Responding to the Welsh Government's Written Statement today addressing the roles of education partners in Wales, Laura Doel, national secretary of school leaders' union NAHT Cymru, said:

“This review was a welcome result of the negotiations between unions and the Welsh Government following NAHT Cymru’s industrial action.

“The report to the minister by Dr Dylan Jones is in our view a very fair reflection of the views of our members. There are indeed areas of good practice in the consortia, but this is marred by an onerous, bureaucratic process which fails to deliver a consistent level of support for all schools across Wales.

“At a time when education funding is stretched, NAHT Cymru has only ever asked that all areas of the system are held to account to ensure that money spent on education is invested where it offers the most benefit for learners.

“Unfortunately, the consortia system has been left wanting and in places become self-serving rather than school improvement focused. Our priority now must be on working together to ensure that there is as seamless a transition as possible to new arrangements to support schools.”