After PISA: A way forward for education in Wales?

The policy narrative moved increasingly away from mitigating the impact of poverty (important though that was in the face of the Westminster Government’s continuing programme of austerity and ‘welfare reform’) to the prevention of poverty through a focus on early years, early intervention and improving the employability of the most disadvantaged.26 Education policy had an important place within th. [...] They see potential in a co-operative model of a type that has developed in some parts of England.48 Examples of education and community partnerships in Wales in the Betws area of Newport, Maes-y-Morfa in Llanelli, Glyncoch in Pontypridd, Ferndale in the Rhondda Fach and Blaen-y-Maes in Swansea are set out in the appendix to this report. [...] More significantly perhaps the UKIP vote in the May 2016 Assembly Elections and the pro-Brexit vote in many of the Labour ‘heartland’ seats of the South Wales Valleys - areas with some of the lowest skills and qualifications profiles in their populations in the UK and highest levels of economic inactivity - can be interpreted as a clear message to the political establishment of which Chris Davies. [...] Through these various initiatives the charity and the Community School is taking on the role of being a major player in the community development and regeneration of the area. [...] Instrumental to the development of this work has been the head teachers’ contact with the work of the Children’s Aid Society and the wider community school movement in 28 the USA.