Bethan Sayed: 7. What support is the Welsh Government giving to primary schools? OAQ53414
Bethan Sayed: ...girls were given body image counselling sessions. That is, sadly, probably only a fraction of what is needed and is why in the past I have campaigned for well-being and confidence lessons in our schools to try and get to grips with some of these real-life problems. But it isn't just about the way we look. Our online lives can be markedly different from our realities. Online influencers...
Bethan Sayed: ...are making those cutbacks in the here and now, and any intervention that you can make as Minister would be welcome. I'd like to turn finally to Swansea University and governance issues in higher education. Yesterday, my colleague Helen Mary Jones asked a business question in relation to this and was told that the Welsh Government couldn't comment on an ongoing investigation. Now, a Swansea...
Bethan Sayed: Thank you for the reply. I appreciate elements of this is new, but, obviously, higher education isn't new. We've seen major pressures in the college sector, strikes averted at the eleventh hour, but that doesn't take away from the fact that workload pressure is still a reality. We need to see progress on Hazelkorn and on FE legislation. Where is that in the round? There are major governance...
Bethan Sayed: Whilst Plaid Cymru has been supportive of some of the changes that you've made in relation to schools, when it comes to post-16 education, some of the people that I've talked to have said that they believe that the Government have taken their eye off the ball. Even the former Minister—I'm not sure of the title at the time—said that further education was not given a priority. Do you agree...
Bethan Sayed: ...seek clarification on that—how they're going to be calculated, for example. Touching a bit on what Suzy Davies said: will the results of the personalised assessments be used to guide teachers and schools in how they proceed to move forward with pupils, or will certain results come with particular prescriptive actions set more centrally at a national level? For example, if you see trends...
Bethan Sayed: This week is Lifelong Learning Platform's Lifelong Learning Week. This is the pan-European civil society for education, which is using this week to bring together partners from across Europe to encourage and talk about ideas to foster lifelong learning. With our future in the European Union currently uncertain, I hope that Wales can continue to play a role in European engagement platforms...
Bethan Sayed: In terms of the Welsh language, the committee noted that overall funding for the Welsh language within the education MEG has remained flat, with £38.3 million allocated within the draft budget. The committee understands the current constraints on funding, however, we are concerned that a cash-flat budget will not allow sufficient progress toward the Welsh Government’s target of 1 million...
Bethan Sayed: Oscar, you mentioned diversity and I think that's really important. We have to ensure that we encourage people from all walks of life to be able to upskill and to take part in our further education structures. We were at the Treforest campus last week, where we met with young entrepreneurs from different walks of life, and, sometimes, if you grow up in some communities of Wales, you might...
Bethan Sayed: Diolch. Thank you, everybody who has taken part. From what I can gather, we've got a consensus in the fact that we all support further education and we all want to see it prioritised. I guess where we differ is in our politics and in our analysis as to the prioritisation that it has for the Welsh Government. I did recognise the investment that has been put into the staffing issues, but, of...
Bethan Sayed: ..., in fact, that the details of this announcement have been made today in time for this debate. Coincidental or not, it is to be welcomed. I think it's also worth pointing out here that the further education joint trade union in Wales has said in the past that any increase has to be above the retail price index and that the Welsh Government recognises 10 years of pay restraint. I hope...
Bethan Sayed: Despite these financial constraints, the rising demand for further education and lifelong learning opportunities has been noticeable, as it should be. It's part of the Welsh Government's strategy to upskill our economy, and to do so, they indicate to us, to equip our citizens with the skills they'll need to be successful in a modern economy. Yet, the truth is the funding and vision have not...
Bethan Sayed: Thank you. I brought this debate today, co-signed by some of my colleagues here—and thank you for doing that—because further education in Wales has been under pressure and has not been given the level of recognition and central position of importance that it deserves. We believe that further and lifelong education is the key to unlock the potential in the Welsh economy. For too long,...
Bethan Sayed: Will the Cabinet Secretary outline the Welsh Government's plans for secondary school sixth forms?
Bethan Sayed: Thank you for the advanced notice—it's timely, given that we have a debate on further education this time tomorrow also. We've always recognised in Plaid Cymru that, to have a successful highly skilled and productive economy, we need the facilities and the institutions that are world class, competitive with a clear mission and a plan to deliver. And further education is something that needs...
Bethan Sayed: ...the symptoms. So, I would urge you for a statement on that. The second statement I wanted to ask for was—. Alongside other Assembly Members in this room, we were at St Joseph's comprehensive school yesterday as part of the Youth Parliament debate, and one of the young students came up to me afterwards and said that she had been waiting on a waiting list for school counselling for over...
Bethan Sayed: ...be using and promoting the Independent Press Standards Organisation as a wider standard bearer, and promoting it as a place to complain about misleading sources. This needs to be part of a wider education programme surrounding trusted and verifiable sites and news sources, encouraging the use of fact-checkers, broadening understanding, for example. I would hope, too, that we can encourage...
Bethan Sayed: ...to the Cabinet Secretary for all of her comments. It is reassuring to hear that you are putting this at the front of the political agenda, and I guess what I was trying to say about the music in education plans was not to try and be—I don't know what the word was—churlish, but, if the recommendations were refused, obviously as a committee, we need to go through them in fine detail to...
Bethan Sayed: ...ensure equitable standards across Wales. As such, while I am disappointed that this recommendation has been rejected, seemingly, I think, on the basis that our proposed plan did not have the word 'education' in the title, I am pleased that the thrust of the recommendation is being considered within the Cabinet Secretary’s feasibility study. However, the Cabinet Secretary put her name...
Bethan Sayed: As a musician myself, who was brought through the music service system, I can testify to the truth of these statements. Through music education, I was afforded amazing opportunities and experiences that enriched my education. They're experiences that I cherish to this day.
