Kirsty Williams: Of course.
Kirsty Williams: Well, the Member has anticipated perfectly—
Kirsty Williams: —the next part of my contribution. We cannot—we cannot, David, ignore that many Welsh people were involved in owning and bringing slaves to America, and, as David has rightly said, we only have to look at the huge African-American populations with names such as Davies, Jones and Williams that reflect that history, whilst also recognising that the Welsh-American population also played a...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Can I begin by thanking Siân and Suzy for bringing forward this debate today, and allowing us to engage in impressions—pale, I must admit—of those Wynford Vaughan-Thomas and Gwyn Alf Williams Welsh history discussions that many of us will remember from the 1980s and have been referenced so often this afternoon, and the fact that they have clearly...
Kirsty Williams: HEFCW have no concerns over the financial status and stability of the institution. Their risk board, I understand, meets next month, and I was given no indication that they will change their attitude and their rating of Swansea University as a result. Clearly, they are engaged with Swansea around the late publication of financial statements. As you will be aware, the university has made a...
Kirsty Williams: Of course I'm aware of the situation at Swansea University and am monitoring the situation and have had regular updates from HEFCW. In my meeting with the chair of the higher education funding council yesterday, I asked a direct question as to whether he and the council had any concerns around the processes that had been employed by Swansea University in dealing with the disciplinary cases...
Kirsty Williams: I met with the chair of the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales yesterday for confirmation that the council is engaging with the university and monitoring its financial position in accordance with the council's regulatory and financial responsibilities. The university, as an independent, autonomous institution, made a public statement about the delayed publication and confirmed it has...
Kirsty Williams: Can I just say in response that I had the opportunity of meeting Gwyn at the awards ceremony? Like the Member has just said, at the age of 19, Gwyn was admitted to Hensol and spent decades of his life in that institution. They were not happy years. He spent much of his time isolated, alone and, I'm ashamed to say, often drugged and sedated. The fact that Gwyn is now living life to the full...
Kirsty Williams: Could I thank Bethan Sayed for, once again, her recognition of the hard work that is going on the length and breadth of Wales in this important field, and also to recognise that informal, non-accredited learning is often the very first step that some people need to undertake before they move on to a more formal accredited learning? So sometimes we can be perhaps overly dismissive of what...
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank the Member for his recognition of the importance of adult learning and the real impact that that has on individuals and on wider society? I think, Presiding Officer, I did mention in my statement that the new Working Wales employability advice service is now up and running. The purpose of this new service is to provide and respond to the very issues that the Member raised, in...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Presiding Officer. Adult Learners Week is an annual campaign co-ordinated by the Learning and Work Institute in partnership with Welsh Government. Each year, we see over 10,000 adults in Wales participating in Adult Learners Week activities. The campaign raises awareness of the value of adult learning, celebrates the achievements of learners and providers, and inspires more people...
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank Mr Reckless for his questions? With regard to the four priorities that have been identified by the members of the group, they build upon one another. First of all, the development of a workload and well-being charter and toolkit, that is the first step in the process of identifying within your school how you're doing, and to help you self-evaluate, and to be able to demonstrate as...
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank the Member for that contribution? What she refers to is indeed standard good practice. Many of our schools employ such mechanisms as teaching triads across disciplines, and there is much professional learning and support going on between professionals within schools and, indeed, also between schools. So, for instance, in some of our rural schools, you may find yourself in a...
Kirsty Williams: That led, then, onto questions about the middle tier. The Member suggested that perhaps this was for the longer term. Well, it's certainly not for the longer term as far as I'm concerned. Earlier this year, we set up the middle tier group that is chaired by Dylan Jones of Trinity Saint David, a very experienced and successful ex-headteacher who now leads the school of education in Carmarthen....
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank Siân Gwenllian for those comments and questions? She began by asking a question about the extent of the data audit. The Welsh Government will lead on this priority, and work is under way to conduct an audit on the mandatory data currently collected, as is required by regulations, and crucially, what is that data used for. Does it actually add to raising standards, closing the...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Suzy, for those questions. As I outlined in my statement, we have not been tone deaf to the concerns that have been raised by teaching unions with regard to workload. I outlined a number of actions the Government has already taken. The establishment of the group was to move these issues forward at greater pace and to ensure that all voices are heard. That means that all...
Kirsty Williams: The managing workload and reducing bureaucracy group met to discuss taking forward these four priorities on 5 June. Stakeholders across all tiers and trade unions have committed to ensure that these priorities get under way as quickly as possible. However, once these have been met, the group will continue to work through the action plan to address the shorter, medium and longer term actions...
Kirsty Williams: Diolch, Llywydd. I'm in no doubt that managing workload and reducing classroom bureaucracy is essential if we're to support our teachers to raise standards. This Government remains determined to give teachers the time to do what they do best: planning and teaching the best possible lessons for their pupils. Finding better ways to manage workload and reduce bureaucracy is a significant...
Kirsty Williams: Well, as I referred to earlier, we are providing unprecedented amounts of financial support to educate children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds via our pupil development grant. We continue to maintain education maintenance allowance for those children from a poorer background, allowing them to be able to stay on in school or in further education, and we have introduced the most generous...
Kirsty Williams: Our national mission is to deliver an education system that is a source of national pride and which enjoys public confidence. In partnership with local authorities and the regions, we are delivering high-quality educational opportunities across the whole of our nation, ensuring every learner has their chance to reach their full potential.
