Education and Opportunity

Back To My Plan

Empowering Our Future

Education should be the great equaliser – the ladder that helps every child, regardless of background, climb towards opportunity. Our young people are full of potential, but too often, they are let down by circumstances beyond their control.

The Struggle in the Classroom

Just 62% of residents in Rhondda and Ogmore achieve five or more GCSEs. Every single ward ranks in the bottom 30% nationally for results. That means the barriers to success begin early and run deep. This isn’t about blaming teachers or schools. It’s about recognising the challenges and making real change.

Unauthorised absences are rising. Last year, the Rhondda had the highest rate in Wales. When pupils miss school, they fall behind—but we must also ask why so many feel disengaged.

Young People Without a Pathway

For too many young people in Rhondda and Ogmore, the transition into adulthood isn’t filled with opportunity, it’s filled with uncertainty. Right now, nearly 550 young adults aged 18 to 24 are not in education, employment, or training. That’s hundreds of young people waking up each day without a job to go to, a class to attend, or a clear direction for their future.

We’ve made real progress – especially for young women and girls. Since the early 2000s, teenage pregnancy in Rhondda and Ogmore has more than halved. Thanks to national and local support, we’ve gone from having some of the highest rates in Wales to giving young women the chance to plan their futures, build stable lives, and choose the right time to start a family.

Many of these young people left school without the qualifications they needed to move forward, or they struggled to find apprenticeships or jobs in an economy that has changed dramatically in recent years. Others may have started college or work, only to hit roadblocks – family difficulties, health challenges, or simply a feeling of being stuck in a system that wasn’t built for them. And now, they’re caught in a cycle that’s difficult to break.

One in four out-of-work benefit claimants in Rhondda and Ogmore is aged 18 to 24. This is not just a personal struggle, it’s a community crisis. That’s a generation of potential, talent, and ambition going to waste. These are young people who could be tomorrow’s skilled workers, entrepreneurs, or community leaders, if only they had the right support.

The Need to Stay – and the Opportunity to Return

Despite these challenges, Rhondda and Ogmore has a strong foundation to build on. Our 52 educational institutions, spanning primary, secondary, all-age schools, and a college, are filled with passionate educators and ambitious students. The latest Estyn inspection recognised that RCT Council has high expectations for schools and staff, but we need to ensure those high expectations translate into real progress for every young person. In Ogmore, pupils generally make good progress between the ages of five and sixteen but Estyn highlighted the need to enhance outcomes for post-16.

We also need to face a difficult truth: too many of our young people feel they have to leave the area to find good jobs and opportunities. While it’s fantastic to see the success of those who move away and build careers elsewhere, we should be offering them reasons to come back. The knowledge and skills they gain can benefit the whole community—if we create the right conditions for them to return.

A Future of Possibilities

Improving education and opportunity in Rhondda and Ogmore is not about pointing fingers or dwelling on negatives. It’s about recognising the strengths we already have and ensuring every child, teenager, and young adult has the chance to thrive.

That means tackling absenteeism, investing in skills and training, and making sure that young people who do want to go to university apply to the places that match their abilities. It also means ensuring those with exceptional skill sets in practical or vocational fields have access to high-quality apprenticeships, vocational training, mentoring and job opportunities.

Most importantly, it’s about proving to our young people that they don’t have to leave to succeed – because the opportunities they deserve should be right here at home.

What Needs to Change

  • More support for school attendance and mental wellbeing
  • Stronger outcomes for pupils at primary and secondary school.
  • More high-quality apprenticeships, hands-on vocational training for local jobs and access to university.
  • Ensure all pupils get good career advice that promotes aspiration and commitment.

My targets for a Brighter Future

  • Clear routes from education into secure employment
  • Substantially increase pupils achieving 5+ GCSEs by 2035
  • Reduce wards in the bottom 30% nationally for attainment
  • Return attendance to Welsh and pre-COVID averages
  • Halve the number of 18–24s not in education, work, or training
  • Double apprenticeships by 2030
  • Two-thirds of young people going into an apprenticeship, further education or university

Action from the Labour Government

Education is devolved to the Senedd. Working in partnership, the two Labour Governments will:

  • Ensure our education system is properly funded, ending the economic pressures on schools after years of Conservative mismanagement.
  • Work in partnership with local government to build new schools, supported by key services and out-of-school support.
  • Roll out the Young Person’s Guarantee across the entire country supporting 16-24 year olds to achieve the best of their abilities.

My Local Action Plan

  • Ensure the Welsh Labour Government’s Young Person’s Guarantee is available to every young person in Rhondda and Ogmore.
  • Launch Rhondda Futures, an ambitious local programme of mentors, training and workshops for young people who are not in education, training or employment.
  • Promote available apprenticeships for all ages and encourage take up.
  • Meet twice a year with local Headteachers and Afan Ogwr Rhondda Senedd members to address attendance levels below the Welsh average.
  • Create a network of attendance ambassadors ensuring best practice is shared.
  • Provide tours of Westminster to school returnees, rewarding their recommitment to their education and inspiring them with new opportunities