Education: More schools 'green' in Wales performance ratings

More than 89% of primary schools are in the green and yellow categories

Close to half of primary schools in Wales are now rated in the best "green" category, according to the latest annual categorisation ratings.

They show 49% of primaries need the least support, 6% better than in 2019.

But the ratings also show 24 secondary schools (11.7%) fall into the "red" category, needing the most help.

This is one more school than last year and indicates a stubborn number of schools which need improving.

Full details have been published - and are also being made available, school-by-school, here.

• Here is a list of schools rated green - by county

• Schools rated yellow

• Schools rated amber

• Schools rated in the red category

The overall figures show:

• A total of 609 primary schools are in the green support category - 66 more schools than last year

• Only 20 primary schools are now in the red support category - 1.6% - which is fewer than last year

• There is an improvement - 4% - in secondary schools in the green category

• Overall, 46.9% of all schools are green, compared with 41.6% last year

• The number of special schools in the green support category has stayed the same at 21, while one special school is in the red support category.

Education Minister Kirsty Williams said she was "encouraged" by the rising proportion of schools in the green category.

"This tells a story of improvement and increased capacity in the system that should be recognised," she said.

"These schools will have a key role to play in supporting others, sharing their expertise, skills, and good practice."

But she remains concerned about the number of secondary schools still in the red category.

Colour-coding schools has always been controversial.

The Welsh Government emphasises it is not meant to label the best and worst, but they know it is often seen in that way.

In a statement, the education minister has given the strongest indication yet that it could be ditched, saying she would "consider the future of categorisation".

The government is trialling new ways of supporting secondary schools that are struggling the most.

It is striking that almost half of primary schools are now in the top green category, but it is in the secondary sector where the biggest problems still lie.

You only have to look at the number of red schools compared to the primary sector.

Of 1,247 primary schools in Wales, 20 are red; but there are 24 rated red out of only 205 secondary schools.