Kirsty Williams: First of all, can I say how sorry I was that I was unable to attend the event yesterday? But I'm very pleased that Steve Davies, the director of education in Welsh Government, was able to attend on my behalf, because we greatly appreciate the work of all voluntary organisations, faith based or non-faith based, that are committed to assisting our children. When I talk about a national mission...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Experiencing he joy of music, in all its forms, should be at the heart of every school and education setting. But we know that, for too long, learning to play an instrument has been for the few who can afford the tuition costs, and that is not acceptable. No child should ever miss out through a lack of means. Every child, regardless of their background and...
Laura Anne Jones: Education Minister, I recognise these are difficult decisions for the Government, but the Government must balance the harms and benefits of any policy. And although I see you're trying to keep our children safe, and respect that, obviously, it is, ironically, having an adverse effect on our children and they are suffering, which I've seen first hand, having a 10-year-old son of primary age...
Mark Drakeford: ...to the way in which we have been able to approach these challenging issues. The top priority for the Welsh Government remains to get our children and young people back into face-to-face education, doing it as quickly but as safely as we can, and that is why we have developed the step-by-step approach, because that is what the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, our own technical...
Kirsty Williams: Janet, you raise a very, very serious point. I want to ensure that I preside over an inclusive education system, and a system that meets the needs of all children regardless of where they live, regardless of the language of choice through which they study or, indeed, any additional learning needs or challenges they have in accessing their education. Estyn had some very serious things to say...
Kirsty Williams: I am aware that it is the policy of NAHT to have a national funding formula. At this stage, I don't believe that that's appropriate. We have a diverse education system in Wales, whether that is delivering education in a very small rural school where the costs, obviously, are higher, or delivering education to a highly deprived community, where we know we need to put additional resources in...
Kirsty Williams: So, this is a first in the FE sector. We've already produced that guidance in that sector, and now we are looking at what we can do in the schools, because, Llyr, you talked about the issue of identification. One of the problems that we have is that what more able and talented looks like in one school is different in another school, so we need to get a universally understood definition of the...
Jenny Rathbone: ...Jones said, the level of sexual harassment is so widespread that it really requires a response across society. But it really does underpin the importance of compulsory relationship and sexuality education, because young people need educating on how to keep themselves safe. These bad beasts, which we all find really convenient, parents give their children these things without realising what...
Julie Morgan: Thank you very much, and I thank the Minister for his statement. I think there’s no doubt that progress is being made. A lot of people have mentioned the issue of children being educated at a young age. Would he agree that it’s absolutely essential that this is done as young as possible, in the early stages of primary school, so that they grow up with a knowledge of what healthy...
Laura Anne Jones: I just also want to place on record our thanks to all school staff for their continued resilience and hard work, and learners too. Minister, I want to thank you for your statement today, parts of which we welcome. These have been and are incredibly tough times for learners. How we evaluate the hard work being done by our schools is of paramount importance so that we can all evaluate and see...
Kirsty Williams: Well, I certainly don’t undervalue the contribution that learning support workers bring to the Welsh education system. Many classroom teachers and headteachers tell me that their schools would not function as well as they do without the ability of those individuals in their schools to help, especially in the foundation phase. This Government is committed to expanding the number of higher...
Kirsty Williams: What I would say, Mark, is that the description of secondary learning that you've just described is not the fault of the schools, of the local education authority or even the Welsh Government. It's the fault of the fact that different schools have been hit to different levels by positive cases. There are some schools in Wales—indeed, not an insignificant number—that thankfully to date...
Laura Anne Jones: Diolch, Llywydd. Thank you, business Minister. I'd like to call for a statement by the Minister for education given the recent news and worrying news that teachers are being recorded during lessons and that the footage is being uploaded to the social media platform TikTok. It is a situation that is getting out of hand, and I'm aware of many schools now having written to parents to increase...
Sam Rowlands: But, as we do know, Minister, much of the provision and delivery of Welsh language education is largely down to our local authorities working with schools, working with regional consortia, such as GwE in north Wales. So, in light of this, what assessment have you made of the collaboration between local authorities in north Wales working with GwE, working with schools, so that they can work as...
Jeremy Miles: ...point. It's a part of our ongoing discussions with the inspectorate. He will know that the reforms that the inspectorate have undertaken in Wales have moved away the focus of accountability in schools from that single, summative judgment, which is where, often, some of the tensions have arisen, and we, I think, have seen some of the consequences of that elsewhere. What we know from those...
Elin Jones: Thank you for that question. The pandemic has made it challenging to engage with children and young people, particularly through schools and youth groups. Regulations make it impossible for us to host schools in the Senedd or to visit those schools. So, for part of the year, the team focused on creating resources that education professionals can use themselves. However, since October, we have...
Kirsty Williams: Once again, could I congratulate the immense hard work that has gone on in that new school for the improvements that they have seen? It is a testament to the dedication of the staff and the commitment of pupils and parents, and Nick Brain is to be congratulated. Huw, you have touched on the very central point of how we can drive educational change in this country and that is outstanding...
Carwyn Jones: Can I give the leader of Plaid Cymru an assurance that the education Secretary is in the process, as I said, of looking to introduce an improved grant that suits families' needs better, something which supports better access to curriculum activities and learning opportunities that might otherwise be denied to learners due to cost? A number of councils have already confirmed they will continue...
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...
Vikki Howells: It's a pleasure to rise today to speak in support of the motion. This is really important, touching on how we ensure the dignity of girls and young women in Welsh schools. Plan International UK’s data shows how far too many young women struggle to meet the cost of sanitary wear. The charity has also shown the terrible impact of this too. Nearly half of girls surveyed missed an entire day...
