Llyr Gruffydd: .... And we all recognise, I’m sure, that a lot has happened in terms of legislation and strategies, but I think the time now is for a more relentless focus on the outcomes that we are looking for. Education, of course, being one of those that has already been highlighted and how well looked-after children do in school, and whether they go on to further training or employment as well, of...
Llyr Gruffydd: Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Can I welcome the Cabinet Secretary to her first education questions? I’ll start by asking her to confirm, maybe, once and for all to the Chamber, that the funding for the class-sizes policy, which we’ve just been discussing and which you’re committed to, will be delivered separately to the £100 million education promise that was made by the Labour party at the...
Llyr Gruffydd: ...have expressed a concern with regard to the lack of clarity there. Maybe you could give us, therefore, some clarity around the regional consortia, which continue to divide opinion within the education sector. Your Liberal Democrat manifesto committed to abolishing those bodies, while the Labour manifesto supported their continuation. So, could you maybe give an indication which party...
Llyr Gruffydd: ..., given the introduction of the Well-being of Future Generations Act 2015, shouldn’t there be a requirement on all buildings erected using public funding, and, in this case, twenty-first century schools, to be using all possible opportunities in terms of renewable energies?
Llyr Gruffydd: ...and regulations in place for service providers and for adults and children, and that in itself is quite an undertaking. But, of course, that includes, as you say, some of those who choose to home-school their children. Now, I’d like to know what else you need to allow you to make a decision on this, because, of course, we’ve had two consultations—one during the term of the last...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for your statement. I should probably declare an interest as a school governor at the beginning here. It is a very broad-ranging statement and I’ll try and be precise, and I’m sure the Deputy Presiding Officer will tell me if I’m not. You make early reference to the pioneer schools in your statement. A number of teachers and schools who are part of the...
Llyr Gruffydd: ...many people was that weren’t alternative arrangements in place immediately after the company went bust. There are still people who can’t travel to work in Wrexham and can’t travel to education in Wrexham because of those services lost. That isn’t good enough, is it?
Llyr Gruffydd: It’s generally recognised, of course, that getting graduate level practitioners into early years settings has a very positive impact, as I’m sure you know, on the educational outcomes of those early years. The Government drafted, of course, back in 2014 its 10-year workforce plan on early years childcare and play. Can you tell us when that is likely to see the light of day, because in...
Llyr Gruffydd: .... But I think the real challenge is to ensure that we emerge stronger at the other end than we are at present in terms of our economy here in Wales. As the shadow Minister with responsibility for education and skills and so on, it is clear that we must make full use of the potential we have in Wales to build a stronger economy on those firm foundations in terms of creativity, innovation,...
Llyr Gruffydd: ...report and the recommendations therein, and the Plaid Cymru manifesto for the recent elections did outline some of the specific aspects of what we believe is needed to strengthen initial teacher education and continuous professional development. I assume that you are not veering from the views taken by the previous Government, which accepted all of the recommendations of the Furlong...
Llyr Gruffydd: ...note that it is now three years since the publication of Professor Sioned Davies’s report, commissioned by the Welsh Government, on the situation of Welsh as a second language in English-medium schools. The report’s conclusion, of course, was that it was the eleventh hour for Welsh second language. The report stated that the attainment levels of pupils was lower than in any other...
Llyr Gruffydd: Plaid Cymru and I are of the view that this is unacceptable. Educators within the sector are of the opinion that it is unacceptable, and, indeed, the Welsh Government policy itself states that this is unacceptable. So let us now take serious, determined steps to create this one Welsh-medium continuum. It’s not enough on its own, of course, but it is a key part of a broader strategy. If we...
Llyr Gruffydd: ...perhaps there hasn’t been enough focus on the learner—in terms of the motion, but more broadly, too. But, of course, what I see is the Robert Hill report in 2013 stating that only in around one school in 10 do pupils make excellent progress in acquiring Welsh second language skills. And that was even before Professor Sioned Davies’s report. Well, that regime is letting learners down,...
Llyr Gruffydd: I applaud the contribution of the Chair of the education committee. She’s perfectly right to underline the fact that the proponents of grammar schools for reasons of enhanced social mobility seem to be stubbornly resistant to the facts. You seem obsessed with the situation in England. Let’s look at the facts in England, because there less than 3 per cent of all pupils who go into grammar...
Llyr Gruffydd: We can forget the 11-plus exam, we’ve got 11-plus different attitudes towards grammar schools just on these Conservative benches here, right. You know, you can call yourselves an opposition party—you’re an imitation party, I have to say, aping and imitating UKIP on too many policies as far as I’m concerned. Let’s be clear on this one, right. Research shows that, where there are...
Llyr Gruffydd: .... I would like to ask you, perhaps, to say a little about how you feel these recommendations can assist Government in promoting that equality that we all want to see between vocational and academic education. There is a need for a regime that is portable too, so that, wherever you study, the support can follow you. Diamond is entirely clear, whether it is in Wales, the UK or, in the...
Llyr Gruffydd: Thank you, Llywydd. You will be aware, I’m sure, Cabinet Secretary, that recent Research by the National Union of Teachers Cymru has revealed that teachers in Wales had lost up to 52,000 school days last year because of sickness as a result of pressures of work. It seems that 12 local authorities in Wales have recorded an increase in absence because of stress, and the research estimates...
Llyr Gruffydd: ...about having a dialogue later in the year. But the fact of the matter is that teachers and headteachers are facing those challenges and stresses now. I don’t know if you’re aware, but in one education authority in Wales, just since the start of the year, three headteachers have suffered strokes because of the pressures of work. That is not acceptable. It won’t be much comfort to many...
Llyr Gruffydd: .... What are the experts saying? We as politicians often like to say when we discuss health policy, ‘Well, it’s important that we listen to the voice of the doctors and nurses’. When we discuss education, ‘Well, it’s important that we listen to our teachers.’ The Cabinet Secretary for Education said that just an hour and a half ago when we were discussing the reduction in class...
Llyr Gruffydd: ...be introduced over the next few years. One concern that’s been expressed, of course, is a lack of time within the academic year, as it’s currently structured, to train and prepare teachers and educators to take full advantage of these frameworks. Given that there’s only around 5 days available for training within a year for teachers, how do you intend to ensure that they are armed to...
