Kirsty Williams: Thank you for that, Mr Reckless. With regard to his disappointment that I had not done this earlier, I do not feel that it would have been safe to do this earlier. As I said, the SAGE advice was very, very clear, we need to have a TTP regime up and running before we could see more children accessing education. That TTP system has only began this week and I was not prepared to see more...
Kirsty Williams: Well, Siân Gwenllian is right: this period has certainly led to a real boost to developing everybody's digital competence skills—children, teachers, indeed, Members of the Senedd. We're all, I'm sure, much more digitally competent today than we were 10 weeks ago even though some of us, from time to time, still struggle with our mute buttons. It is a real concern to me that everybody has an...
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank Siân Gwenllian for her questions? She'll have to forgive me, I don't recall her discussing an August return with me in our weekly meetings, but she is right to suggest that we had explored the possibility of ending the summer term early and starting the new academic year in August. There were many attractions to that particular scheme. Firstly, making the most of the summer...
Kirsty Williams: Firstly, I think it's really important that we have a testing, tracing and protect regime that is robust to support the safe next stage of educational operations. You'll be aware that SAGE papers made it very clear that, in opening up schools to more pupils, testing and tracing had to be in place. We will have a month of the testing and tracing regime here in Wales before additional children...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much. I'll do my best to try and cover the multiple questions that Suzy Davies has asked. Key worker children will be able to attend their own schools, for the same hours that they are currently attending their hub schools. And that is the same for vulnerable children who already have an entitlement—they will do that now in their home school, when we move to the next phase at...
Kirsty Williams: Almost all learners will have the opportunity to attend their school. I am describing this as a chance to work together for pupils so that they can check in, catch up and prepare for the summer and September. I recognise that for some learners who are shielding this contact may need to be via digital means. I am also proposing that schools open for an extra week, ending on the 27 July, and...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and good afternoon, colleagues. The response to COVID-19 has been a profound challenge for the whole of the education community. Our schools and colleges have already stepped up in the defence against COVID, establishing provision for children of critical workers and for vulnerable children, and managing remote learning on an unprecedented scale with...
Kirsty Williams: David, you're right: we have to be particularly concerned about the impact on research. We know that the fees from international students have often gone a long way in providing support for research activities in our universities. Earlier today, I was very pleased to announce in excess of £1 million to further support the Sêr Cymru programme in supporting research in a direct response to...
Kirsty Williams: Indeed, and Helen Mary is correct to say that universities will need to be there to help us climb our way out of this economic emergency. As we've said before, this is an economic emergency as well as a public health one. We have published a policy statement outlining the actions that we are taking to support financial pressures. We've provided an indicative annual grant to the Higher...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Helen Mary Jones, for the question. I'm very proud that our universities have all stepped up in the fight against COVID-19, and their contribution to research, innovation, skills and employment will be vital for our economic recovery as a nation. We've taken steps to provide practical support to the sector, and we will continue to do so.
Kirsty Williams: Deputy Presiding Officer, I think I have, in previous answers to colleagues this afternoon, addressed some of the points that Mr Asghar has raised. I would just repeat: with regard to qualifications, Qualifications Wales are very clear on their website about how they will award vocational qualifications. Where a calculated grade is possible, that will happen. Where calculation is not...
Kirsty Williams: As I said earlier, we've made £2 million available to the FE sector to support mental health initiatives for students. Clearly, they're having to deliver those in different ways than they had originally planned, but that money is safe and secure, and is available for them to use. With regard to planning for what the next phase of education looks like, then I can assure you that we have a...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Huw, and I would associate myself with those comments. We were able to make an additional £7 million available to local authorities to ensure that free school meal children were supported over the Easter holidays, and we have made a further £33 million available to take us through either to when schools open or to the start of the new academic year. It is £19.50, which is above...
Kirsty Williams: We are urging all local authorities to ensure that they have specialist provision available, and the vast, vast majority of them do. We are very clear that there should be specialist provision in place to meet the needs of parents, and that has been successfully done in many areas. But also, let us be clear that, even where a child has a statement of special educational needs and a care and...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you. I published an open letter to the supply teaching workforce on 1 April, and the content of that letter is available on the Welsh Government website. Rhun is absolutely right: our supply teaching workforce is an important part of the education family, and our advice to local authorities and individual schools is clear—if they are struggling to staff their hubs at this time, I...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Jayne. You'll be aware that yesterday I published the five principles that would aid my thinking with regard to what the next phase of education in Wales will look like during this pandemic, recognising that over 500 schools and settings are open every day already. The first of those principles is the safety, the mental, emotional and physical well-being of the staff in those...
Kirsty Williams: Certainly. The information I have from the chief medical officer is that we have one case of Kawasaki disease in a child in Wales. It is important to recognise that this significant inflammatory but very serious condition is incredibly rare, but we do need to take that into consideration. That's why advice has been given to all 111 call handlers that, if a parent is telephoning about a...
Kirsty Williams: The number of vulnerable children who are eligible to attend our hubs has been low, but I am pleased to report that since the end of what would have been the traditional Easter recess, we have seen an increase in those numbers, and we will continue to work across Government and with our local authorities to ensure that all parents are aware of the support that is available to them. We have...
Kirsty Williams: Sorry, forgive me, Suzy. With regard to Hwb, that is being rolled out to FE learners. I think that process is near complete, and so those resources are available for those learners. With regard to the PCET Bill, as you've just outlined, Suzy, the contribution of both FE and HE and work-based learning to the future of the Welsh economy as we emerge from this—not just a public health...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Suzy, for those questions. You're absolutely right: the efforts of local government staff should not go unmentioned. I meet on a weekly basis with the leadership of the WLGA, both the leader and the education lead, and we keep in close contact to ensure that we are working in close harmony together. So, I have assurance about the performance of local authorities and they have an...
