THERE was much wailing and gnashing of teeth when Welsh education was ranked the worst in the UK three years ago.

Politicians, unions, teachers, governors, parents and pupils all had their say in the aftermath.

The Welsh Government put in place measures that it said would place education in Wales in the top 20 of the Pisa rankings, the influential measure of education standards in Europe, North and South America, Australasia and parts of the Middle East and Asia.

Yesterday, three years on, saw the release of the new Pisa rankings.

The UK slipped a place to 26th in the world and Welsh education remains the worst in the UK.

It is not much to show for measures the Welsh Government insists are 'the right way forward for Wales'. (Though obviously not the right way for those pupils currently being failed by the system).

Education minister Huw Lewis said yesterday that everyone involved in the sector in Wales had to take a long, hard look at themselves in the mirror.

We would suggest politicians need to take the longest, hardest look.

Wales has had the same party - bar a short period of coalition government - in charge of education since devolution. Yet standards have worsened.

The UK has had successive governments that simply refuse to leave education alone, bringing in change after change. Yet standards have worsened.

Perhaps it is politics rather than education that is really failing in our country.