Pembrokeshire’s school performance has been criticised by the chairman of a scrutiny committee following the latest banding figures.

Clr. John Davies, chairman of the schools overview and scrutiny committee said: “We have more schools in red in primary than any other area in Wales, so we are not in a good place.”

He added at last week’s meeting (January 31) that whatever people thought of the banding system “the fact remains we are consistently below the ERW [Education through Regional Working] regional average and consistently at the bottom as far as the figures go.

“You can blame the past for a period but you can’t go on doing that forever,” he added.

Clr. Davies acknowledged there were “challenges” at Ysgol Harri Tudor and Milford Haven School and he didn’t want to “dismantle some of the work that’s going on there, they need to be supported.”

“But the fact remains that we continue as a county to underperform and we shouldn’t be. We need to get some clear answers that go beyond what we have heard in the last few years.

“It’s up to ERW to support us, we are not delivering the change, it isn’t happening fast enough, some would argue on the back of what we’re seeing here is that the change isn’t happening at all,” he said.

Director of schools Kate Evans-Hughes said although it was a “below par performance” the county had sustained it, adding it was “not that far below.”

Schools had also been resilient in managing the impact of changes to the curriculum and other measures well with “negligible” impact she told members.

“We know there’s a need to improve, we accept that and no-one accepts that more than the headteachers of those schools, like you say it’s a tanker to turn around not a sail boat.

“Headteachers are doing that. There has been leadership change at those schools in the last 12 months and headteachers need time.

“Significant cultural changes are needed in those schools to secure development,” she said.

Parent governor representative Phil Williams said that a new building did not mean things would automatically improve.

Ysgol Harri Tudor was fed by high-performing primary schools and a “light should be shone” on what happens when they make the transition secondary school he said.

“Mediocrity will not be tolerated, that’s the message we need to get out there,” added Clr. Mike Stoddart.