Wales Leighton Andrews News

The Education Minister should 'stop having spats on Twitter' and concentrate on improving education standards, according to the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats. But Kirsty Williams said she's 'relaxed' as a politician and as a mother, about the prospect of different exams in Wales and England.

Her comments follow a letter sent to Leighton Andrews by the Education Secretary Michael Gove suggesting that a separation of the exam system was now inevitable because of changes being looked at in the two countries. Kirsty Williams said it's 'perfectly possible' to have a credible Wales-only exam.

But she attacked as 'unbecoming of a government minister' the decision of Mr Andrews for taking to Twitter to respond to criticism from UK Government sources. She said 'sometimes it seems Leighton Andrews would rather spend his time having a row on twitter than concentrating on his job.'

• Politics
• GCSEs
• Leighton Andrews

Education Minister Leighton Andrews will face an urgent question in the Assembly on the letter from Education secretary Michael Gove. The Presiding Officer Rosemary Butler has allowed the urgent question to be raised in this afternoon's session.

• Politics
• GCSEs
• Michael Gove

Michael Gove's letter, which I understand the Welsh Government received this evening, marks acceptance by the UK Government of the of growing differences in the exam systems of the nations of the UK. Its tone is respectful and matches what sources described of the tone of last week's meeting.

But there's a more critical tone to remarks attributed to a 'Whitehall source' in the Guardian article who's quoted as saying:

The Welsh are determined to keep dumbing down their exams. Leighton Andrews interfered with exam boards last year. He opposes our attempts to toughen things up and made clear he will continue to interfere to make things easier. It's better that we all go our own way and defend our positions to our electorates.

Welsh Education Minister Leighton Andrews has taken to Twitter this evening to condemn those remarks.

So, @JohnODowdSF (Northern Ireland Education Minister) and I have a cordial meeting with Michael Gove in which he agrees to respect the different decisions in different countries

And a week later Whitehall sources, quoting directly from a comment in the meeting, start being offensive again.

So, for the record, I am happy to confirm that in that meeting Michael Gove apologised to me for his behaviour.

• Politics
• Leighton Andrews
• Michael Gove

The Education Secretary Michael Gove has written to the Welsh and Northern Irish Education ministers saying that 'the time is right' for the exam systems in Wales, England and Northern Ireland to separate. The Guardian reports that in the letter follows last week's meeting between the three men.

• Politics
• GCSEs
• Leighton Andrews

Labour's Leighton Andrews has claimed that he's looking forward to fighting Leanne Wood in the Rhondda at the next Assembly election. He said that she can expect a similar defeat to when she last fought the constituency in a Westminster election.

The Rhondda rejected Leanne Wood in 2001 and I’m sure the people of the Rhondda won’t be fooled by her gesture politics this time. This announcement shows just how little faith the Plaid Cymru candidate has in her own ability to win in 2016 and it's cost what little leadership credibility she had. Standing in Rhondda is no more than a political stunt. It’s clear that she plans to get back into the Assembly on the Regional List and the people of the Rhondda will soon see through that.

In 2003, I won the Rhondda back from Plaid for Labour and beat the Plaid Cymru AM. In 2007 I beat the Plaid Cymru MEP. In 2011, I increased my majority. I look forward to the opportunity of beating Plaid's lacklustre leader in 2016.

• Politics
• Leanne Wood
• Leighton Andrews

Education Minister Leighton Andrews has described last year's GCSEs fiasco as 'an unhappy time.' Questioned by MPs on the Commons Education Committee, he admitted there will be questions about the value of last year's C-grade but said the alternative was worse.

• Politics
• Leighton Andrews
• GCSEs

Welsh Education Minister Leighton Andrews has been defending his decision to order a regrade of English language GCSEs in Wales last year. He rejected this suggestion from the Education Committee's chair, Graham Stuart, that the move was politically motivated.

• Politics
• Leighton Andrews
• GCSEs

The Education Minister, Leighton Andrews, has said that he's concerned about levels of truancy at schools in Wales and has confirmed that he is exploring how fines might be introduced in the future.

We aim to publish a comprehensive consultation on this in September where the system of penalty notices and its operation will set out the proposals in more detail.

In some parts of England parents can be issued with a fixed penalty notice of up to £120 if their child is persistently absent from school.

• Education
• welsh government
• Leighton Andrews

Education Minister Leighton Andrews says news tests will address recent findings which say twenty percent of young people have a reading age eighteen months below their actual age when they leave primary school.

• Education
• Leighton Andrews
• Leighton Andrews AM