This week, children across the country are going back to school. It’s true that many children will be sorry to go back after a summer off, but as much as it can seem like a chore, the value of education and the opportunities it brings are so important.

This is why education was one of the priorities for Welsh Labour at the last Assembly elections, and still a priority for us as the Welsh Government now.

I wrote an article for the Argus at the start of September last year saying how pleased I was to welcome the start of the first full school year for the new Llanwern High School.

I hoped the amazing facilities and relaunch of the school would give a boost to the results, and the GCSE results this summer didn’t disappoint.

The number of pupils at Llanwern High getting five A* to C GCSEs including English and maths nearly doubled to 45 per cent, up from 26 per cent last year.

There were many great results in schools across Newport East that were rightly celebrated, but an increase like that is quite special, and both pupils and teachers deserve praise for their outstanding improvement.

Whichever school pupils are at this year, I wish them all the best and hope they enjoy it.

• Last month I was pleased to join residents and community groups at the Hope Centre in Somerton to mark the launch of the new East Cluster for Communities First in Newport.

The new cluster approach is designed to build on and strengthen the Communities First scheme, which funds projects to regenerate communities, help people into jobs and training and tackle health and well-being issues in more deprived areas, to improve the life chances of those residents.

It was a lovely event – a fun day for all those who came along, and a chance to meet hugely dedicated people who work hard across the city to really make a difference.

• A very interesting Argus article recently on attitudes to devolution had a great focus on younger people in politics. There are some fantastic young Councillors who represent wards in Newport East who were mentioned: Jessica Crook, Emma Garland and Majid Rahman all featured.

There’s no single way to make politics more interesting to younger people, but having some great examples of younger politicians standing up for their communities has to be a good start.