking, of the English GCSE exam.  We are naturally delighted that the Welsh Government has recommended that this be applied for WJEC students in Wales.

“Between January and June, exam boards changed the grade boundaries in such a way that many pupils who would have scored a C in January, scored a D in June – for exactly the same work. This change was not explained and has disadvantaged many thousands of pupils and their schools.  That situation was simply unacceptable to the many pupils, parents and teachers who have been left feeling very angry at this action.

“The report published today by the Welsh Government recognises the injustice of the boundary grade changes and their impact on Welsh students.  Hundreds of Welsh learners have been disadvantaged by this change and we applaud the Welsh Education Minister for taking the action which he has today.”

Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said:

“The NUT welcomes the decision of the Welsh Government to award grades to young people who sat GCSE in English on the same basis as their peers who sat the exam in January.
“The NUT calls on Michael Gove to follow this lead.”

Welsh low-pay workers cheated by employers

Posted by Now Cardiff on Jun 27, 2011

Despite nearly three and half thousand poorly paid workers in Wales getting less than the minimum wage since 2002, not one single prosecution has resulted, says Leanne Wood South Wales Central AM.

The scandal involves more than a thousand employers who have made underpayments of nearly one and half million pounds and it seems Cardiff employers are the worst offenders, with Swansea and Llandudno following close behind. The worst industry for underpaying employers is the hospitality sector.

Ms Wood said: “Low paid workers must be protected, but the law must be brought down as hard on employers as it is with benefit fraud. Why are prosecutions not brought against employers? Why are benefit claimants and rogue employers not treated the same?”

The Plaid Cymru Assembly Member went on to say she had approached the government and had received assurances that Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs would press for prosecution where there is clear evidence that an employer has committed an offence. Despite these assurances, nothing to date has happened.

Cardiff Council partner with the Welsh Government and the WLGA to improve Secondary Education

Posted by Now Cardiff on Jun 24, 2011

A groundbreaking tripartite partnership between Cardiff Council, the Welsh Government and the Welsh Local Government Association has been created to establish a Secondary Achievement Improvement Programme to continue to improve standards of education in the city’s secondary schools.

A recent Estyn report noted that standards of achievement have improved and that elected members and education officers show strong leadership and consistent support for schools. However, the report also highlighted that further improvements were needed, particularly in the secondary phase.

To oversee these improvements, the Council has established an implementation board that will be chaired by the Council’s Chief Executive, Jon House, and include other senior officers as well as representatives from the Welsh Local Government Association, the Welsh Government Department for Education and Skills and headteachers.

Part of the action plan will focus specifically on this partnership initiative to drive-up standards in KS4 and the model could be used as a blueprint for school improvement not only across South East Wales but the rest of the country as well.

Initially, additional support will be provided to secondary schools where there is more challenge and improvement needed to ensure all pupils throughout the city are given the best chances to succeed.  Tailored plans for individual schools will help them further develop strategies to raise aspirations, increase literacy and numeracy and improve attendance and behaviour.

Extra funding will be jointly provided by Cardiff Council and the Welsh Government in the first year to resource the programme which will begin this autumn. Future years of the programme will be funded via the Council and the South East Wales Consortium.

Executive Member for Education and Lifelong Learning Cllr Freda Salway said: “Education is a key priority for Cardiff which is why we are determined to ensure that where there is room for improvement that improvement shall be made.

“The establishment of this partnership shows the seriousness with which the Council takes raising standards as this not only increases the educational attainments of our pupils but their life chances as well.”

Leader of Cardiff Council, Cllr Rodney Berman, said: “I am pleased that we have established this groundbreaking partnership which I believe will act as a trailblazer for the rest of the Wales in driving up standards in our schools.

“It is imperative that we do all that we can to ensure that our pupils have the best possible chances to succeed as it is not only in our interest but in the wider interest of Wales that everyone in the education system achieves their full potential.

“By investing in this improvement programme now we will be reaping dividends for the future.”

Cardiff Conference of Secondary Head teachers (CCSH) said that “CCSH members value the additional resources which will be provided by this tripartite initiative to support headteachers and their schools in the continued desire and drive to further raise standards and better the life chances of each individual child.”

