Caroline Jones: No, sorry, Llyr, I won’t. The demand for grammar schools in those few pockets where they still exist has skyrocketed. So, we are not looking at what people want again, we’re looking at imposing something that they may not want. Unfortunately, those grammar schools only exist in the wealthier parts of southern England and, together with rising house prices, this has seen fewer and fewer...
Caroline Jones: When I first entered teacher training college, the education landscape was very different to that we see today. The academically inclined did go to grammar schools, but those who were more suited to a vocation went to a secondary modern school. State grammar schools were educating hundreds of thousands of pupils, offering a free education comparable to that of fee-paying schools....
Caroline Jones: I'd like to thank Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales for his annual report. It's a report card on the performance of Wales's education system, and it appears that we are not doing well enough. While eight in 10 primary schools are deemed good or better, only 8 per cent of Wales's primary schools are classed as excellent schools. Every child in Wales deserves to...
Caroline Jones: ...forward a proposal for legislation and to offer my support to her proposals. In Wales, thousands of young people under the age of 16 are caring for relatives with little or no support from their school or from health authorities. Bethan’s legislation recognises the impact that caring responsibilities can have on a young carer’s education and I wholeheartedly support her efforts to...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Llywydd. I formally move the motion tabled in my name. From a young age, I learnt a valuable lesson—that bigger is not always better. I was perhaps 12 when my small community school was merged with a much bigger one. We lost the personal relationships with our teachers, becoming just another face in the sea of faces. Thankfully, back then, such mergers were rare, and community...
Caroline Jones: ...network to embark upon targeting younger learners. Also, I'd like to ask how sustainable you think the £3 million is going to be in achieving your target. How productive is it going to be in the educational system? Do you think also—I think so—that this initiative may not have been necessary if we did have schools that catered for everyone's individual talents and abilities and we did...
Caroline Jones: First Minister, the children of service personnel who have been posted overseas are in danger of receiving a patchy education. In postings where there is no official school provision, these children are sent to international schools, which may not follow a set curriculum. As a result, the children may be ahead in some areas and behind in others. What is your Government doing to ensure that...
Caroline Jones: Minister, I'm sure we can all agree that there is no substitute for face-to-face learning. Attending school is not just about educational achievement, it's an important part of the emotional development of our young people. While COVID is impacting upon school attendance, it must not be allowed to impact a young person's development, and I've been contacted by a constituent who is concerned...
Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, it’s good news to see that the pupil development grant is having an impact on improving the education chances of our most deprived children and young people. However, the children and young people in Ogmore are about to have their education decimated as budget cuts take hold. Bridgend’s local education authority comprehensive schools could see up to five teaching posts...
Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, the education improvement grant is there to assist the regional consortia to improve the outcomes for all learners. My region is home to the best comprehensive school in Wales, Pontarddulais, but it is also home to one of the worst-performing schools, just a few miles down the road. So, how does your Government plan to eliminate such huge disparity in attainment within...
Caroline Jones: Cabinet Secretary, the majority of Welsh-medium primary schools in Swansea have pupil-to-teacher ratios greater than 25, and all bar one are in the yellow and amber support categories. This, coupled with recent news highlighting the difficulty in recruiting Welsh-medium teachers, and news about the severe delays in rolling out the curriculum, is a concern. Cabinet Secretary, what will you be...
Caroline Jones: Minister, I recently met with the headteachers of the Welsh-medium schools from Bridgend county borough, who were concerned over the impact cuts were having on Welsh-medium education. Upon visiting Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Llangynwyd, I was shocked at the poor state of repair of the building and the school's resources. Minister, what assessment have you made of the impact local authority cuts are...
Caroline Jones: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Leader of the house, could I ask that the Cabinet Secretary for Education makes an oral statement to the Siambr regarding your Government's plans to tackle bullying? I am aware that the Welsh Government is consulting on draft guidance on bullying, but I would question whether guidance is sufficient, and I am not the only one. The coroner in the Bradley John inquest has...
Caroline Jones: ...with additional learning needs has been waiting over seven months for an appointment with the child and adolescent mental health services, and in the interim has been receiving just a few hours of schooling each week. How can we expect young people like my constituent to reach their full potential if we are denying them a full and rich education? Minister, what steps are you taking to...
Caroline Jones: ...their dreams and ambitions? Without those skills, our economy will suffer and our health and social care sector will be understaffed, adding more pressure to an already pressurised environment. Education is the foundation of our nation and the success of our economy is dependent on the success of our educational achievements and attainments of future generations. We have become too focused...
Caroline Jones: I'd like to thank everyone involved in tabling this important debate today. Our further education colleges are an essential link in the education chain and it is vital that we ensure that they're properly funded and adequately resourced. I've had the pleasure to work closely with Gower college in my region, which is a large further education college with over 4,500 full-time and 10,000...
Caroline Jones: Like RSE, the teaching of religion, values and ethics generated a large amount of correspondence from concerned parents, particularly from those whose children attend faith schools. Once again, the Welsh Government has ignored the wishes of parents who wanted to be able to remove their children from lessons that went against their religion, values and ethics. And it's not the job of the...
Caroline Jones: 2. Will the Minister make a statement on guidance given to local education authorities regarding ensuring that there is sufficient time in the school day to meet the health and well-being needs of pupils? OAQ53777
Caroline Jones: ...have accepted most of them. It is really disappointing that the Welsh Government has rejected two of the more important ones, recommendations 6 and 8. Children spend much of their waking week in school, and yet less than half of them participate in sport or physical activity three or more times per week. As a result, less than half of the children meet the recommended guidelines for...
Caroline Jones: First Minister, the Welsh Language Commissioner said that, in order to increase the number of Welsh speakers, we need radical change to our education system. She has suggested we should consider teaching all primary schools through the medium of Welsh. It has been compulsory for every schoolchild in Wales to learn Welsh since 1999. Yet, despite this, the numbers of Welsh speakers has fallen....
