Kirsty Williams: We have been working in close partnership with universities, NUS Wales and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales to develop our collective response to the pandemic. We have provided more than £213 million to HEFCW this financial year, including an additional £27 million higher education investment and recovery fund, recognising the impact of the pandemic on universities.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you to Siân Gwenllian for her comments and questions. Presiding Officer, I'm not running away or hiding from the challenges that face us as we move into the implementation phase. As Suzy Davies alluded to, if we were defensive about what the OECD had to say about us, we would have delayed bringing the report for scrutiny by Senedd Members. We welcome the steer that the OECD is giving...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you to Suzy Davies for her comments and questions. I think what is crucially important to me, and I don't wish to be overly critical, but I've been in the Senedd long enough to have seen huge amounts of effort, time, energy and resources that have often focused on the establishment of very worthy policy statements and policy documents—legislation, indeed, often underpins such...
Kirsty Williams: All of this means that we are able and we will continue to take a hard look at the OECD's advice. The report published provides helpful challenge and validation of the progress we're making, and I'm pleased to say there were no surprises. Next week I will publish an updated version of 'Our national mission'. This will take into consideration the OECD recommendations, it will review our...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I'm very pleased to have this opportunity to update the Senedd on the OECD's new report, 'Achieving the New Curriculum for Wales', which was published yesterday. Timely advice and challenge from the OECD has been a key element of my and this Government's approach to education reform. Members will know that we have built new and strong international...
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank the Member for her question? And can I assure her that this Welsh Liberal Democrat education Minister is taking all necessary steps and actions to ensure that children, whether they be in Caerphilly, or, indeed, anywhere else in Wales, have the disruption to their education minimised?
Kirsty Williams: I understand that, for the week 14 to 18 September, attendance at maintained schools in Caerphilly was running at 77 per cent.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Angela. The first thing that we need to do is increase the number of students who are studying Welsh at A-level, because we know that that qualification is often a precursor for people to go on to study Welsh at a higher level and then converting then into teaching Welsh, and we are promoting a Welsh A-level take-up scheme to promote that subject so that more students...
Kirsty Williams: I can assure the Member, Presiding Officer, that there are plenty of grown-up conversations being had about how we can deliver the targets of Cymraeg 2050. I am perfectly aware of the success of the immersion model in helping children acquire Welsh. My own children have benefited from it. There is nothing currently in the Bill that will prevent immersion from happening, but I am aware of...
Kirsty Williams: The Bill is currently being scrutinised by the Senedd and therefore I do not intend to make a stand-alone statement on this matter. Though, as I have already indicated to Members, I am open to discussions and will listen to concerns.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Paul. Improvements in teaching Welsh as a second language is important right the way across Wales, not only in Pembrokeshire, and it'll be an important part of our reformed curriculum, our professional learning opportunities and our new initial teacher education provision. I myself met with representatives, with my officials and with representatives of Pembrokeshire, prior to the...
Kirsty Williams: Like you and many other people, Helen Mary Jones, the re-provision of a new school for that community remains a priority for me. I look forward to receiving an application from Carmarthenshire council so that we can proceed with that project.
Kirsty Williams: Diolch yn fawr, Helen Mary. Local authority Welsh in education strategic plans outline how demand for Welsh-medium education is met. Our annual monitoring of plans suggests an increase in learners accessing Welsh-medium provision in the majority of Mid and West Wales. New WESP regulations set out a higher expectation of targets, and that is aligned with Cymraeg 2050.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Jenny, for that. Overall, nationally, attendance rates run at approximately 80 per cent—just over 80 per cent—although there are some significant variations in that. Not surprisingly, those areas with a lower virus transmission are seeing higher levels of attendance. So, we see particularly high levels of attendance in Monmouthshire, in Pembrokeshire and in those areas, as I...
Kirsty Williams: Good afternoon to you, Nick. Like you, I am in awe of the courage and resilience that have been shown by our young people at this time. Supporting them with their mental health and their well-being is important, and that's an important reason why we were determined to reopen schools fully for all children for this academic year and to keep them open, because we understand the impact that...
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank the Member for the supplementary question? Can I make it absolutely clear to the Member that whilst we have indeed seen disruption to education this term, 1,299 Welsh state schools have not suffered a COVID case to date? So, I think we just need to remember that, and give thanks to those teachers, support staff, governing bodies and local education authorities that are doing...
Kirsty Williams: I published learning guidance in the summer, which set out our priorities for all scenarios, including blended learning. I have also announced a Recruit, Recover and Raise Standards programme and extra support for A-level students, and I have modified the curriculum requirements to take pressure off schools.
Kirsty Williams: Andrew, as you say, it's important that we have a UK approach, if at all possible; that is what has been recommended by SAGE. And, as you said, there are significant cross-border flows of students—Welsh students into England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and vice versa, and therefore a co-ordinated approach, I believe, is best. I will be discussing a range of options with Gavin Williamson...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you for that question, Lynne, and also thank you for the opportunity to meet with yourself and Mr Murray, whose testimony was powerful indeed. He outlined, very clearly, the steps that all institutions can take to make them as safe as possible for young people. As you're aware, I gave a commitment, during that meeting, that we would be pursing the issue of Papyrus's advice, to see what...
Kirsty Williams: I have remitted HEFCW to work with partners in the HE sector to address student mental health and well-being. To support this work, I allocated HEFCW £3.5 million last year to support well-being and health in higher education, including student mental health.
