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...
Kirsty Williams: ...committed to successful, sustainable rural communities. I am clear that there can be real benefits—academic, cultural and social—to pupils and communities through the delivery of high-quality education in small and rural schools. As I set out in my statement to the Assembly in July, strengthening and extending school-to-school relationships, and prioritising education leadership, are...
Buffy Williams: Thank you, First Minister. I'm really pleased that the ambitious long-term programme of education reform in Wales will continue during the sixth Senedd with a new curriculum for Wales, the Welsh language education Bill, the new additional learning needs system, and twenty-first century schools investment. Yesterday, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council cabinet members accepted proposals...
Darren Millar: I move amendments 23 to 29, and amendment 19, all of which have been tabled in my name. The Bill in its current form is discriminatory, unfortunately, in that it places burdens on schools with a religious character across Wales that do not apply to those schools without a religious character. At present, schools across Wales either provide a religious education curriculum that has been agreed...
Motion NDM7606 Caroline Jones To propose that the Senedd: 1. Recognises that the lack of investment in school infrastructure over recent decades has resulted in many schools not being fit for purpose. 2. Welcomes recent investment such as the 21st Century Schools Programme, but regrets the fact that this is being used as a vehicle by local education authorities to merge schools. 3. Calls upon...
Motion NDM6739 Rhun ap Iorwerth To propose that the National Assembly for Wales: 1. Recognises the funding crisis in Welsh schools. 2. Notes its impact on teacher workloads, staff morale and availability of school resources which, in turn, has a detrimental impact on children’s education. 3. Calls on the Welsh Government to: a) bring together key stakeholders in the education system to...
Siân Gwenllian: ...year, over a period of 30 years, if we are to reach the aim of 1 million Welsh speakers. And that is on top of addressing the number of people who leave Welsh communities and Wales. The role of education is key in getting to that target. By now, the vast majority of people who speak Welsh have learnt it at school. Compare that with the situation in the middle of the last century and before...
Jeremy Miles: Children may receive education through school settings or other means for example elective home education. Most learners receive their education in mainstream school. Local authorities are able to make arrangements for Education Other Than at School for learners who require tailored support away from mainstream settings.
Rhianon Passmore: Diolch, Minister. As I said yesterday in this Chamber, education, apart from love, is the greatest gift that we can give our children. As a society, it speaks to who and what we are, what we prioritise and all that we value as a progressive, vibrant and dynamic nation. As such, I wish to thank you, Minister, for our often robust interactions and I wish to put on record my support for your...
Mohammad Asghar: 'It's not just that Wales has underperformed, it's seen its performance decline.' These are not my words. These are the words of the head of education and skills at the OECD, speaking ahead of the publication of the latest set of PISA results. However much the Welsh Government seeks comfort from the slight improvement in the PISA scores, it is a fact that Wales still remains at the bottom of...
Lynne Neagle: A good education is one of the most important building blocks a child can receive. However, all too often we hear about the huge pressures being faced by schools in trying to manage their budgets where the funding they receive is not sufficient. This is clearly having a negative effect on the provision of education, including schools having to make staff cuts in order to balance their...
Paul Davies: First Minister, you need to stop giving excuses and start taking responsibility. You are responsible for education here in Wales, and, First Minister, this open letter to your education Minister is a damning reflection on the way your Government has managed education here in Wales. Despite having £1.20 to spend on education here in Wales for every £1 in England, we still see a significant...
Suzy Davies: Thank you very much for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. I wonder if you could help me out, please, when I'm asking some questions about education and the relationship between the education main expenditure group and some of the other department expenditure lines? Obviously, it's very pleasing to see the £60 million extra for education. It still falls a little short of the £100 million...
Carwyn Jones: Let’s examine his party’s education policy, if indeed there is one. Hands up anybody who knows what the Tory education policy is, beyond cutting funding for schools. They stood on the basis of cutting education funding by 20 per cent. They’re still saying that schools funding should be cut. Now, we accept that there is work to do when it comes to improving education. What we will never...
Carwyn Jones: He is surely having a laugh. He is the representative of a party that wanted to cut education spending going into the last election. It wanted to cut education spending by 12 per cent and take money out of schools. If he had been in my job now, schools would’ve been starved of funding, we’d have had fewer teachers and fewer achievements in our schools. We have kept our promises on school...
Sioned Williams: Thank you. School reorganisation in the Pontypridd area has been a contentious issue for years now. One of the main concerns is the closure of Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Pont Siôn Norton in Cilfynydd, which will mean that the children living in Ynysybwl, Coedycwm, Glyncoch, Trallwng and Cilfynydd will have to travel miles further to receive Welsh-medium education. Campaigners presented evidence...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. This Government is committed to ensuring that every child and young person receives an education that inspires, motivates and equips them with the skills and knowledge necessary to fulfil their potential. In Wales, we have an education system that partners equity with excellence. Our system provides a range of choices to meet the different needs...
Kirsty Williams: Deputy Presiding Officer, I open this debate today by thanking Meilyr Rowlands for his third annual report as chief inspector of education and training in Wales. As well as providing evidence on performance and standards, the chief inspector's report will inform policy development and drive improvements in education. Estyn's 2016-17 annual report looks at progress over the past seven...
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank Siân Gwenllian, Deputy Presiding Officer, again for her kind comments about Meilyr Rowlands? She highlighted one of his particular passions, which is a community-focused education, which has been a real driver behind Meilyr's work. When Meilyr talks about a community-focused school, he is not talking about a school that leases out its school hall; he is talking about a school...
Kirsty Williams: Well, Bethan, this is an issue of social justice for me. No child's educational outcomes should be dictated to because of the circumstances of their birth or of their family's ability to support their education. That's why I make no apologies, as I said, for spending over £90 million this year on the education of those learners. Now, what we know is that schools find this resource...
