Julie James: ...an active role, as is appropriate for them, in any of the big issues of the day that affect their future. Obviously, that has to be an appropriate interaction with them, but those youngsters in our schools at the moment are the ones who will most be impacted by the decisions that we make, as obviously they will be on the planet longer than those of us who are a bit longer in the tooth. So,...
Julie James: ...baccalaureate that is called 'Challenging extremism' that we teach as part of the modules that you can select in the Welsh baccalaureate. I have had some discussions with the Cabinet Secretary for Education about the way that we teach citizenship and various other things. I have to say I've not had a specific conversation with her about religious education, although I'm very happy to do...
Julie James: ...you live with in your community, but the Government needs to do some very formal things about this as well. One of the things that we most want to do is make sure that we teach the right things in schools. So, we teach community cohesion, tolerance and respect for others in our schools. For example—this is just one example—we teach a challenging extremism module through the global...
Julie James: Yes, it's very much to be regretted that we're still in this situation. The Cabinet Secretary for Education has stated her willingness to facilitate any such meeting—to host it and to do anything necessary to bring it together. I'm sure she'd be able to restate that commitment in the light of what happened in Cardiff this morning, and I'll be sure to ask her to do so as soon as possible.
Julie James: ...everything you've said. There is an issue about dignity and embarrassment, and that's very much part of the sex and healthy relationships agenda. Actually, there's a real issue in primary schools as well, because many girls start menstruating before they're 11 and move on to secondary schools, and that's a real issue for them. So, it is about making sure our entire education system is...
Julie James: ...for me to consider to see how we might manage that, and that's very important indeed. In terms of period poverty, I've got officials working very hard indeed on what we can do here, alongside education officials. We're closely looking at RCT; they have done something that is very interesting indeed, and we have been having long conversations with the Trussell Trust—that's hard to say,...
Julie James: ...support from the programme. The Parents, Childcare and Employment programme aims to support parents become more employable and to move into work when childcare is their main barrier to accessing education, training or employment. Over 95 per cent of PaCE participants are female, and over 84 per cent of the participants are lone parents as well. We know that affordable, available and...
Julie James: ...-so-healthy relationship. I was very impressed indeed by the quality of the programme and how it was raising awareness not only in the group of children receiving the tuition but right across the school and its teaching staff. So, I was very pleased with that. As I said in answer to an earlier question, we're running the This is Me campaign, because we're very aware that gender...
Julie James: ...'s Come Out For LGBT campaign, which encourages people to take a visible stand against LGBT hate crime and show support for LGBT equality in all forms. We're also, as he specifically asked about schools, working to make sure school staff are well equipped and confident about tackling hate-related bullying. In 2015, the Welsh Government published lesson plans for schools on gender- and...
Julie James: ...regulations that the UK Government impose on apprenticeships, which are very low indeed, and which are a matter of some concern. We are looking to see what we can do to support vocational forms of education through grant schemes, and others, and I'm sure in due course the Minister will bring a paper forward on what can be further done. But there is a big problem around expecting that...
Julie James: ...to this dispute if at all possible. The Welsh Government has made it clear that if needed we're prepared to facilitate that process in Wales, and whatever it takes. The Cabinet Secretary for Education is meeting union leaders and representatives of Universities Wales this week, and I'm sure she'll provide an update during her Assembly questions next week on how that goes. Higher...
Julie James: I'm not absolutely certain whether that specific is, but I know that the review of Welsh in education strategic plans undertaken by Aled Roberts in 2017 included recommendations to strengthen the strategic relationship between local authorities and Mudiad Meithrin to ensure growth at local authority level to contribute to the Welsh Government target for 2050 and to ensure the system for...
Julie James: ...400—I can't even say it in Welsh, I'm ashamed to say—cylchoedd Ti a Fi parent and toddler groups across Wales. These provide activities promoting the development of children from birth to school age and offer the opportunities for families to socialise in an informal Welsh atmosphere. I'm going to add something else in there that I know from my digital portfolio myself, which is...
Julie James: Yes. In partnership with the WLGA, we will continue increasing the number of local authorities and schools running this scheme by making a further £500,000 available during 2018-19. This will involve working with partners, including local health boards and Public Health Wales, to align agendas, for example, by reducing adverse childhood experiences or increasing sport participation.
Julie James: ...discrimination that some families were facing in their attempts to get proper access to British sign language—for example, in doctors' appointments and so on, and also just general access to education. So, I'm going to be taking that forward with my colleague, the Cabinet Secretary for Education. We are currently looking at a whole series of issues around adult learning, for example, and...
Julie James: ...'t do is have a vote about the terms of that Brexit. We've had that debate elsewhere, we don't need to have it now. But the three themes of the centenary celebration are very important here. The educate one is very important. It is very important indeed that people thoroughly understand all of the circumstances of their democracy so that they continue to make the right decision when they...
Julie James: ...any project that comes forward and asks for support will be looked at on its merits and sustainability and so on. And it's not just about—. It is the three aims of this, so it is the 'celebrate, educate, participate' bits. And the participation, I hope I made clear, is not just political participation; it's participation in all walks of life across everything in our country and beyond. ...
Julie James: ...theme of 'press for progress'. The Welsh Government has committed nearly £300,000 to mark the centenary of women’s suffrage with a range of activities focused around the themes of 'celebrate, educate and participate'. I would like to set out our plans and I will provide Members with a link to a website where further details of these and other activities across the UK can be found. The...
Julie James: The Member makes a very good point. Obviously, we can't comment on individual school closure programmes by individual local authorities—it's a matter for them. The Valleys taskforce isn't a thing in itself—it is the way to co-ordinate Government action across the Valleys areas. So, the Member's quite right to highlight that we need to be able to set out what we're doing across each of...
Julie James: ...to reduce inequality and mitigate the impact of poverty, we are exploring a number of ways of having a scheme to supply feminine hygiene products free of charge to, say, food bank users and in schools and so on. The work's in its early stages. We are monitoring a lot of the work that's being done by colleagues in Scotland and elsewhere, and we will be bringing forward a range of...
