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Reports that reforms in Welsh further education were delayed a year as plans for qualification for sixth-formers and college students were unveiled in the Welsh Office White Paper `Building Excellent Schools Together.'

The article offers information on the education white paper of the government of Wales which focus on raising the educational standards. It states that the proposed legislation included in the white paper allow for local authorities to intervene in the school. It mentions that teachers unions warned that head teachers must not be blamed on the performance of the school. It says that the report from Estyn on the deteriorating state of the education in Great Britain contributes to the white paper.

The article discusses the state of the education system in Wales, particularly focusing on its poor test results from the A-level and General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examinations. It addresses policy decisions made in the early 2000s that eliminated formal assessments of Welsh students in favor of teacher-led assessment. It notes the Programme for International Student Assessment (Pisa), Welsh education minister Leighton Andrews, and underperformance in key skills. INSET: Paper problem.

The article discusses headteachers in Wales who are trying to have the amount of government red tape in education reduced. Headteachers Neil Foden and Cheryl Weldon both comment on the amount of paperwork that is required of schools and increases their own workloads. The Welsh Assembly Government claims that it must keep schools informed and that is the reason for the number of information papers and other documents.

This article reports on the business niche being filled in Welsh primary schools by entrepreneur James Taylor. Taylor, who graduated with a degree in child psychology, started the Sportstars Wales company, which offers schools an opportunity to hire a sports professional to work with children during teachers' "planning, preparation and assessment" time, of which they are allotted half a day a week for grading papers and lesson planning. The coaches are also cheaper to pay than the full-time staff normally used by schools.

Highlights the 2005 British Educational Research Association conference at the University of Glamorgan campus in Pontypridd, Wales. Attendees of the event; Keynote speakers; Overview of papers presented at the conference.

Reports the rejection of a Welsh education approach equivalent of the English Green Paper.

Presents the findings of a discussion paper from Estyn, the Welsh inspectorate, about the teaching time in Welsh primary schools. Recommended teaching time for age categories of pupils in primary schools; Comments from Susan Lewis, the chief inspector on supervision of schools over their pupils.

Discusses the Welsh government's White Paper `Building Excellent Schools Together' which outlined plans on educational reforms. Comparison to the English version `Excellence in Schools'; Emphasis on low-key advice in phonics and mental arithmetic; Northern Ireland and Scotland's decision to follow the route outlined in the English version.

Focuses on pressure concerning resistance in Wales to a return to selection resulting from measures set out in a British White Paper. Belief of Bruce Hawkins, president of the Welsh Secondary Schools Association.