Rhianon Passmore: Will the First Minister provide an update on the progress of the 21st century schools programme in Islwyn?
Rhianon Passmore: ...the people of Islwyn, to rise to give the first short debate of this fifth Assembly by an Assembly Member elected in May 2016. As a former teacher, lecturer and former cabinet member for education in local government it comes as no surprise that I have decided to focus this debate on the greatest issue that this home of Welsh democracy is responsible for—education. Llywydd, I am grateful...
Rhianon Passmore: I would like to take this opportunity to personally and formally welcome the Cabinet Secretary for Education to her role on behalf of the people of Islwyn. I wish her well in her vital role and she should know that she will have my support in ensuring that we leave no child behind in our drive to lift educational outcomes. ‘Education is “the guardian genius of our democracy.” Nothing...
Rhianon Passmore: Thank you for that. The most recent school census shows the average infant class size in Wales was 25.4 pupils. What action will the Welsh Government take to ensure that infant class sizes in Islwyn are reduced to 25, as reducing infant class sizes is an important issue for parents and can have a positive effect on teachers’ workload? And when does the Cabinet Secretary believe the target...
Rhianon Passmore: This motion truly does go to the heart of what UKIP is really about, which is selection and segregation. Circular 10/65 is an important landmark that shaped education in this country in the second half of the twentieth century. Fifty-one years later, it still stands as one of the defining progressive achievements of the radical 1964-1970 Wilson Labour Government, and we will talk about a few...
Rhianon Passmore: ...‘pretty woeful’. We’ve heard those words already—pretty woeful. I know that the members of UKIP would like us to live in Michael Gove’s world and his parallel universe. That former Tory education Secretary declared earlier this year, ‘I think people in this country have had enough of experts.’ Well, let me tell this Chamber that the people of Wales who are passionate about...
Rhianon Passmore: Could you clarify your position through this motion in terms of Welsh-medium grammar schools?
Rhianon Passmore: ...thank you, Vikki. As a former teacher, I’m grateful to the Member for Cynon Valley for raising this important issue, and I fully support the Welsh Government’s commitment to promoting outdoor education throughout the foundation phase. In my constituency, it’s amazing facilities such as the Cwmcarn Forest Drive and Ynys Hywel Outdoor Activity Centre that enable school groups to...
Rhianon Passmore: 8. Will the First Minister make a statement on the difference the pupil deprivation grant is making to educational outcomes in Islwyn? OAQ(5)0214(FM)
Rhianon Passmore: Thank you, First Minister. Statistics recently released show a further increase in the proportion of learners eligible for free school meals achieving five good GCSEs, including mathematics and English or Welsh first language. This represents the best performance yet by our disadvantaged learners and, for the second year, the attainment gap between children and young people receiving free...
Rhianon Passmore: Will the Minister make a statement on the steps the Welsh Government is taking to ensure our schools are inclusive environments?
Rhianon Passmore: Will the Minister make a statement on the steps the Welsh Government is taking to ensure our schools are inclusive environments?
Rhianon Passmore: Will the First Minister make a statement on current broadband speeds for schools in Islwyn?
Rhianon Passmore: Will the Cabinet Secretary outline the educational support the Welsh Government is providing to pupils in areas of economic deprivation within Islwyn?
Rhianon Passmore: ...Welsh Government of the new £36 million fund to address infant class sizes. Nobody can seriously argue—apart from one or two Members present—that it is desirable that 7.6 per cent of infants school pupils in Wales are in classes of more than 30. That is 8,196 young children vying for the attention and support of their teachers and teaching assistants in a packed classroom. Estyn have...
Rhianon Passmore: Last year, the Welsh Government published data that showed persistent school absence at its best-ever recorded level, and it’s well known the correlation between attendance and attainment, on many levels. The Cabinet Secretary’s predecessor reported that the Welsh Labour Government had introduced a series of measures in recent years to address school attendance, including for those pupils...
Rhianon Passmore: ...reforms, such as Donaldson’s creative ‘Successful Futures’ curriculum, which has been mentioned, to enrich classroom and individual access to the arts curriculum; the pioneer creative schools and pathways co-ordinators and the lead practitioners; the ambitious artists in schools projects; the co-constructed funding initiatives, such as the ‘Creative Learning through the Arts’...
Rhianon Passmore: ...play can be seen by our short but important inquiry. To aid better implementation and to help the Welsh Government improve its approach to the national and local strategies, delivery plans and educational provision, we can act as a critical friend who can offer advice and recommendations. It is testimony to this work that none of the 15 recommendations were rejected. Twelve of the...
Rhianon Passmore: ...with. Two centuries later, on St David’s Day last week, girls wore this costume with pride, alongside the rugby shirts, and alongside the variety of costumes all over Wales. This church and the educational mandate that Augusta endowed in Abercarn in Islwyn is known locally as the ‘Welsh church’ and I’m proud to say that I got married in it. It still proudly stands on the sides of...
Rhianon Passmore: ...of Catatonia—and I promise I won’t sing it—‘Every day, when I wake up, I thank the Lord that I am Welsh’ because I served in local government as a teacher, and in Wales, under Labour, school buildings are being radically improved with a £2 billion twenty-first century school building programme—the biggest school building programme Wales has ever seen, after years of...
