John Griffiths: ...with the health agenda around the challenge—the great challenge—of mental health that we all face at the current time. And they have a very active community arm that does much good work with schools and with grass-roots communities in Newport. County in the community is very, very important, and I'll return to that later. Newport Cricket Club as well, Llywydd, is another headline in...
John Griffiths: ...responds effectively when people have health problems connected with obesity. But I very much agree that, beyond that, we need to move much more onto the preventative agenda, and I do believe that schools are absolutely crucial. We had Tanni Grey-Thompson's report talking about the importance of making sure that our young people, our children, get into good habits early on that will stay...
John Griffiths: Minister, further education continues to provide top-quality education and training across Wales and, I think, provides good value for public funding. Together with Jayne Bryant, I recently met with Coleg Gwent to discuss their plans to relocate their Newport city campus to the city centre, where it would be alongside the University of South Wales campus, allowing for good co-operation and...
John Griffiths: 4. Will the Minister provide an update on financial support for further education? OQ57521
John Griffiths: ...right that we should celebrate the 10-year anniversary, and I think one very effective way of doing it is to walk that path, to organise local walks within local authority boundaries through schools, communities and local walking groups, so, at the time of that anniversary, the whole of the path is walked as part of that great celebration.
John Griffiths: Diolch, Llywydd. I can certainly say, having been to Mbale myself, that the programme for Africa money is money well spent, because the health links, the educational links between that region of Uganda and PONT, for example, in Pontypridd in Wales were so strong, and both countries and areas gained very much from the reciprocal relationship and exchange visits. It was so heart-warming to see...
John Griffiths: ...space, but they have an organisation, Maindee Unlimited, and an offshoot, Greening Maindee, which is doing a lot of really good work in creating gardens and orchards for community use, working with schools to create corridors for nature near to the school. They have a project opposite Maindee library, where they're based, to develop a patch of ground that was once, basically, a public...
John Griffiths: ...work of Newport City Council as part of that, but also in terms of their Arrow project, which is particularly working with young people around their mental health issues, and working with all the schools in the area. Again, I think that's being recognised as good practice, and it's an organisation going that extra step, doing something beyond its core activities, to understand the...
John Griffiths: ...need and which they will spend in their local communities for the good of the local economy; and also, will Welsh Government carefully look and continue to look at extending eligibility for free school meals? All of these would help with increasing income and reducing outgoings.
John Griffiths: Thank you for that, Minister. I think, as we heard earlier, there's obviously widespread concern regarding the amount of school time lost because of the pandemic. Obviously, that's widely shared across Wales—parents, teachers and the whole school teams, as well as, I think, Senedd Members and Welsh Government. It is very alarming that all that time has been lost, and I think we did see a...
John Griffiths: 4. What steps will the Minister take to minimise lost school time during the COVID-19 pandemic? OQ56772
John Griffiths: ...areas of industrial decline in the Valleys and on our social housing estates are suffering intergenerational disadvantage, which has been around, sadly, for many years. This affects all stages of education, employment and, of course, standards of living. It sometimes results in poor health and well-being, and sometimes in alienation and hopelessness. It has been and is very difficult to...
John Griffiths: ...of Physicians in Wales got together around 30 organisations to look at this situation, and they were looking at research that showed that the social determinants of health or ill-health—housing, education and poverty—can be more important to health outcomes than healthcare itself or, indeed, lifestyle choices. So, in looking at this situation, they believe that there should be a more...
John Griffiths: ...Week. Entering its twenty-first year, it aims to celebrate the impact of student volunteers and encourage students to engage in civic life. Today, as chair of the all-party group on further education, I'd like to share a story brought to my attention by ColegauCymru—the story of one former Grŵp Llandrillo Menai learner. Nineteen-year-old Tirion Thomas from Bala has racked up over 500...
John Griffiths: ...the effect on children and young people of the pandemic and the restrictions, which I know you very much share. I very much agree with you in terms of the priority of getting our children back to school as quickly as possible, possibly starting with foundation phase children. Would you also agree that we need to get our young people, our children, able to take part in sport and the many...
John Griffiths: ...a music strategy could reflect on what might be done and take it forward effectively. I'd very much like to agree with what Mick Antoniw said, and reflect on recommendation 13 with regard to schools. I think, my own experience, as Mick said, is that it is very unequal at the moment. Gwent Music provide a great service, but much of the provision relies on parents paying for it, and...
John Griffiths: ...on our national health service, with all the benefits that brings for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 health services, and in allowing restrictions to be eased for a return of economic activity, our schools and more normal living. Understandably, expectations of the roll-out are very high, and my constituents want to see every effort made to vaccinate as many people as possible, as quickly as...
John Griffiths: ..., also for mental health, for just quality of life and enjoyment, and I've had very many e-mails from constituents particularly concerned about their children. Their children's activities outside school in terms of physical activity and sport are very important to them as families, very important to the growing experience that these young people have, and, yes, they do instil good habits...
John Griffiths: ...many ways—so, people with more disadvantaged backgrounds have suffered more, in health terms, economically and socially. In that context, I very much welcome that £23 million to extend the free school meals during holidays entitlement through to Easter of next year. I think it's in line with what organisations like the Joseph Rowntree Foundation have said—that, in order to tackle...
John Griffiths: What further steps will the Welsh Government take to address the impact of COVID -19 on inequalities in education in Wales?
