Jane Dodds: Diolch, Weinidog. You will be aware of the decision of Powys County Council to close rural schools in the area, which has been a devastating blow for many communities. I am increasingly concerned about the impact this so-called transformation programme will have on Welsh-medium education in Powys, so thank you for your response. The commitment of many of these rural schools to Welsh education...
Jane Dodds: Diolch, Gweinidog. The Organisaston for Economic Co-operation and Development has said 'Providing access to quality education in rural areas is crucial to meet the needs of rural youth, and also to attract young families to settle in these regions.' I was proud that, under Kirsty Williams's leadership, Wales introduced its first ever rural schools strategy and action plan, setting out how...
Jane Dodds: Good afternoon, Minister. I wonder if I could ask for two statements please, with the first statement from the Minister for Education and Welsh Language about financial support for small and rural schools. Unions this week have raised the concerns that I raised during the budget process about the removal of the SRSG—the small and rural schools grant—and that the additional funding...
Jane Dodds: 9. Will the Minister make a statement on the impact of recently announced school closures in Powys on the Welsh Government's targets to expand Welsh-medium education? OQ57888
Jane Dodds: ...forward this very important debate and issue. The mental well-being of our children and young people is so important, and I'm pleased that the Welsh Government are continuing with this whole-school approach to mental well-being, which is integral to the new curriculum, as developed by your predecessor, Welsh Liberal Democrat Kirsty Williams. So, thank you very much for profiling this this...
Jane Dodds: ...in the pupil development grant, an initiative introduced by the Liberal Democrats again; continuing with the discounted travel scheme for those under 21 years of age; planning to provide free school meals to every child in primary education; and I also look forward to seeing more details about proposals with regard to childcare. And I'm also pleased to see the commitment, following my...
Jane Dodds: ..., actually, that that should ever be suggested. I want to welcome the additional investment in the pupil development grant, which plays an essential role in supporting pupils eligible for free school meals. I'm glad to see free school meals being developed in this budget. It's been a very difficult year—maybe two years even—for children and young people, and so the PDG, now in its...
Jane Dodds: Thank you very much, Minister. I want to focus, if it's okay, on the WESPs—you've talked about the WESPs in a previous question—and particularly the part of the WESPs that mention secondary schools and how primary schools in rural areas can ensure that the secondary schools have an adequate number of pupils entering them. There is a balance to be struck here, as I'm sure you can see. In...
Jane Dodds: ...to do the little things for his community, through setting solar panels on a housing estate in Llay, investing in public transport infrastructure and community health, or through investing in the schools of Wrexham. And I know how much of a privilege it was for him to work on behalf of the Welsh language as the Welsh Language Commissioner, and to ensure that every child in Wales had the...
Jane Dodds: ..., regardless of their background, is essential if we are to create a brighter future for every child in Wales. Currently, the costs and complexity of the arrangements between nine months and school age are disadvantaging many families. In order to currently qualify for the childcare offer, each parent in the household must be working and earning below £100,000 a year. So, a child whose...
Jane Dodds: ...biometric data and of digital rights, so I do thank you for the opportunity to sponsor this and to take part in this debate. Diolch yn fawr iawn. The collection and use of biometric data in schools raises real concerns about rights, legality and the appropriate use of such crucial data. In particular, we need to be assured that schools are complying with the expectations both of the...
Jane Dodds: Will the Minister make a statement on the impact of the school organisation code on schools in Mid and West Wales?
Jane Dodds: ...devolved to us here in Wales. The rushing of this Bill through the House of Commons is typical of the UK Government's contempt for the devolved nations. Wales is embarking on the largest set of educational reform since the second world war and it's so important that future qualifications arrangements across the UK reflect our distinct and unique approach to education here in Wales. This...
Jane Dodds: ...our future’. Indeed, they are, aren’t they? I’m really pleased to see so much in this budget that actually focuses on children. I echo many of the statements from Jayne Bryant. We have free school meals. That is about feeding our children—all of our children, it doesn’t matter what their background is. It’s about making sure that our care-experienced children whom we are...
Jane Dodds: ...of our local authority staff could be going on this. So, I really would appreciate hearing more about that in this debate in order for me to make a decision. Right now, let's look at what is facing schools, not just here—well, in Wales, we have specific issues—but across the UK. We don't have enough teachers and we want to pay them more. We don't have enough classroom assistants and we...
Jane Dodds: ...there were two challenges they face this autumn and winter, given the cost-of-living crisis. One is that they are receiving fewer donations and the other, sadly, is an increased demand. Over the school holidays, a local fish and chip shop in Newtown started providing free meals to children, because families simply didn't have enough money to feed themselves when free school dinners stopped...
Jane Dodds: 3. What steps is the Welsh Government taking to support the Welsh language in rural schools and communities? OQ58914
Jane Dodds: ...They are places of historical and political debate, they are places where we have cymanfa ganus, where our brilliant hymn-writers started—we heard many of those names come forward—choirs, where education is—and Samuel Kurz also highlighted the importance of Sunday schools—we've got welfare services running out of them, debating halls, places where politicians started. Then we heard...
Jane Dodds: Diolch yn fawr iawn. Minister, research from the Learning and Work Institute and Gingerbread suggests that the pandemic has hit single parents very hard—loss of work and income, home education, and loss of childcare and caring support. These are workers typically concentrated in low-paid and part-time work and in those industries hit hardest by the pandemic—144,000 lone parent families in...
Jane Dodds: ...doing. I'm really pleased that we are seeing an increase in dentist provision in rural areas. I know that we are looking at mobile dentistry, and we're looking at those dentists as well being in schools, secondary schools, so I'm really pleased that that is happening and I'm grateful, as well, for the additional funding for a dentist in Llandrindod Wells. We need to obviously protect our...
