Speaking in the Senedd Chamber during a Business Statement, Mr Mills called for a statement from the Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language on education provision in Mid Wales, following the release of the latest PISA results.

The latest results show Wales continuing to perform worse than every other UK nation in reading, mathematics and science, with Welsh pupils falling further behind their peers both elsewhere in the UK and internationally.

Mr Mills highlighted that these national failures are reflected locally, with Estyn having judged Powys County Council’s education services to be causing “significant concern”.

He also raised concerns about the impact of the UK Government decision to introduce VAT on independent school fees, which has contributed to the closure of seven independent schools in Wales over the past year, warning that these closures risk further widening the divide between different parts of the education system and increasing inequality, at a time when confidence in state education is already declining.

Following his contribution in the Senedd, David Mills MS said: "The latest PISA results should be a wake-up call for the Welsh Government, with pupils falling even further behind and performing worse than every other UK nation in reading, mathematics, and science.

"These national failures are being reflected in Powys, where Estyn has judged the Council’s education services to be causing 'significant concern', while the VAT raid on private schools has seen many closures and driven up costs, causing an even greater divide.

"The Welsh Government must put results at the heart of education, where success is gauged by measurable outcomes, and four months’ into this new government, I’d like to see them move quicker on this.”