Mike Hedges: I would like to ask for two education statements. Firstly, a statement on free school meals expanding into school holidays. I know the Welsh Government has made a decision on Christmas and Easter of this year, but I think it's something we need to look at being done all the time, rather than just as a one-off. It's something I've been calling for since I was elected. And also, what...
Mike Hedges: ...m used to parents complaining about having mixed-age classes and demanding that their children are taught with children in the same year group as them. And I believe that at below a certain size of school, education suffers, and more than two year groups taught together in primary school disadvantages the learner—the reason why we have education. And secondary schools need to be above a...
Mike Hedges: I believe education needs a greater proportion of the Welsh budget, and that a highly educated workforce is the best economic development tool we can have. On the additional money announced for the teachers' pay award, which you announced yesterday, is it going to be distributed via the funding formula to local authorities and then on to schools, which will produce winners and losers, or...
Mike Hedges: Can I thank the Minister for that response? Last month, I attended the official opening of the new Tan-y-lan school, where my grandchildren attend, and this month, I will be attending the opening of the new Tirdeunaw school. Of the six comprehensive schools in Swansea, three have been rebuilt on the same site, one completely refurbished and one is a relatively new school. The only school...
Mike Hedges: This is the second cyclical set of GCSE results that have been achieved since Schools Challenge Cymru was launched. I visited Pentrehafod School and Morriston Comprehensive School on GCSE results day to be told that Pentrehafod had achieved their best ever GCSE results, and that Morriston had increased their A* to C grades by 17 per cent. Can I ask the Cabinet Secretary for Education to make...
Mike Hedges: ...or debate on this issue, as children going hungry or relying on foodbanks is not what I and, I believe, most Members here want to see. I also submitted many written questions this year on free school meals. For many children, the free school meal is their major meal of the day. To repeat something I have said many times in the Chamber, on school holidays, parents must provide an additional...
Mike Hedges: There are three levels for developing three levels of Welsh speakers: following the huge improvement in the teaching of Welsh in English-medium primary schools, no child should leave a primary school as a monoglot English speaker, which wasn't true when I was in school; those educated in schools through the medium of Welsh; and those who study Welsh in university. What strategy is being...
Mike Hedges: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Can I first of all thank Rhianon for giving me the opportunity to speak in this? In Swansea East, two replacement secondary schools and one replacement primary school have been built. One replacement primary is under construction and planning has been applied for another replacement secondary school. Demountables have been replaced by permanent buildings....
Mike Hedges: ...headteacher and then make five proposals on what can be done to help the situation in local government. The headteacher says: 'I am writing to you to highlight serious concerns I have about the school funding crisis and to enlist your support and commitment towards securing a review of arrangements which would lead to all schools in Wales being funded sufficiently, equitably and...
Mike Hedges: I speak as someone who has long supported free school meals in state primary schools, not just to support local farmers, but, more importantly to me, to improve the health of children and improve educational attainment. Hungry children do not perform very well. But my question is: what is the estimated capital spend necessary to increase capacity of school kitchens and dining halls? And what...
Mike Hedges: Can I thank the Minister for that response? Educational attainment is the key to economic development. Successful parts of the world have economies built on highly qualified individuals, not on driving companies to bring branch factories for a short time. What is Welsh Government doing to continue to improve educational attainment in our schools and universities in order to improve our economy?
Mike Hedges: ...exceeds any importance of what you are being taught in the classroom. That is why I am supporting this debate today and why I believe it is incredibly important that children are adequately fed in school and fed healthy meals. The current situation is that the Healthy Eating in Schools (Nutritional Standards and Requirements) (Wales) Regulations 2013 outlines food and drinks that are...
Mike Hedges: ...Bryn Tawe and a granddaughter attending Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Tan-y-lan. I welcome the report and the commitment of the Welsh Government and the Minister to the Welsh language. I believe that education is the key to the continuation of Welsh as a community language. I am pleased with the growth of Welsh-medium education, especially in south Wales, led by Labour-controlled local...
Mike Hedges: I'll be voting against the Plaid motion today because I am opposed to universal free school meals. I do not believe that providing free school meals to children who are being privately educated is the right thing to do or the right use of resources—if you look at your motion there, it says 'all'; it doesn't say 'all in the public sector', it says 'all' and 'all' includes those in private...
Mike Hedges: ...’t, is it something that could be considered? Because, you’re re-circling public sector money, but you’re using it in a way that benefits both parts. Today, I visited Pentre’r Graig Primary School in Morriston, which, whilst not a new-build, has been almost completely remodelled internally. The twenty-first century schools scheme is transforming education buildings and education in...
Mike Hedges: ...what happened this morning, obviously. But if it is intended to create 1 million Welsh speakers, the route most likely to be successful is to increase the number of children attending Welsh-medium schools. I know from personal experience, as do others in this Chamber, just how difficult it is to learn Welsh as an adult. This would mean approximately a third of children in Wales attending...
Mike Hedges: You do realise the major expenditure by local education authorities centrally is on pre-school transport?
Mike Hedges: ...increased in line with long-term public spending growth. Putting money into the demand side of the economy leads to economic growth. We know that. I, of course, support more money for health and education. Education excellence, providing high-level educational attainment, is our best way of achieving economic growth. It is our best and should be seen as our most important economic...
Mike Hedges: ...I hope he'll take it up with his colleagues to explain to them that you can't do that. There are alternatives to the Welsh budget in terms of priorities. I would, for example, increase support for education, training and university innovation, and reduce expenditure on attracting inward investment. Provide the research capacity in the universities, provide a highly skilled workforce and...
Mike Hedges: ...a finance meeting in Aberystwyth, meeting with members of the public. It was very helpful to me, because I met with people from the environment groups, from local government, and further and adult education, but I met with them outside what I would describe as my comfort zone of Swansea. It was interesting to have views from people in the same areas that I’ve taken an interest in and...
