IT’S the time of year that school starts back, a busy time for families and a new challenge for many children.

This summer, many young people celebrated some good GCSE and A-Level results, and I congratulate every pupil for their hard work; and the teachers, parents, teaching assistants and school governors who help.

We saw some good areas of improvement in Newport and Monmouthshire.  It was only a few years ago that the Welsh Government had to put Monmouthshire into special measures, removing them this year after improvements.

Both local authority areas saw increases in the percentage of pupils getting A*-C grades, which is great to see.

It really matters, as a good education can set children up for whatever they choose to do in the future, and give a good base for them to go on and fulfil their potential.

However, it is important to remember that whatever results you get at 16 or 18, there are always options for what to do next and ways to get what you want and need.  Education is really important - it can help you make the choices you want to later in life - and it doesn’t have to stop at school. 

September is also the return of the Welsh Assembly sessions, and it will be an interesting year ahead.

I am now the chair of the equality, local government and communities committee, which adds a new strand of work to get stuck into.

One of the key priorities of our committee will be looking at how we tackle poverty in Wales. It’s an interesting and hugely important area of Welsh Assembly’s work and I look forward to contributing to it.

Finally, after a fantastic and successful Olympic Games for GB and Wales, I want to celebrate a Newport event that can keeps many people active: Newport Parkrun.

Parkrun is a free event, when hundreds of people do a timed run on Saturday mornings, 9am at Tredegar House. 

It’s a great opportunity to get some exercise and air and meet new people. You need to register before going along, and they rely on volunteers to help steward the event. 

For more information go to www.parkrun.org.uk/newport

It is timed, but people run for fun and you can go at any pace. 

If the Olympics inspired you to keep fit, it’s worth a look!