Siân Gwenllian: Thank you. That would be very useful, and I'm sure you would agree with me that ventilation in school buildings is crucially important, particularly now, given that people are being infected with more than one illness, which can make the problem worse. I'd like to ask you about another problem on safety in schools, namely the issue of asbestos, and what's your response to the recent finding...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you, Llywydd. I was very pleased to see that the number of positive COVID tests in schools had reduced significantly over the past week—and I'm sure you yourself were also pleased with that—a reduction of 44 per cent. But schools continue to be in a very vulnerable position, of course, with some classes with as many as 50 per cent having tested positive for COVID. The Welsh...
Siân Gwenllian: What assessment has been made of the impact of COVID-19 on the Welsh-language skills of primary school children?
Siân Gwenllian: ..., including powers to recognise all foreign qualifications on a case-by-case basis. We, like the Government, are concerned about the scope of the Bill, and are uncertain as to whether further education is included within it. So, on the basis of what we've heard and because of our grave concerns and the risk to the constitutional principle at stake here, I urge you all to vote against, and...
Siân Gwenllian: ...are listening and considering action, if it's necessary—that is, you're willing to tighten the rules, if necessary. Explaining the rationale in terms of who should isolate and who should go to school would be a help, and constituents tell me that the advice that they're receiving either conflicts or they don't get any advice at all, and that needs attention. Despite the efforts of...
Siân Gwenllian: 1. What further action will the Government take in response to serious disruption to education early in the new school term due to an increase in COVID-19 cases? TQ567
Siân Gwenllian: ...has had one vaccine in Wales and one in England. And so, when will that problem be resolved in a satisfactory way? And finally, could I ask you about the ozone machines and the use of those within schools? When I asked the First Minister about the use of those machines last week, I was led to understand that a rapid review was being undertaken by the technical advice cell to look at those...
Siân Gwenllian: On bank holiday Monday, the Minister for education announced a budget of over £3 million for the provision of 1,800 ozone disinfectant machines in our schools, colleges and universities. Two days later, following calls for assurances on the safety of the equipment from Plaid Cymru and others, it became apparent that Ministers had carried out a u-turn on that decision. Can you explain the...
Siân Gwenllian: 3. Will the Minister make a statement on COVID-19 safety measures in schools? OQ56807
Siân Gwenllian: ...our policy in terms of strengthening the local food economy, and that is a core part of what we propose. The Tories missed the point completely. There is robust evidence to show that offering free school meals to everyone is advantageous for a number of reasons and that the cohort that would benefit most are the most deprived children, and Luke Fletcher explained that and spoke from...
Siân Gwenllian: ...in the wake of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic. There are immeasurable levels of illness, not to mention the chronic disability associated with long COVID. As well as that, six months of education days were lost, and there have been far-reaching economic consequences and increasing strain on our health services. That all tells us that we need an inquiry, and that we need a...
Siân Gwenllian: ...that's faced three black England football players since Saturday's match. The 'Show Us You Care' report by Race Alliance Wales looks at the cumulative impact of racism on young people in the Welsh education system, and the findings are shocking and very worrying. They show that there is a very real problem in our secondary schools, but that racism and racist bullying happens in the primary...
Siân Gwenllian: ...to meet targets on children at seven years old learning through the medium of Welsh is entirely unacceptable. So, I do look forward to hearing more about your plans to introduce a Welsh-language education Act. This is desperately needed, and we need clear statutory targets that must be adhered to. In the meantime, of course, we need to take urgent action to increase the workforce able to...
Siân Gwenllian: ...of Government, I want to take this opportunity to once again emphasise the need to move towards budgets that are preventative, and budgets that provide long-term solutions. Investing in the education of our children and young people is a central part of the preventative agenda, and it's clear that we need to prioritise investment in our schools, and to employ more staff to support our...
Siân Gwenllian: ...language and language planning; and you're 'working' to safeguard Welsh place names. Now, in turning to the detail, I do welcome the commitment from your Government to introduce a Welsh-medium education Bill. Plaid Cymru has long argued that we need a statutory mechanism to drive the efforts to significantly develop Welsh-medium education, recognising the key role of the education sector...
Siân Gwenllian: ...level or will there be local arrangements in place? Won't this be an additional burden on the short time available to teachers and take them away from their teaching roles, bearing in mind that schools are already working in clusters in order to share best practice around the new curriculum, and that the consortia too arrange fora around the curriculum? So, my question is: do we really...
Siân Gwenllian: It surprises me how little priority early years education and childcare is given by this Government. Studies show how vital the creation of full provision is in deprived communities for the benefit of the education of children and to raise families out of poverty. And yet, the Government's model and the defective childcare scheme is based on demand rather than need. Do you agree that we need...
Siân Gwenllian: ...the situation. Through nature restoration and providing more opportunities for children to access nature, we can provide a wide range of benefits to our children and young people, in terms of their education, their health, their well-being and, most importantly, we can offer hope for the future. But we have to prevent the decline by setting statutory targets to overcome the decline of...
Siân Gwenllian: The Government needs to lead and not leave complex decisions up to schools and teachers who are under huge pressure already. That's unfair, it's irresponsible and it creates inconsistency. So, I would call on you to listen to the increased cry from our schools and to give clear guidance and consistent guidance. May I ask you about the vaccination plans for children and young people? Clearly,...
Siân Gwenllian: I'm very pleased to have listened to this afternoon's statement, and I'm pleased that you've listened to the suggestion that I made in the Senedd last week, namely to reduce exam fees for schools. As a former chair of governors, I am highly aware that paying for examinations is an important element of a school budget. It didn't appear to be fair that schools were facing bills similar to ones...
