Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Well, I'm sure colleagues who have stayed to listen to the short debate this afternoon will agree with me that Suzy Davies's decision to retire from the Senedd is a real loss—it's a real loss to our work here, and I'd like to put on record my thanks to Suzy Davies for her service, not just to the people of South Wales West but the service to her nation....
Kirsty Williams: Last year, as part of my ongoing commitment to international languages, I agreed a further funding round for the Global Futures programme. This funding has resulted in centres of excellence where schools work in partnership with universities and partners to improve the teaching and learning of modern foreign languages across our nation. It also provides funding for the regional consortia to...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Mark. I recognise that the uncertainty arising from the circumstances we are facing as a result of the current pandemic is particularly challenging for children and young people with additional learning needs, including autism. I remain committed to supporting learners, parents and carers during this extremely difficult time.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Mark. Quite rightly, as you identify, schools continue to provide education on site for vulnerable children and children of critical workers. The two are mutually exclusive; you do not need to be a child with additional learning needs and the child of a key worker to access that provision. And I am very grateful to all of those involved in our special schools and our pupil referral...
Kirsty Williams: The disruption to schools has had a significant impact on learners’ progression, health and well-being and confidence. It has affected some more than others, particularly examination cohorts, early years, and our disadvantaged learners. We are working with partners to develop a sustainable and resilient approach to promoting learning in the coming years and addressing the interruptions.
Kirsty Williams: Well, I think it's important to recognise that all children will have had a COVID experience and their learning interrupted, and therefore, we will need an approach that supports all of our learners, but we also recognise that some parts of the cohort, as I said in my original answer, will have particular challenges, and indeed some individual children will have challenges that we will need...
Kirsty Williams: Yes, indeed, David. Yesterday, the WJEC published further information as to how grades will be designated by schools and colleges. It is designed to be as flexible as possible, and to ensure that the different experiences that children will have can be adequately accounted for in that process. So, for instance, if I could give you an example: it does not designate, for instance, how many...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Suzy. The guidance was shared with our trade union partners on Friday of last week, and we have been working with them in the meantime to ensure that the guidance meets their satisfactions, and to work with them rather than issuing guidance and then only having to retract it as a result of comments that are made by the profession. I have been very keen to release that guidance as...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Suzy. There is indeed a real enthusiasm from the trade union side and local education authorities to look to prioritise examination years, for exactly the reasons that you have outlined. Teachers would like those children back to as much face-to-face provision as possible, so that those assessments and that work around assessment can be carried out. I want to give reassurance: the...
Kirsty Williams: Well, finance for recovery is in addition to usual school budgets and, in this financial year, we have invested £29 million in our recruit, recover and raise standards fund, and additional moneys for examination cohorts, as well as additional moneys for the production of support material for examination cohorts. I always take every opportunity to maximise funding to the ALN system,...
Kirsty Williams: The decision to put relationship and sexuality education on the face of the Bill is as a result of the recommendation by the independent review that I set up as the Minister. The inclusion of making sure that, in setting the curriculum, schools have regard for mental health and well-being is perfectly in line with the policy direction of this Government to ensure a whole-school approach. So,...
Kirsty Williams: It will be compulsory under the terms of the new Curriculum for Wales for both Welsh history and black and minority history to be taught in our schools. That is because they are outlined in our 'what matters' statement, which is a statutory part of the curriculum.
Kirsty Williams: Siân Gwenllian is right; these subjects must be taught in Welsh schools, and they will be taught in Welsh schools—[Interruption.] No, if you let me finish, Siân Gwenllian—they will be taught in Welsh schools because they are included in the 'what matters' statements, which are a mandatory part of the curriculum. I'm sure Siân Gwenllian knows the meaning of the word 'mandatory'. They...
Kirsty Williams: The range of measures to support learning include extensive professional learning, significant investment in devices and the £29 million accelerating learning programme. Schools in Rhondda Cynon Taf have received over £2.3 million from that £29 million investment and an allocation of over £358,000 from the £7 million fund to support coaching and mentoring for examination years.
Kirsty Williams: The Welsh Government's budget for 2021-22 includes £4.85 million for the school holiday enrichment programme. This represents a £2.15 million increase on the amount that was available in the previous year. We believe that this will allow us to fund places for up to 14,000 children in Wales. We continue to work with the Welsh Local Government Association, who manage the programme with us, to...
Kirsty Williams: I am very pleased with the significant progress of the coleg Cymraeg since the publication of the ambitious and robust action plan. Over 100 additional learners have been supported, and much-needed health and social care resources have been created. The next Prentis-Iaith language modules are also in development after the first level surpassed all of our expectations.
Kirsty Williams: I've provided the coleg with over £0.5 million this year for a range of projects, and strategic projects have been extended to all colleges in the priority areas of health and social care and childcare and public services. Because you're absolutely right; we need to make sure that we have the workforce with the linguistic skills to meet the needs of all communities and citizens in Wales....
Kirsty Williams: I can confirm that discussions have been ongoing between the Welsh language division, the further education and apprenticeship division and finance officials to further explore what more we can do to support the important work of the coleg.
Kirsty Williams: As I said earlier, the disruption to schools has had a significant impact on learners' progression, health and well-being and confidence. It has affected some more than others—particularly those that are in the examination cohorts, the early years, and those that are disadvantaged in some way. We are working with our partners to develop a sustainable and resilient approach to promoting...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Nick, for your recognition of the real challenges that families have been facing at this time. I don't think anybody has not found home schooling or supporting remote learning at home particularly challenging. I'll hold my hands up myself; it is really, really difficult to do, and if you are working yourself, then it is particularly challenging. I want to say thank you to parents...
