Closing the attainment gap
Individualised tutoring or coaching can be a gamechanger – but one that few families currently can afford. Students who receive one-to-one tuition tend to outperform their peers in a traditional classroom, we would introduce a national in-school system of one-to-one and small group tutoring, with all students entitled to a flexible system of in-school tutoring.
The attainment gap grows over the summer months when children are not in school, we would build on voluntary summer programmes designed to bridge the gap.
Though less common in Wales than in the other countries in the UK, private education contributes to educational inequality, we would abolish rates relief for private schools following the recommendations of the Barclay Review in Scotland.
Schools in disadvantaged communities will be resourced to recruit and retain well-qualified and experienced teachers, we would design education career paths for teachers conditional on time being spent in schools with higher levels of deprivation.
We will widen the scope for parental engagement in pupil learning. We will pilot a ‘para-teacher’ type role in the classroom to draw in a broader range of people to share their skills and experiences, we would create mentoring and coaching roles in schools for retired people.