Michelle Brown: Any investigation needs to be undertaken thoroughly and fairly, of course, but how will the Cabinet Secretary ensure that the investigation is conducted in a timely manner? How will the Cabinet Secretary make sure that any findings are not simply written off by the stock line that seems to be used when a public body is found to be failing our people, which is ‘lessons will be learned’?...
Michelle Brown: 8. Following the enactment of the Wales Act 2017, what further powers should be devolved to Wales? OAQ(5)0590(FM)
Michelle Brown: If we have the money to be spending on IT, wouldn’t that money be better spent on literacy and numeracy in schools, which has been failing for a while?
Michelle Brown: Okay. Thank you for your answer. I note that earlier you pledged not to increase income tax during the term of this Assembly, but will you also pledge to use your devolved powers to reduce costs to businesses, so that employers can start being attracted to Wales and providing much-needed jobs?
Michelle Brown: Thank you, Presiding Officer. Does the Cabinet Secretary agree with UKIP that parents should be able to trigger an Estyn inspection into their child’s school where they have specific concerns about the school?
Michelle Brown: Thank you for that answer. I note that Estyn doesn’t look at school drop-out rates or the opinions of parents, missing potential indicators of a problem at the school. If a parent removes a child because of a problem with the school, it could be over concerns about poor teaching or something that they’d already tried to resolve with the school. It could, of course, also be because...
Michelle Brown: Okay, thank you for that. As you’re aware, there are too many schools in the amber and red categories. Should there be a mechanism that makes it easier than it currently is for children attending a school assessed as amber or red to switch to a school that isn’t failing?
Michelle Brown: If I can just make a point about what Dawn said, fees are higher in some cases than Dawn Bowden suggested. It now costs around £1,250 for an unfair dismissal claim. Claimants are able to apply for remission of fees, but many people will need assistance doing so. Many people will also need help with issuing the claim and conducting it. The citizens advice bureau has long been a source of free...
Michelle Brown: Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. If the academy’s responsible for brokering and quality-assuring leadership programmes, it’s obviously going to need to employ staff, I don’t dispute that, but the question I want to ask, though, is what size the academy is likely to be—how many people are likely to be on the board and how many employees will it need? How will the board...
Michelle Brown: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I’d like to thank Plaid Cymru for tabling this debate. UKIP fully supports this proposal, but the question that I asked the last time this idea was discussed in this place still stands. Do we not think that more needs to be done to improve and promote the life offer available to professionals in order to have them come to north Wales or not to leave in...
Michelle Brown: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. Whilst I support the use of the latest technology in the classroom, it must always remain in a way that improves the education for the child, and doesn’t simply ease the teacher’s workload. The answer to overworked teachers should always be more teachers, not more computers. There is no substitute...
Michelle Brown: 10. What assessment has the First Minister made of the impact that last week's UK General Election will have on the Welsh Government's education policy? OAQ(5)0657(FM)
Michelle Brown: What assessment has the First Minister made of the impact that last week's UK General Election will have on the Welsh Government's education policy?
Michelle Brown: Okay. Thank you for that, First Minister. Labour’s education policies included the abolition of tuition fees and the reintroduction of maintenance grants—something that we would actually support in UKIP in respect of STEM students. Do you have any intention of implementing this in Wales?
Michelle Brown: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. I welcome your commitment to the objective of ensuring that all pupils in Wales are digitally competent by the time they leave school. In modern workplaces, there are few jobs that don’t require at least some level of competence with digital technology, and few areas of life where it does not now not...
Michelle Brown: Thank you, Presiding Officer. Can the Cabinet Secretary tell us how many primary schools feed into high schools that are in the red or amber category and how many primaries in the red and amber categories feed into high schools that are in the yellow or green categories?
Michelle Brown: Okay. Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. Schools in the amber category will receive up to 15 days’ support, with those in the red category receiving up to 25 days’ support. There’s no mention of additional resources in the guidance given to parents and schools—the additional resources being for the purposes of employing more teachers and to provide additional and upgraded...
Michelle Brown: Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. Schools will clearly benefit from the kind of advice and support you’re talking about, and I realise that improving schools is an ongoing process, which is why the lack of concrete support reflected in the guidance on the school classification system concerns me. However, there are young people who will have spent their education in either an...
Michelle Brown: I’d like to thank Paul Davies for bringing this motion, and I support the Member’s motion to introduce an autism Bill. I doubt that anyone here would disagree with the principle that the rights of people with autism should be protected and promoted. The clearest and most effective way to do that is by legislation, and it’s a great pity that the Minister will be abstaining on this motion...
Michelle Brown: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. I welcome the consultation on the reforms to post-compulsory education and training. I do have some questions. I appreciate that you may not have a firm answer right now to some of them and, if that’s the case, I’d like your assurance that the views of stakeholders will be sought on the points. I...
