Kirsty Williams: Well, Darren, you do raise a serious point. I don’t want to turn away any talent from Wales, and if somebody has something to contribute to the Welsh education system, then I want them to be able to do that. My officials are currently reviewing the rules around what qualifications are necessary to teach in a school in Wales. Let me be absolutely clear: the rules that are currently in place...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Paul. I have set out, as Cabinet Secretary, on a number of occasions the programme of education reforms to improve education across Wales, and, of course, that does include Pembrokeshire. These include the development of a new curriculum and assessment reform, improved initial teacher education, teachers’ professional learning, building leadership capacity and reducing the...
Kirsty Williams: Paul, thank you very much for highlighting that good practice that happens in your area. As you know, because of concerns regarding the standards of education in Pembrokeshire, particularly the inability of Pembrokeshire’s high schools to improve their level 2-plus attainment rates as quickly as the Welsh average, the regional consortium has recently deployed additional advisory support...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Simon. It is true to say that the level 2-plus inclusive in Pembrokeshire has improved from 51 per cent in 2011 to just over 59 per cent in 2016, and this is an improvement in attainment of 8.3 per cent since 2011, but it is not where you or I would want Pembrokeshire to be. You’re quite right, it is the primary responsibility of the new administration to get to grips with their...
Kirsty Williams: Band A of the twenty-first century schools and education programme will see investment of over £56 million in schools in the Caerphilly county borough over the five-year period ending in 2019. Of this, over £28 million will have been spent in the Islwyn constituency.
Kirsty Williams: Well, Presiding Officer, the Member is right: this significant investment has indeed provided the learners at Islwyn High with what is a state-of-the-art school building. The new learning environment provides pupils with the best facilities, affording them the best opportunity to maximise their potential. For the teachers in the school, it provides the platform for them to drive forward...
Kirsty Williams: Diolch, Dai. History is a compulsory national curriculum subject for all learners at key stages 2 and 3. History will be included in the humanities area of learning and experience of the new curriculum, and this will give us a new opportunity to ensure that the history platform will have an enhanced Welsh dimension and an international perspective.
Kirsty Williams: Well, Dai, as I said, the curriculum reform, which I was urged earlier by your colleague to stop and slow down and pause on, gives us this new opportunity to enhance the ability to teach Welsh children about their history. As I said, the Welsh dimension in both the current and the new curriculum is an important and prominent part of the education system, and Dr Elin Jones’s report, ‘The...
Kirsty Williams: Diolch, Llyr. Universities in Wales are autonomous bodies. As such, responsibility for staffing matters rests solely with Aberystwyth University. The Welsh Government has no locus in this matter. But, of course, I understand that the university is in discussions with members of staff and the trade unions about proposals for a review of its staffing structures.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Llyr. As I’ve said, all universities, including Aberystwyth and the other institutions that you have mentioned, are autonomous bodies and, therefore, we do not have, as I have said previous, locus in this area. I am aware that the higher education sector in Wales is facing a number of challenges, not least in some institutions a failure to meet their recruitment targets for...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Huw. As you say, it’s not the only issue that we need to consider, but it is an important one. Just prior to Christmas, I hosted a quadrilateral meeting of UK Ministers who have responsibility in this area, and I repeated all the points I’ve just made to Llyr Gruffydd to Jo Johnson, the then Minister with responsibility for higher education. Who knows whether he will retain...
Kirsty Williams: Could I inform the Member that the latest forecasts show that, in 2015-16, £50 million more funding came into the Welsh HE system that went in tuition fee grants to institutions outside of Wales? Now, our Diamond reforms will help secure the future stability and the sustainability of the sector here in Wales, and my remit letter to HEFCW confirmed that I fully expect future financial...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. When reflecting on the many excellent schools that I have had the privilege to visit over the last year, it is clear to me that each benefits from high-quality leadership. Our challenge, as noted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, is to ensure a whole-system approach to leadership, and to make it a prime driver of our...
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank Darren Millar for his in principle support for the academy and a strong focus on leadership? Members will be aware that lack of support for leadership was a key component of the OECD report into the state of Welsh education in 2014, and it’s an area where not a lot of progress has been made. So, like you, Darren, I’m very anxious that progress is made as quickly as possible...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you to Llyr for his questions. With regard to the professional learning offer, I simply don’t think that, in the past, we have been able to offer our teaching profession the professional learning opportunities that are truly useful to them. There’s a balance to be struck between a national approach, making sure that every teacher, regardless of where they are in Wales, has access to...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Vikki. One of the things that the OECD told us was (1) yes, we have to do more about leadership, but, secondly, we have to get better at recognising success and celebrating success. I think, sometimes, there’s something intrinsic in the Welsh psyche—if we were Americans, we’d be shouting from the rooftops, but there’s something intrinsic about us as Welsh people not to want...
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank Michelle for her optimistic outlook on the future of school leadership in Wales? What I should have done in answer to, perhaps, some of the questions from Darren and Llyr Gruffydd, and, indeed, to Michelle—I’m sure Ann Keane, who is chairing the shadow board, would be very happy to meet with spokespeople, or indeed other Assembly Members who have an interest in this area, for...
Kirsty Williams: Deputy Presiding Officer, you want me to give short answers, but those are big questions—big, big questions. On higher-level teaching assistants, you’re quite right. They are a crucial part of our workforce, and we have seen the development of higher-level teaching assistants over the last Assembly term and we want to accelerate the number of teaching assistants that can access those...
Kirsty Williams: Well, I don’t know about a Tory policy finding its way into my agenda. I can assure the Member that this was a commitment in the Welsh Liberal Democrat manifesto a year ago, and that’s one of the reasons why I’m determined to take it forward. I think this issue about values is absolutely fundamental. One of the things that makes me proud to be the education Secretary in Wales is because...
Kirsty Williams: The roadshows will commence on 12 June. I don’t know whether the roadshow will include your own constituency, but I’m happy to provide details. Details of the roadshow will be given out via all the platforms that the Welsh Government has at its disposal, including ‘Dysg’ and including the new ‘Education Wales’ Facebook page. I would encourage Members—if they want to keep up to...
