TEACHERS in Wales welcomed an acknowledgement by First Minister Mark Drakeford today that the question of local management of schools in Wales should be explored further.

NASUWT Cymru national officer Neil Butler said that local management of schools (LMS), established in the late 1980s by the then Conservative government, was causing problems in Wales.

“Mark Drakeford’s response to the Morning Star is the first time the Welsh government has acknowledged the problems in Wales caused by LMS and we welcome that,” Mr Butler said.

The First Minister said the issue “deserves to be explored to see whether some of the responsibilities between local management of schools, school governors and the local education authority [are] in the right place.”

In an exclusive interview with this newspaper, Mr Drakeford added the caveat that this was something for a future Welsh government to explore.

Mr Butler said that LMS was the reason teaching had been excluded from the recently passed social partnership Act, adding that education should be run by local councils so that the sector is formally covered by the legislation.

Teaching unions in Wales want the 5 per cent pay settlement for 2024 enhanced to match the recent 6.5 per cent rise in England.

The teachers’ agreement contains a no detriment to England clause and the unions argue that this means a balance of 1.5 per cent needs to be paid.

But Mr Drakeford only said that “we will honour the agreement” when asked whether his government would pay the extra money.

Mr Butler said that discussions were continuing on the question of no detriment and that all the teaching unions had sent a joint letter to the Welsh government today insisting on this.

Mr Drakeford also told the Star that he wants an incoming Labour government in Westminster to be bold, reforming and on the side of people in the greatest need.

He said: “I want it to be a government that is absolutely visibly on the side of those people who need that help the most.

“I hope that as soon as they are able to, an incoming Labour government will tackle the harm that is done to children by some of the benefit decisions that the Tories have made.”

But the First Minister warned that to take any actions in government, the party needed to be successful at the next general election, so he understood Sir Keir Starmer’s caution.

Mr Drakeford also declined to condemn Sir Keir’s recent decision not to commit to abolishing the two-child limit on benefits.

“The first duty of the Labour Party is to get itself into government,” he said. 

“Every election we lose we let everybody down who looks to Labour to defend their interests.

“If we don't win the election, there’s nothing we can do.”

Mr Drakeford agreed that his government was having to administer cuts in Wales because of Tory austerity decisions.

He said: “It has long been the Conservatives’ tactic to do just that.

“It’s to hand the responsibility down the line to people who end up having to make the decisions and they think then we will conveniently get the blame.

“Actually, people are a bit sharper than that and if you look at the English local government elections, people had seen through that and the Tories lost over 1,000 councillors.”