Suzy Davies: Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. Thank you for those answers to Bethan Sayed as well, Minister—that was very helpful. I just want to begin with schools closing. Obviously, we've been told repeatedly that schools themselves are very low-risk environments, even though this variant itself is more highly infectious than the previous version. The most recent technical advisory cell report points out...
Suzy Davies: ...s question on this. I don't think any of us are suggesting that that the phase 1 roll-out be re-prioritised in any way, but I want to know whether you're personally sympathetic to the argument that school staff should be within the phase 2 prioritisation alongside those for which we've already had some indication. I appreciate what you say about JCVI, but towards the end of that...
Suzy Davies: Trefnydd—two statements that I'm looking for, please. The first is an urgent written joint statement from the Minister for Education and the Minister for local government about the real confusion being experienced by families about the school or hub settings that councils are providing during the period of school closures. The three local authorities in South Wales West are doing things...
Suzy Davies: How many nursery and primary school staff and pupils in Bridgend have tested positive for COVID-19 since 14 December 2020?
Suzy Davies: ...with which we had some agreement from those with which we did not. What we tried to preserve is in point 4(b) of our amendment. I think there is something to be said for an entitlement to free school lunches for those children whose circumstances fall outside the current criteria because of particular crises. If you are a woman fleeing with her children from domestic violence, or if you...
Suzy Davies: And for that I'm extremely grateful, Presiding Officer—Chair, sorry. Yesterday, my colleague Mark Isherwood highlighted once again the vulnerability of looked-after children. He said that, although looked-after children are taken into local authority care to improve their welfare, they are over represented in child criminal county lines exploitation and are therefore far from being...
Suzy Davies: ...English below the age of seven and mental health, and I'm keen to hear a little bit more, actually, about the response to our concerns regarding religion, values and ethics in voluntary-aided schools' teaching. Other schools, as you may know, will be required to give regard to the locally-agreed RVE curriculum, whereas voluntary-aided schools must teach in accordance with that curriculum,...
Suzy Davies: Last week the First Minister said this: 'I want very strongly to endorse today the joint statement made between the Welsh Government and the Welsh Local Government Association, which urges schools to remain open until the last day of term, while recognising that there will be individual sets of circumstances where that will not be possible....The real problem is that we do not have...
Suzy Davies: ...will not beat it. As we all recognise that we cannot live in that way, we have to live with the virus in a way that balances the risk of infection with our sanity, our livelihoods, the continuing education of our children and the means of creating wealth to keep our public services going. Constituents will accept regulations when they see the connection between action and purpose—keeping...
Suzy Davies: Trefnydd, can I just add my voice to that of Laura Anne Jones for a statement from the education Minister on the subject she was speaking of? We can't have 300 children going off just because there's one positive case and children just going to school for five days since the beginning of September. Could I also ask for a statement from the education Minister regarding students and what...
Suzy Davies: ..., of course, it will be temporary, hopefully, but for others it could trigger something far deeper and more long lasting. So, First Minister, can you tell me who is responsible for ensuring that schools and colleges become trauma informed? And how many of the schools and colleges in South Wales West have had access to an ACE ambassador from the ACE hub? Thank you.
Suzy Davies: ...is whether Welsh Government would be prepared to make a clear statement of advice or guidance to employers of employees who are single parents whose children are sent home to self-isolate from school. It's currently an offence for children to be left alone if they're at risk—there's no particular age limit set on that, but I think there may be some confusion for employers about when they...
Suzy Davies: ...'t really answer my questions about why, when you're out in the fresh air, you should wear a mask. If you'd turned around to me and said that there is a lot of evidence of pupils huddling up in the schoolyard and not behaving, then maybe I would have been prepared to hear your evidence for that. But yesterday, for example, I had communication from somebody—a parent—complaining that...
Suzy Davies: Thank you for that answer. My understanding is that some of the legacy GCSEs would be sat, but never mind. I want to move on now to school closures, and I can see that all but one year group in my old alma mater in Aberdare were sent home to self-isolate the other day. Schools in Ceredigion, of course, are closing for two weeks, including primary schools, which surprised me, I have to say,...
Suzy Davies: ...other exams—not just resits—will still go ahead. I wonder if you can say why the learning of those students sitting level 2 and 3 units in health and social care is deemed less affected by school and college closures than those sitting literature and ICT.
Suzy Davies: ...these reports together? Five minutes to scrutinise both. There isn't sufficient time to scrutinise your success in relation to your activities. We can't go through the world of work, the field of education and the community, et cetera, and there's not enough time to look at the functions and the responsibilities of the commissioner and to work out whether he has sufficient resources and...
Suzy Davies: Can I advise Members that the year 6 pupils of St Helen's Primary School in Swansea are watching us? So I hope we're all on our best behaviour. Deputy Minister, parents being in secure and sustainable employment is a hugely important factor in alleviating child poverty. I wonder if you can tell us how you're working with Cabinet colleagues to help match adult learners with work-based learning...
Suzy Davies: ...'ve given the Minister on this? I have to begin, though, by saying that while I was completely understanding of your position in wanting to issue a written statement a little earlier today so that schools would know that this is the way that you are proceeding, I'm deeply disappointed that The Sunday Times seems to have had hold of this story at least 48 hours before presenting it on the...
Suzy Davies: I wonder if I could ask for two statements from the Minister for Education, please, Trefnydd—I appreciate she's here today to hear the request. The first is about the registration of teachers in independent schools. I know this has been raised with you fairly recently, but because it's a safeguarding issue and you're fighting a very strong fight on safeguarding when it comes to the...
Suzy Davies: ...-tung, for example, by applying modern mores? What was his effect on the everyday life of everyday people and how does that compare with our relationship with people in power these days? There's a school term's worth of history lesson right there, and every bit of it will count as Welsh history. Welsh history is not just about what happened in Wales, but how events and decisions elsewhere...
