Kirsty Williams: Could I thank Dafydd Elis-Thomas for his comments? I will, indeed, give due consideration to the most appropriate legislative formats that we can pursue. I think there is merit in looking at a draft Bill, and I will want to give this institution—to pay it all due respect and give every opportunity for colleagues across the Chamber to play a part in developing the policy further. Can I also...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you for that, Suzy. The advantage of having this single body is that we can plan strategically and we can address gaps, as I said. And one of the gaps that we have at present, I believe, is a gap in Welsh-medium provision. We know that there is a growing demand for people who have skills in the Welsh language in a whole variety of areas. I’m particularly interested in, as is my...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. If I may make a few brief remarks regarding the regulations that are before the Chamber today, Wales remains at the forefront of ensuring greater coherence and recognising the contribution that the whole education workforce makes to learner outcomes in Wales. I am sure that Members will agree that the registration of the wider educational workforce is good...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you for that, Dawn, and I would welcome very much indeed the approach that’s been taken by some of the councils that you’ve outlined, and there are others in Wales that have taken that. Welsh Government recognises that some of the people that we’re requiring to register are paid at a lower level, hence the nature of the regulations—that we have tried to subsidise those on the...
Kirsty Williams: We have discussed how education and CAMHS joint working can be improved, to help children and young people who require emotional support. We will continue to maximise opportunities to improve the health and well-being of children through the development of the new curriculum and through the school inspection programme.
Kirsty Williams: Any form of violence or abuse against staff in our schools is unacceptable. The legal responsibility and thus accountability for health and safety lies with employers. Schools should have a written policy setting out explicit standards of behaviour for everyone in the school.
Kirsty Williams: Through the Learning in Digital Wales programme, Welsh Government delivers a range of activities supporting digital technologies in primary schools. We provide centrally funded digital tools and resources through the Hwb platform and have significantly invested in broadband connectivity. However, schools have delegated control to select appropriate digital technologies for learners.
Kirsty Williams: Good afternoon, Angela. The ‘All Wales Attendance Framework’ provides standards and guidance for practitioners in improving school attendance across Wales.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Angela, for raising that point. As you said, both of us would agree that the best thing that we can do for our children’s education is ensure that they attend school on a regular basis. And there’s a direct correlation between regular attendance at schools and outcomes, although, sometimes, it is absolutely necessary for a child to stay at home if they are unwell. And we would...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Rhianon. As you say, I’m very pleased to acknowledge that the latest data shows that absenteeism from our primary schools remains at the lowest level since the Welsh Government started to collect these figures, and attendance at secondary school continues to improve all the time. And the biggest improvements have, indeed, been for those children who are on free school meals....
Kirsty Williams: Thank you for that, Llyr. As you’ll be aware, this report has been done by people independent of Government but was commissioned by Government. If interested parties had been hoping that the task and finish group would produce a definitive answer to the issue of a single supply model, then I accept that the report does not do that. In meeting with the chair of that group, they have said...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Llyr. What the report does not show is that we have a difficulty in providing supply teachers. Interestingly, the report shows us a picture of supply teaching that perhaps some people would find unusual, where a great number of teachers that are employed on a supply basis are not for one, two or three days to cover absence or to cover the continuous professional development of a...
Kirsty Williams: Well, I certainly don’t undervalue the contribution that learning support workers bring to the Welsh education system. Many classroom teachers and headteachers tell me that their schools would not function as well as they do without the ability of those individuals in their schools to help, especially in the foundation phase. This Government is committed to expanding the number of higher...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Darren. It is concerning to read the chief inspector’s comments regarding the consistency of excellent teaching across Wales. There are some excellent practitioners, but too often there is a level of variability that I do not think is acceptable. I want every child in Wales, regardless of where they are studying, regardless of which school they attend, regardless of which class...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Darren. It’s not just pupils who attend pupil referral units we have to be concerned about, it’s all children who receive their education other than at school. You will know that Ann Keane is chairing a group that is looking at EOTAS provision to ensure that we will see the improvements that we need in EOTAS, whether that’s in a PRU or in another particular setting, and we...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Darren. You’re quite right; PISA and Estyn raised concerns about what we’re doing for our more able and talented children. We need to ensure that our teachers are equipped with the ability to differentiate within the classroom so that they are able to provide lessons in a way that stretches our more able and talented. Working closely with my colleague, the Minister for...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you for that question. The good news from the publication of the schools categorisation data last week shows that the number of schools moving out of red categorisation is improving. We have fewer schools in a red categorisation than we have ever had, and that is down to the hard work and commitment of headteachers, individual classroom teachers, and governing bodies who support those...
Kirsty Williams: I do not have the data to hand, but I'm happy to supply those data to the Member. As I have said in answer to a question to Darren Millar, I expect all our schools, wherever a child happens to be, to be excellent schools. The data from the schools categorisation process show that the number of schools entering into a yellow or green category is improving. There are more Welsh children going...
Kirsty Williams: The categorisation is an indication of how much level of support a school can expect to receive, and that will be regardless of the size of the school. My expectation is that the regional consortia, our school improvement service, work closely with the headteacher and the governing body of said school to ensure that there’s a package of support that is relevant. But the size of the school...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Mike. Band A of the twenty-first century schools and education programme will see an investment of over £51 million in schools in Swansea over the five-year period ending 2019. Of this, over £34 million will have been spent in the Swansea East constituency.
