Nick Bourne

The Welsh Conservatives have unveiled their latest set of education policies - with a pledge to change the way in which schools are inspected.

Unveiling their proposals on Tuesday, the party said there should be a shorter notification of inspection dates.

Such a move would provide a clearer picture of the state of education in Wales, said the Tories.

Other measures would give schools more power over pupil exclusions, while there would also be an audit of all higher education courses in Wales.

A study of where graduates find work would identify shortages in the higher education sector.

The party is also committed to ruling out university top-up fees in Wales and England, and to abolishing the Welsh baccalaureate qualification.

"These policies have been considered very carefully and after consultation with educational experts," said Welsh Conservative education spokesman David Davies.

"They meet the needs of education in Wales at a time when the role of the teaching profession is being undermined by the bureaucratic burden placed upon them by the Labour government."

Nick Bourne, who leads the Tories in the Welsh assembly, said that the education framework had to be set by central government, there was scope to ensure that "schools are set free from the shackles of endless government red tape".

"Schools should be run by teachers, not politicians," he added.