One of the most enjoyable parts of my job as your Assembly Member has been visiting local schools. All the teachers I meet are dedicated to giving young people the skills to fulfil their potential. But we cannot take our excellent education in Montgomeryshire for granted. Later this year, there will be a major debate about the future of our High Schools. Unless there is overwhelming evidence to the contrary, I will be fighting tooth and nail to protect the current arrangement, ensuring that every child has the opportunity to be educated in their local school in the language of their choice. Schools are the hub of any community and any closures would have a negative effect on the economy and vibrancy of the towns and villages affected. Powys has had a very poor deal from the Welsh Labour Government. Of the 22 local authorities in Wales, Powys has had the worst funding settlement for the last nine years. A child in Machynlleth or Montgomery should have equality of access to a good education as a child in the Rhondda or Cardiff. A future Welsh Conservative government would change the formula that works so unfairly against rural Wales. The Welsh Conservatives have ambitious, well-researched and well-funded plans for improving the outcomes for pupils and students, for supporting our teachers and for delivering excellence in education. We will directly fund schools, ensuring that the people who know best – the schools and its teachers - manage their own funding. After a generation of lost opportunities, the only way to secure real change for our education system in Wales is to vote for it.
