Kirsty Williams: Then, turning to amendments 2 and 4, which are related to the issue of menstrual health. Can I thank Suzy Davies and Jenny Rathbone for their comments in the debate today about the importance of ensuring that all of our children, both boys and girls, are well educated and have the information that they need to understand this perfectly natural process? For too many years and for too many...
Kirsty Williams: If I can therefore then turn to the other amendments in the group, can I ask the Senedd to resist amendment 41? There is a strong focus on developing healthy relationships in the new curriculum, and becoming healthy, confident individuals is of course one of the four purposes of our new curriculum, to enable learners to develop those healthy relationships that are so fundamental to all of us....
Kirsty Williams: High quality RSE has a vital role to play in supporting learners in recognising healthy, safe relationships and understanding, and developing respect for, differences between people, and the diversity of relationships that we see reflected around us in a modern Wales. Now, RSE will gradually enable our children and young people to develop an understanding of the importance of those...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Presiding Officer, for that. And can I thank Siân Gwenllian for opening this group of amendments' debate, and also for Siân's support in the previous group, which has been steadfast throughout this entire process? So, I'm grateful to Siân and Plaid Cymru for their commitment in that regard. Can I start with amendment 43? I urge Members to resist this amendment. As I have...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Presiding Officer. I was very pleased to be able to respond positively to the CYPE committee's recommendation to make English compulsory from seven to 16, while Welsh remains compulsory from three to 16. In Stage 2, I laid Government amendments that will allow the practice of Welsh immersion education to continue without any disapplication process. I also laid an amendment that...
Kirsty Williams: Extra guidance for teaching Welsh already exists in the literacy framework, and this can be used by teachers in Welsh-medium schools to teach Welsh. It is clear to me, and this is where I agree with Siân Gwenllian, that the main issue here is not the teaching of Welsh, as such, but an improvement in the teaching of Welsh in some of our English-medium and bilingual schools, and I have...
Kirsty Williams: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Amendments 30 and 32 are minor and technical changes to update the Bill. I have introduced amendment 33 to amend section 68 of the Bill. As drafted, the Bill does not allow regulations to modify the Bill's provisions when applying them to detained children and young persons. Given their circumstances, some modifications could be necessary. This minor amendment will...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Presiding Officer, and thank you to Suzy Davies. I would ask Members to resist amendments 5 and 7. I am very well aware and very sympathetic to the pressures that schools are under at the moment and the massive impact that COVID has had on their operations and their ability to teach as they would like. The priorities for us going forward, as part of our learning recovery, are to...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Presiding Officer, and can I, first of all, thank Siân Gwenllian for her recognition of the immense amount of work that has gone into this part of the curriculum, and for her and Plaid Cymru's understanding about why these lessons are so necessary if we're to fulfil the purposes of our curriculum? It is absolutely right that children learn about and are ready to enter...
Kirsty Williams: However, I would draw Members attention to data provided to me by the Catholic Education Service, where we have been advised that the number of pupils previously withdrawn from denominational RE in 2020 was just one. So, the anticipated extra costs of this proposed change should be minimal. My officials will, however, continue to monitor the position over the coming years, working closely...
Kirsty Williams: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. I am very pleased to introduce amendment 31, which places a duty to promote knowledge and understanding of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for those who provide teaching and learning for a curriculum created under this Bill. The duty will fall jointly on governing...
Kirsty Williams: Formally.
Kirsty Williams: Formally.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you. You had me slightly concerned there for a minute, Llywydd. I formally move.
Kirsty Williams: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. The twenty-first century schools and colleges programme is the biggest investment in our education estate since the 1960s, having already seen £1.5 billion investment to improve the learning environment for our children and young people. And since its launch in 2014, it's seen the delivery of 170 new or refurbishment projects under the first wave of the investment,...
Kirsty Williams: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. I formally move the motion. I would like to begin by thanking the Chairs and members of the Children, Young People and Education Committee, the Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee, and the Finance Committee, as well as other Members who have contributed to the scrutiny of this historic Bill. Thank you also to the Commission staff for their conscientious...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much. Can I thank those who have contributed this afternoon? I'm disappointed to hear that Suzy Davies is not able to join the session this afternoon, because I know that she has worked incredibly hard on this Bill, and I know that she's been fully committed to the scrutiny process. And, as I said in opening my comments today, I think we have a better Bill as a result of the...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I have been absolutely privileged, during my time as the education Minister, to see the improvement in the educational settings for our children and young people throughout our country delivered through the twenty-first century schools and colleges programme. Over this term, we have successfully delivered the first wave of £1.4 billion of...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Suzy, for that. Good to see you back. Can we say we missed you very much last week in our debate on the curriculum and assessment Bill, given all your hard work in scrutinising that Bill? Can I say you're correct in that there are some outlying projects that were initially earmarked for band A of the programme? There are specific circumstances in each case. Any commitment...
Kirsty Williams: Again, you make a good point around greater transparency between new build and refurbishment. It's really important that we stress once again that the project allows for both. Sometimes, there is a misapprehension that the only way to draw down twenty-first century schools money is to have a new building. That's not the case. The programme also allows for the refurbishment of existing...
