Samuel Kurtz: ...in my constituency who have raised concerns that their children, because of the use of masks, can't lip read and they are facing ongoing barriers to their learning experience. In addition to losing educational time over the past 18 months because of efforts to slow the spread of the pandemic, these pupils have felt feelings of isolation. What additional support has the Welsh Government...
Samuel Kurtz: A number of governors from a vast variety of backgrounds is vital for the management of a school. Many pupils who attend educational facilities through the medium of Welsh come from homes where their parents don't speak Welsh themselves. What support is the Welsh Government providing to ensure that parents from non-Welsh-speaking homes are encouraged to stand for election as parent governors...
Samuel Kurtz: 1. What support is the Welsh Government providing to improve educational facilities in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire? OQ56710
Samuel Kurtz: Thank you, First Minister. I recently visited Cosheston VC School in my constituency, where I met with the headteacher and the chair of the governors. This is a happy school, with pupils eager to learn from enthusiastic and able teachers. However, concerns were raised with me over the lack of space available, which has been worsened due to COVID restrictions. Staff spend non-teaching time...
Samuel Kurtz: ...Minister, for your statement this afternoon. I'd like to take the opportunity to speak on what has been described by some operators as the 'forgotten sector', that being Wales's residential outdoor education centres. The industry is worth roughly £40 million to the economy, with more than 1,700 people employed. Pre-COVID, there were 44 centres in Wales, and figures in March showed that at...
Samuel Kurtz: ...advance copy of today's statement. I welcome the work that Government is doing to safeguard and develop the Welsh language for the next generation. As one who was brought up in rural Pembrokeshire, educated in a bilingual school, and who considers themselves a first-language Welsh speaker who is a little rusty, I am determined that communicating through the medium of Welsh and using the...
Samuel Kurtz: ...reduce by up to 10 per cent. That's why this afternoon's motion is so very important. Here on these benches, the Welsh Conservatives have worked with the Government to ensure that CPR is taught in schools and communities right across Wales. And I echo the warm words of Members here who've championed the work of former Member Suzy Davies on this. However, now marks the perfect opportunity...
Samuel Kurtz: ...to see an increase in the number of Welsh speakers in all parts of Wales. Often Tenby, in the middle of my constituency, is considered a traditionally Welsh-speaking community, but the Welsh-medium school, Ysgol Hafan y Môr, has been described by a local councillor as 'bursting at the seams', and Ysgol Caer Elen in Haverfordwest is also full. With the increase in demand from parents for...
Samuel Kurtz: ...of you, but, unfortunately, I didn't receive a response. You said that you want to encourage young Welsh speakers to return from university to help to teach through the medium of Welsh in our schools. I drew attention to the fact that this makes it more difficult to recruit teachers from outwith Wales, and therefore reduces the mix of skills and backgrounds that new teachers bring to our...
Samuel Kurtz: ...the importance of this afternoon's debate, it would be remiss of me not to touch on the important contributions of our Welsh-language teachers, in particular those in both primary and secondary education, who are working around the clock to deliver a first-rate Welsh-medium education to young people right across Wales—a key tool in the chest should the Welsh Government want to achieve...
Samuel Kurtz: ...yesterday. He talked about the Welsh Government's young person's guarantee, and how the Jobs Growth Wales+ programme would help to create life-changing opportunities for those who are not in education, employment or training. He also mentioned the value that supporting stronger local economies will have in helping to sustain the Welsh language amongst young people in rural Wales in...
Samuel Kurtz: ...Nature scheme, and I look forward to increasing access to and enjoyment of nature and our rural areas for a wider Welsh audience. I remember as a child having the countryside code taught to me in school, and I am sure you did, as did many others in this Chamber. It provided advice on how to make sure that our enjoyment of the countryside did not impact on wildlife and livestock, and helped...
Samuel Kurtz: ...to teach to a certain degree through the medium of Welsh. For the benefit of the pupil, we need high-quality teachers here in Wales, with a wide broad range of experiences and backgrounds, in our schools. In areas such as south-east Wales, where staff are often recruited or even commute from over the border in England, the need for Welsh-medium skills could be a barrier to recruitment. Can...
Samuel Kurtz: ..., not unlike those Members of this Chamber who choose to attend Plenary meetings via Zoom. Often, these young professionals can return with the Welsh language and children who would attend local schools. We need to focus on improving work opportunities for young people in traditionally Welsh-speaking areas.
Samuel Kurtz: ...Minister. I recently met with representatives of Dezza's Cabin, a charity set up following the tragic suicide of Derek Brundrett, a pupil at Ysgol Harri Tudur, formerly Pembroke comprehensive school, back in 2013. The charity aims to provide support to reduce the suicide and self-harm risk in young people, as well as offering signposting for mental health support services. Will you join me...
Samuel Kurtz: I'm grateful to the Minister for her statement. I was fortunate enough to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau as a teenager through my school. The stillness and silence that enveloped the concentration camp, the lack of colour or joy and the weight of the atrocities that were allowed to happen there are all memories that will live with me forever. Elie Wiesel, a Jewish Auschwitz survivor who went on to...
Samuel Kurtz: —and teaching aids and resource material. The Lessons from Auschwitz project that the Minister mentioned in her statement allows two post-16 students from every school and college in the country to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau. In commemorating Holocaust Memorial Day and the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau on 27 January 1945, we bear witness to those who endured genocide and honour the...
Samuel Kurtz: Will the Minister provide an update on the funding opportunities available to rural schools in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire?
Samuel Kurtz: ...Minister. In his annual report, the Welsh Language Commissioner has identified a great frustration with the increase in rules around Welsh language standards and the sluggish change in Welsh-medium education. Indeed, the Labour Member for Blaenau Gwent in the committee said:
Samuel Kurtz: ...of my final question, I'd just like to declare an interest as a member of Pembrokeshire County Council, and it's an issue that I've raised before within the Chamber. It's regarding Cosheston VC School in my own constituency of Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, which has faced ongoing difficulties relating to lack of space, which have worsened due to COVID-19. Following an issue I...
