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...
Julie Morgan: ...into this. As the Chair said, it's absolutely right that we scrutinise how this money is spent—and it is a large annual investment of £94 million and a significant proportion of the overall education budget. I support the positive impact that the pupil deprivation grant has had, and that was the general conclusion of the committee, covering pupils who are eligible for free school meals,...
Julie Morgan: ...document very much and the statement by the Cabinet Secretary. I'm very glad that she started off mentioning section 28, because I can remember the terrible burden that section 28 put on staff in schools. I can remember them talking about it to me, and I can remember the huge relief when it was repealed by the Labour Government in Westminster. I think that we are now in a much better, much...
Julie Morgan: I know the Cabinet Secretary for Education will agree that it's essential that we allow children of all abilities to enjoy the pleasure of play facilities, and we also know that disabled children have fewer opportunities certainly to take part in physical education and sports activities. So, what plans are there for play equipment in schools, or indeed any play equipment, to ensure that it...
Julie Morgan: ...improvements that need to be made. I, along with many others, want to particularly mention recommendation 9 of the committee’s report in relation to teaching about healthy relationships in our schools. That was the one area that wasn’t really concluded in the Act and it was left for the review and for the Donaldson review to take this into account and see how it would be implemented....
Julie Morgan: ...to improve sites, so I do feel that we are moving along in the right direction. However, there are some areas of concern. Mark Isherwood has already mentioned in his contribution the very low education achievement of Gypsy/Traveller children. In fact, it is staggeringly low—I think it’s about 15 per cent compared to 68 per cent of the average school population. So, we’ve got huge...
Julie Morgan: ...that most of the recommendations are accepted and that there are a few that are partially accepted. Obviously, two of the partially accepted recommendations were about the need for more medical education in north Wales, which Rhun has just referred to. I think it’s obviously good that the Government has accepted the need for an increased level of medical education in north Wales and...
Julie Morgan: ...yes, we did deliver the childcare offer a year ahead of time and I know it has been very warmly welcomed. I think he does make a very important point about the interaction between before and after-school care in the schools because, certainly, many of the schools have not yet introduced the breakfast clubs and the after-school clubs. There is an absolute duty, as the education Minister has...
Julie Morgan: I thank Jenny Rathbone for that comment. Yes, I agree with her about community schools, and I certainly agree about co-location. This is a discussion we have been having. As she says, there are many schools where you would be able to develop childcare provision on site, or you can help add to something that's already on site, and we have done quite a bit of that already with the capital...
Julie Morgan: ...to reach their full potential. So, let me tackle what the motion asks from the Welsh Government one by one. It asks for early identification, accessible support and preventing disengagement from education. In Wales we do not currently collect national data on the educational attainment of young carers, so it's not possible to say whether or not young carers have significantly lower...
Julie Morgan: ...glad to have the opportunity of putting forward their views about their place in society. I took part in a group that discussed the lack of awareness of Gypsy/Traveller culture, in particular by schoolteachers and other pupils in the schools. And one of the quite simple wishes of those children was that there could be a special assembly devoted to their culture. Many of the children did...
Julie Morgan: ...and very kind words. In response to her comments about young carers, we're absolutely committed to supporting carers of all ages, including young carers and young adult carers. We do think that education in the school setting is one of the key areas to identify and help young carers and I'm aware that the financial situation of young carers is often a matter for concern, and her proposal...
Julie Morgan: ...and children with poor communication skills are more likely to be the target of abuse than other children. In January, in a short debate, I highlighted the abuse suffered by children at a special school for deaf children in Llandrindod Wells in the 1950s, where, sadly, it was the children with poor speech skills who were being targeted, and that issue is being pursued. But what mechanisms...
Julie Morgan: ...our approach, from a focus on autism to seeking improvements across neurodevelopmental conditions, so we now have a dedicated policy team working across health and social care, linking closely with education colleagues. Our national autism team is also expanding its remit and expertise to provide advice across neurodevelopmental conditions, and we want to make sure that the progress that...
Julie Morgan: ...still has not been a successful conviction in more than 30 years. But professionals working with victims of female genital mutilation say you can't change culture just with prosecutions. You need education; you need community champions. The wider population here who think it doesn't happen in their back yard must be made aware of FGM too. As well as teachers, doctors, police and social...
Julie Morgan: ...Welsh Government, including any subordinate legislation they make or propose to make. And you will be aware that the commissioner has decided to use her formal powers in relation to elective home education and safeguarding in independent schools. The Welsh Government will respond to that review when required, through the formal process, and I won't be discussing the review whilst it's...
Julie Morgan: ...d like to congratulate Vikki Howells on choosing such a vitally important subject for this debate. I just wanted to refer to a visit I made to Denmark some years ago, with a delegation, looking at education provision. I visited a preschool, such as she referred to in Sweden, I think, for two and three-year-olds. The two and three-year-olds were playing outside in the snow. It was bitterly...
Julie Morgan: I thank Hefin David for that question. The budget for the offer was repurposed from April to fund childcare for the pre-school children of critical workers and vulnerable children under the coronavirus childcare assistance scheme. So, unfortunately, this meant that we had to close the offer to new entrants temporarily. We are working now with our key stakeholders, especially the local...
Julie Morgan: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. The title of my debate is Righting the Wrongs—Historical Allegations relating to Pupils at the Royal Cambrian and Llandrindod Wells Residential Schools for Deaf Children. I have agreed, Deputy Presiding Officer, to give David Melding and Joyce Watson one minute each after my contribution. I was prompted to hold this debate as a result of my constituent,...
Julie Morgan: ...you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer, for calling me to speak in this debate on the impact on Gypsy, Roma and Traveller and minority ethnic children of merging former specialist grants into the education improvement grant. I am a member of the committee, so I’ve been able to take part in this inquiry. I’m going to concentrate my remarks on Gypsy, Roma and Traveller education, as I...
