Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I would like to thank Hannah Blythyn very much for raising this important issue for debate here this afternoon and for taking the time to highlight the excellent practice in her own constituency, and her personal commitment in showing leadership in this issue in the schools from her constituency that visit the Senedd here. And can I add, in my...
Kirsty Williams: Sixth form provision provides an important route for learners accessing post-16 education in Wales. It provides a significant option for our learners supporting guided progression into HE, further learning and employment.
Kirsty Williams: To reiterate the First Minister’s earlier reply, up-to-date advice for trips is produced by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. This advice is also signposted in the all-Wales guidance for education visits, written by the outdoor education advisers’ panel for Wales and the Health and Safety Executive. It is accessible from the Welsh Government’s website.
Kirsty Williams: Local authorities are responsible for sixth form education. When proposing change they must comply with the school organisation code, in the interest of learners, with the impact of proposals on the quality and standards of education being their prime consideration.
Kirsty Williams: I announced my plans for an extended pupil development grant in March. This investment is making a real difference to the lives of learners from deprived communities. I will continue to consider ways in which the investment can have an even greater impact on disadvantaged learners.
Kirsty Williams: The Welsh Government recognises the value of learners studying a modern foreign language and has invested in the Global Futures plan, which supports the teaching of modern foreign languages in schools, using innovative approaches and expertise from universities and language institutes.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Angela. The new, more rigorous, Welsh baccalaureate was introduced in September 2015, and I firmly believe learners in Wales will benefit from studying it. I still expect every school in Wales to deliver the Welsh bac at key stage 4 and all post-16 institutions to work towards full implementation by 2019-20.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Angela. Firstly, can I say I believe it’s important that all learners have an opportunity, at post 16, to select courses that reflect a wide range of interests and abilities and are relevant to individual circumstances? Now, in line with the recommendations from the review of qualifications, the Welsh Government continues to encourage universal adoption of the Welsh...
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank the Member for her question and observation? But, let me be absolutely clear, the Welsh baccalaureate aims to provide young people in Wales with added breadth to their learning and supports them in the acquisition of skills, which I feel are desirable both to universities and to employers. Now, the components’ flexibilities allow centres to cater for students’ individual...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Huw. I am committed to ensuring that all children and young people, including those from armed forces families, are supported to achieve their full potential, regardless of their background or personal circumstances.
Kirsty Williams: Well, Huw, first of all, can I thank you for acknowledging the good work that goes on in many of our schools in Wales to provide the necessary support for children who have family in our armed services? And I also commend the work of a number of groups, including the WLGA and the British Legion, in being able to provide a range of resources and professional learning opportunities for teachers...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Nick. The programme for government commits to providing support and services in line with the armed forces covenant, and, therefore, children of members of the armed forces will have the same standards and access to education as every other UK citizen in the area in which they live. Data continue to be an issue, both here in Wales and nationally. I’m sure that many Assembly...
Kirsty Williams: No, I do not. Estyn, the independent inspectorate, decides on their own programme of inspection regimes and, as an independent inspectorate, free of Government interference, it is up to them to set out how best they should inspect schools.
Kirsty Williams: Let’s be clear: Estyn take very seriously and consider in their reports of schools issues around attendance. We know that high levels of and regular attendance are the best things a parent can do to enhance and help their children’s education progress. As to reasons why children maybe move school, I do not believe that that is a strategic issue that we need Estyn to be looking at. If...
Kirsty Williams: Let me be absolutely clear: if a school finds itself in an amber or red category, that is not an indication that the school is failing. The categorisation system has been introduced to identify levels of support that that school needs to improve, and whilst I am working towards a situation where no school in Wales is amber or red, the Member should acknowledge that the number of schools that...
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank the Member for his questions regarding standardised testing? Let me be absolutely clear what the purpose of those assessments is about, because that’s their main purpose. It is to provide another way of assessing where a child is in their education— an independent way of doing that. And I think that provides reassurance and an important source of information for teachers,...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Llyr. Can I be absolutely clear that the primary driver for the investment in online adaptive testing is because we believe it will be more useful when it comes to assessment for learning and for raising standards? The fact that it actually reduces workload and bureaucracy for teachers is a by-product, although a welcome by-product. I understand that the issues of workload are very...
Kirsty Williams: What I will do is listen to those at the coalface who are developing this curriculum. The idea that this curriculum is being developed solely by Welsh Government and will be imposed upon the teaching profession is not how the system is being developed at the moment. Our pioneer school networks, our teachers, our learning professionals are at the heart of this process. You’re absolutely...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Darren. The first-ever teaching survey has given us a wealth of information, not just for statistics, but also qualitative and data as well, and we’re studying that at the moment. We need to ensure that we create an education system in Wales that retains our best talent within our system, but also recruits into that system our very best and brightest individuals. Therefore, as...
Kirsty Williams: I would just reiterate to the Member, again: our recruitment figure for people who are entering into courses this September is better than it was last year and out-performs the recruitment into ITE provision in England. But, of course, there is always more for us to do. The Member will be aware that the four regional consortia working together have been producing a recruitment campaign to...
