Kirsty Williams: Can I thank the Chair of the committee for her comments? As I said in answer to Llyr Huws Gruffydd, there is no slight intended towards the work of the committee. It is the start of the financial year and schools need to know their budgets. We've had to make that announcement prior to the publication of the report. And just for clarity, many Members have been greatly exercised this afternoon...
Kirsty Williams: Can I think Vikki for that? I'm looking very much forward to the event tomorrow. What we know is that, after the quality of teaching, parental engagement in their child's education is the second biggest factor that reflects outcomes. So, we need fantastic teachers in front of our children, but we also need really supportive parents, grandparents and communities behind those children if...
Kirsty Williams: I formally move.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm really sorry this is only a half-an-hour debate, which means I only have four minutes to sum up, because there are some things where I agree very passionately with what Members have said this afternoon, and there are some things that I vehemently disagree with this afternoon. Gareth, can I be absolutely clear, there is intrinsic value in...
Kirsty Williams: Diolch yn fawr, Simon. I have had no direct discussions. It is local authorities, in this case Carmarthenshire County Council, who identify the preferred sites for their school building projects.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Simon. You'll be aware that the Welsh Government considered the outline business case for the project in April 2017 and that I gave my approval to the local authority to move forward with the business case. I am aware of the delays, but, because of the rules around planning applications, it would not be right for me or, indeed, any other Welsh Minister to comment on those plans. I...
Kirsty Williams: Well, Lee, I can confirm that all education department approvals for business cases that are submitted by local education authorities, across Wales, are not to prejudice any processes—statutory processes—that are needed. Schools in Carmarthenshire will have seen investment of £87 million in the band A programme, and a further £130 million will be invested as a result of the band B...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Darren. My intention is to publish the code before the summer recess. Subject to approval by this National Assembly for Wales, I would expect the new code to be in operation for the new academic year.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Darren. All 22 local authorities have had the opportunity to respond to the consultation. It is fair to say that some have responded more positively than others regarding my proposal to establish a list of rural schools and to ensure that there is a presumption against closure, as a starting point for local authorities. What I would say to local authorities that are...
Kirsty Williams: Darren, whilst I recognise that the new code cannot be applied retrospectively, as I have said quite clearly, my expectation is that local authorities should be working with the grain of the new code. They are well aware of my intentions and my policy intentions. Any application that is submitted by a local authority, under either the existing code or the future code, is looked at...
Kirsty Williams: I would refer you to the answer that I just gave Darren Millar. I have made it absolutely clear that my intention is to revise the current school organisation code to create a list of named rural schools and to establish a presumption against closure of those schools. Importantly, as well, with regard to rural education, we cannot just rest on our laurels by keeping institutions open....
Kirsty Williams: I would encourage all parents everywhere, if they do indeed live within walking distance of their schools, to ensure that their children use active travel measures to attend local schools. Welsh Government supports that by providing a safe routes to schools grant—it's not my grant, it is my Cabinet Secretary colleague who has resources for that—which enables—. I know in my own...
Kirsty Williams: The Member will be aware that rules regarding access to school transport are defined under the Learner Travel (Wales) Measure 2008. All children who live two miles from a primary school are entitled to local authority transport. All children attending secondary school who are three miles away from a secondary school are entitled to local authority transport.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, David. The teaching of languages is highly valued in our schools, which is why the 'Global futures' plan was published in 2015. Three years into this plan, there is continued commitment and ambition across the education system to improve the teaching and learning experiences of modern foreign languages for all of our learners.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, David. I would agree with you that there is still more work that we can do to ensure that more children take the opportunity of studying modern foreign languages at GCSE level. One of the projects that is proving particularly successful in achieving that aim, which the Welsh Government funds, is the student mentoring project run in conjunction with Cardiff, Swansea, Bangor and...
Kirsty Williams: That is indeed the question.
Kirsty Williams: Through the regional pupil development grant, we continue to invest unprecedented amounts of funding—in this case, £187 million over the next two years—to support schools across Wales to improve outcomes for our disadvantaged learners. Islwyn are benefiting from the regional allocation to the Education Achievement Service of more than £19 million per annum over this period.
Kirsty Williams: It's now called the pupil development grant, because we want to focus on the primary purpose of this grant, and that is to develop the opportunities for some of our most disadvantaged learners. What we do know, Rhianon, is that by targeting investing in our early years, with our very youngest learners, we can address the effects of deprivation on their educational outcomes even more...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Oscar, for that question. I am very keen to address the impact of disadvantage on children's education in a variety of ways, and for some families, assistance with school uniform is really important. But as we heard yesterday, in a question to the First Minister from Julie Morgan, there are other ways in which more deprived communities cannot take advantage of the full range of...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Mick. Education is just one of the means to address problem gambling. One recommendation in the Chief Medical Officer for Wales’s report was to provide those responsible for the health and well-being of children and vulnerable people with further information on the potential harm that gambling can bring.