Education Minister Leighton Andrews said: “I have been open and honest when discussing the challenges which face education in Wales and have outlined the positive actions I want to see implemented to raise standards and performance across the board.

“Following Estyn’s Inspection of Cardiff it is encouraging that the Local Authority recognises the need for change and they are taking affirmative action to benefit our young people which we fully support.”

Cllr Peter Fox (Monmouthshire), WLGA Education Spokesperson said: “This is an excellent initiative and proves that Cardiff council is serious about raising standards and outcomes for children and young people. Local government in Wales has said that education is its number one priority and in this instance Cardiff is proving that it means to deliver on that promise.”

Berman welcomes action taken by Sergeant over Boundary Commission failures

Posted by Now Cardiff on Jun 23, 2011

The Leader of Cardiff Council Rodney Berman has welcomed the action taken today by the Welsh Government Minister for Local Government and Communities, Carl Sergeant in response to the independent review, led by Glyn Mathias, into the programme and process of electoral reviews of unitary council areas in Wales that has been underway since 2008.

When giving oral evidence to the Mathias Review, Councillor Berman made clear his view that the only way to restore confidence in the electoral review process was to install new Commissioners to the Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales. He has therefore welcomed today’s announcement by Carl Sargeant AM that he is terminating the appointment of the three existing Commissioners.

In response to today’s statement in the Senedd by Carl Sargeant AM, Councillor Berman said:

“The Mathias Review paints a picture I recognise that amounts to nothing less than a catalogue of disaster since 2008.  Clearly, fault lies in the first instance with the Welsh Government for not starting the review process quickly enough and for setting the Boundary Commission an impossible timetable to work within. But there was also a failure on behalf of the current Commissioners for accepting that timetable in the first place.

He went on to say that:  “The Mathias Review also shows that the Welsh Government did not give sufficient resources to the Boundary Commission to enable it to carry out this work effectively within the required timeframe.  However, much of the criticism does, I think, need to be directed towards the Commissioners themselves. As the report recognises, they decided on a more radical approach to the local government boundary reviews than their predecessors without first establishing whether such an approach had the support of Welsh Ministers or the Welsh local government community.

“I have also had my own concerns, which I raised at the time, that the Commissioners had completely misunderstood the mathematics that had been set out in the Directions that were provided to them by the former Minister, Brian Gibbons, at the outset of the process. I believe this contributed to mistakes being made and reviews then being delayed, leading to innumerable complaints from councils right across Wales.

“One of the biggest concerns I now have is how much public money has been wasted during the past three years, given that new Commissioners will be appointed by the Welsh Government and, once in place, will effectively have to start the whole boundary review process again from square one.

“The initial deadline for the completion of these electoral reviews in time for the 2012 local elections has clearly been missed, but I am alarmed to also read that the Mathias Review recognises there is now a risk that they might even now not all be completed to the relevant standard in time for the 2016 local elections either.”

Welsh Assembly discount pensioners’ Council Tax by £110 pa

Posted by Now Cardiff on Jun 22, 2011

Over 3,000 households in Cardiff are set to benefit from an additional reduction in council tax this year.

Up to £110 will automatically be credited to the accounts of pensioners who qualify for the discount.

Cardiff Council’s Pensioner Reduction Scheme is funded by the Welsh Government. There is no need to apply for the reduction or contact the council as the money will be allocated to council tax accounts which meet the correct criteria.

To be eligible for the scheme, the person concerned must be:

*       liable to pay council tax in respect of a chargeable dwelling which was their sole or main residence on June 1, 2011

*       one of the persons liable must have reached the age of 60 or over by June       1, 2011

*       he or she must be in receipt of partial council tax benefit as at June 1, 2011

Where two or more people are jointly liable for council tax, they will be eligible for the reduction if one or all of them meet the criteria.

Following implementation of the scheme, any money remaining from the Welsh Assembly Government’s allocation to Cardiff will be used in conjunction with Age Concern. Both the council and the charity are proactively encouraging take-up of benefits in pensioner households and these funds will contribute to that scheme.

Executive Member for Finance Councillor Mark Stephens said: “I am delighted Cardiff is once again able to work with the Welsh Government to adopt the Pensioner Reduction Scheme. We are committed to giving extra help to the households most in need and the council has worked hard to ensure this is the best and most appropriate discount plan to offer.”