Kirsty Williams: Well, the Member is right; we need to identify and support teachers in all their professional development needs. If I can be slightly breaking the rules as well this afternoon, as we all seem to be doing, Siân Gwenllian did raise the issue of initial teacher education and those students who will be on placement. Members here will know that ITE students need to complete a certain number of...
Kirsty Williams: High-quality relationship and sexuality education has an important role to play in supporting learners in recognising healthy, safe relationships and understanding that. That's why relationship and sexuality education will be a mandatory part of our new curriculum.
Kirsty Williams: Can I, alongside Vikki, commend the work and the Spectrum project? Quite often in this Chamber we debate the issue of domestic violence and our response to domestic violence. One of the most effective things that we can do is to ensure that all of our children, no matter who they are, where they're from, understand what a healthy relationship looks like, understand their responsibilities in a...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Mark. I am committed to ensuring an inclusive education system, in which all of our learners are effectively supported to overcome barriers to learning. Our ambitious additional learning needs reforms will drive improvements and raise awareness of ALN to ensure that all of our learners can achieve their full potential.
Kirsty Williams: Well, Mark, quite rightly, as you said, local authorities have a statutory responsibility for the preparation of an accessibility strategy for their entire educational estate, and schools themselves have a similar statutory responsibility. These strategies and plans must be prepared, implemented, reviewed and renewed every three years, and it's very—I'm appalled by the situation that you've...
Kirsty Williams: With the four purposes at its heart, our new curriculum will provide learners with the life skills necessary to be healthy, ethical and engaged citizens. The curriculum's integral skills will help equip them to meet life challenges, adapt to change and apply new learning and skills throughout their lives.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'd like to start today by thanking our teachers, teaching assistants, childcare workers, lecturers, and all the staff involved in education in Wales. I am enormously grateful for the way in which everyone has responded to the challenge of this pandemic. Diolch o galon. You have truly been national heroes. This is a very challenging time for all...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Suzy, for those questions. You're absolutely right: the efforts of local government staff should not go unmentioned. I meet on a weekly basis with the leadership of the WLGA, both the leader and the education lead, and we keep in close contact to ensure that we are working in close harmony together. So, I have assurance about the performance of local authorities and they have an...
Kirsty Williams: Sorry, forgive me, Suzy. With regard to Hwb, that is being rolled out to FE learners. I think that process is near complete, and so those resources are available for those learners. With regard to the PCET Bill, as you've just outlined, Suzy, the contribution of both FE and HE and work-based learning to the future of the Welsh economy as we emerge from this—not just a public health...
Kirsty Williams: The number of vulnerable children who are eligible to attend our hubs has been low, but I am pleased to report that since the end of what would have been the traditional Easter recess, we have seen an increase in those numbers, and we will continue to work across Government and with our local authorities to ensure that all parents are aware of the support that is available to them. We have...
Kirsty Williams: Certainly. The information I have from the chief medical officer is that we have one case of Kawasaki disease in a child in Wales. It is important to recognise that this significant inflammatory but very serious condition is incredibly rare, but we do need to take that into consideration. That's why advice has been given to all 111 call handlers that, if a parent is telephoning about a...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Jayne. You'll be aware that yesterday I published the five principles that would aid my thinking with regard to what the next phase of education in Wales will look like during this pandemic, recognising that over 500 schools and settings are open every day already. The first of those principles is the safety, the mental, emotional and physical well-being of the staff in those...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you. I published an open letter to the supply teaching workforce on 1 April, and the content of that letter is available on the Welsh Government website. Rhun is absolutely right: our supply teaching workforce is an important part of the education family, and our advice to local authorities and individual schools is clear—if they are struggling to staff their hubs at this time, I...
Kirsty Williams: We are urging all local authorities to ensure that they have specialist provision available, and the vast, vast majority of them do. We are very clear that there should be specialist provision in place to meet the needs of parents, and that has been successfully done in many areas. But also, let us be clear that, even where a child has a statement of special educational needs and a care and...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Huw, and I would associate myself with those comments. We were able to make an additional £7 million available to local authorities to ensure that free school meal children were supported over the Easter holidays, and we have made a further £33 million available to take us through either to when schools open or to the start of the new academic year. It is £19.50, which is above...
Kirsty Williams: As I said earlier, we've made £2 million available to the FE sector to support mental health initiatives for students. Clearly, they're having to deliver those in different ways than they had originally planned, but that money is safe and secure, and is available for them to use. With regard to planning for what the next phase of education looks like, then I can assure you that we have a...
Kirsty Williams: Deputy Presiding Officer, I think I have, in previous answers to colleagues this afternoon, addressed some of the points that Mr Asghar has raised. I would just repeat: with regard to qualifications, Qualifications Wales are very clear on their website about how they will award vocational qualifications. Where a calculated grade is possible, that will happen. Where calculation is not...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Helen Mary Jones, for the question. I'm very proud that our universities have all stepped up in the fight against COVID-19, and their contribution to research, innovation, skills and employment will be vital for our economic recovery as a nation. We've taken steps to provide practical support to the sector, and we will continue to do so.
Kirsty Williams: Indeed, and Helen Mary is correct to say that universities will need to be there to help us climb our way out of this economic emergency. As we've said before, this is an economic emergency as well as a public health one. We have published a policy statement outlining the actions that we are taking to support financial pressures. We've provided an indicative annual grant to the Higher...
Kirsty Williams: David, you're right: we have to be particularly concerned about the impact on research. We know that the fees from international students have often gone a long way in providing support for research activities in our universities. Earlier today, I was very pleased to announce in excess of £1 million to further support the Sêr Cymru programme in supporting research in a direct response to...
