Kirsty Williams: Well, the Member is correct to identify an approach that clearly had not been successful in the past, and continuing that approach and hopefully, suddenly thinking that it might change the outcomes—well, somebody did say that doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome is the definition of madness. So, we need to try a different approach. Now setting targets for our initial...
Kirsty Williams: Well, like you, I'm very keen that we allow the new reformed approach to Welsh in education strategic plans to develop and to bed in within our local authorities. As a non-Welsh speaker myself who chose this option for my own children, I know how vital provision at meithrin or at Ti a Fi before that—Ti a Fi and meithrin, primary and secondary school, are crucial if we are to meet the Welsh...
Kirsty Williams: Again, like the Member, I believe that the siarter is a really important way of developing a culture across the school rather than in individual lessons, by actually ensuring that pupils and staff in that school, and parents and supporters of that school, have opportunities in a variety of ways to use the language. And I'm always very pleased to see a wide variety of schools embracing the...
Kirsty Williams: Can I first of all thank the Member for her support for the report on the way in which we are developing our WESPs in the future? The situation in Tredegar is one that I am very familiar with. Not only is there clear demand from parents in that area for primary education through the medium of Welsh for their children, the Welsh Government has made available 100 per cent capital funding to...
Kirsty Williams: Well, firstly, I respond to the call by saying isn't it absolutely incredible, in a nation such as ours, that we have to have a school hunger campaign. Providing an allowance for breakfast for pupils eligible for free school meals in secondary schools is one course of action that I am actively considering at the moment. There are possibly other courses of action, and other solutions, that may...
Kirsty Williams: Our free-school-meals policy rightly targets support towards the most disadvantaged children in our communities. As a result of our new eligibility criteria, by the time universal credit is fully rolled out—if it ever is—we estimate more children will be eligible for free school meals than under the previous system.
Kirsty Williams: Given the Member's keen interest in active travel, and his very active lobbying in this regard, the Member will be pleased to know that we have revamped our consideration for active travel as part of our twenty-first century schools and colleges programme. And any application coming forward from a local authority that gives poor consideration of active travel to that new building will be...
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank the Member for the question? I'm aware of the Conservatives' party policy with regard to post-16 travel. It involves scrapping the education maintenance allowance, which is financial support that helps our very poorest students. But the Member is absolutely right—one area we do need to tackle, and our departments are working closely on, is promoting active travel to school to...
Kirsty Williams: Well, I welcome the Member's support for the interdepartmental review on post-16 learner travel. With regard to MyTravelPass, although the responsibility for that scheme does not lie within my department, I take a keen personal interest because the impetus for that scheme was a budget deal struck between my party, when I was leader of the Liberal Democrats, and the then Welsh Government. So,...
Kirsty Williams: Both departments co-operate in numerous ways, and I recently released a joint ministerial written statement informing Members of our intention to take forward a review identifying all issues involved in post-16 learner travel. Further updates on this review will be provided to Members as it progresses.
Kirsty Williams: We are taking positive steps to improve mental health support for learners in further education and across the whole education sector. Work is already under way and further options are being framed for future implementation and to ensure a joined-up approach across education sectors and with Public Health Wales.
Kirsty Williams: I regularly visit schools, and talk to head teachers and local authorities about school funding. I have listened to the evidence presented to the recent Children, Young People and Education Committee inquiry in to school funding, which demonstrates the complexity of the current system.
Kirsty Williams: Figures published by the Education Workforce Council show that as at 1 March 2019, there were 923 registered secondary trained schoolteachers in Wales who had undertaken their initial teacher education to teach a modern foreign language subject.
Kirsty Williams: Education provision is the responsibility of the local authority. It must decide how many and what type of schools and services should be provided, in line with 'Our national mission' aims to provide the best possible outcomes for all students.
Kirsty Williams: December.
Kirsty Williams: Yes, of course.
Kirsty Williams: I will be guided by Luke’s expertise in this issue, and I'm sure we'd all want the work to be a comprehensive piece of work, but I would be hopeful that that work would be completed before the summer recess of 2020, and therefore is an opportunity to influence the next set of budget discussions. In turn, I'd like to focus on recommendation 4, asking us to consider how the allocation of...
Kirsty Williams: No, I won't. The Welsh Conservatives speak disingenuously about the level of funding Wales received via the spending round for next year. As they should know, due to issues surrounding the treatment of non-domestic rates, that has led to a reduction of £178 million to the Welsh budget, and you simply cannot compare like for like when looking at departmental budgets. Essentially, Wales's...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Could I begin by thanking the committee for their report and their consideration given to this most important of areas? I'm very grateful that the committee took the decision to look at this subject, and as always, as Alun Davies says, the committee's consideration has been detailed, thoughtful and useful to me as the Minister for Education. As I have...
Kirsty Williams: Presiding Officer, the Member refers to specific incidents in Powys. Members will be aware, if they have an interest in education in Powys, of the findings of the recent Estyn report into the performance of the local education authority. Special mention in that Estyn report was made of support for additional learning needs and special educational needs and the requirement of Powys County...
