David Melding: ...knew of my connection with the college. They dug out from the archive a letter from Goronwy Owen, the great eighteenth century poet, about his preparations to take up a post teaching at the grammar school attached, then, to the College of William and Mary. It strikes me that there are many astonishing connections that we should be keen to follow up on. In fact, at the library, they said,...
David Melding: ...Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 methodology to come in place, because, clearly, you can improve health. The other key thing, if we do, is we improve the environment, because the school run is something that really got embedded in the 1990s. Of course, those of us of an older generation have no idea about it. It still amazes me to see just how much traffic there is taking...
David Melding: ...that Samaritans Cymru have done, again emphasising the need to train teachers so that they do have that level of confidence, at least, to address these very important issues. The skills we get at school, 10 or 20 years later—that can be the difference between someone seeking help and unfortunately completing suicide.
David Melding: ...'re not all poor. This thought that all these new private estates are somehow a blot on the landscape, that they don't have good infrastructure, and that the planning authorities have not put in school provision: I mean, that is not typical of the type of development we get in the UK and in Wales under both Governments. We have a very tightly designed planning system and it does broadly...
David Melding: ...of voting to 16, or the eligibility to 16. That captures that part of the population obviously that are going to live with the more profound decisions that are taken for them, but also in terms of education, training—these sort of basic issues that are essential, really, to the prosperity of the society, and they really impact that age group, and I think you'd have the potential of...
David Melding: ...announced one of the largest mental health trials in the world to find out what can be done differently to improve young people's mental health and well-being. Three hundred and seventy English schools will take part in these trials, testing different approaches, while nine areas will trial new ways of ensuring children entering care get the mental health support that they need at that...
David Melding: ...mechanisms you are using to get the views of young people on the curriculum and its development, and I applaud what you've done there. I would like to hear whether anything's been done with the school councils, because they're in a very good place to do some really deep deliberative work where they actually take control of the process and consult with their members—the pupils in those...
David Melding: .... They aim to explore the history and archaeology of the Cardiff suburbs of Caerau and Ely, from prehistory through to the modern day, helping to connect communities with their heritage and develop educational opportunities. Their website notes that before the advent of the Roman invasion, Caerau hillfort was the major power centre for the entire Cardiff region, and is one of the largest...
David Melding: ...see the private sector then emulate, particularly with low-carbon homes, I think. We need to see a revitalised small and medium-sized enterprise sector and a skills base, working through further education authorities, to allow that. We cannot increase from 6,000 to the 12,000, 13,000, 14,000 that we will need in the next 20 years or so quickly. That's why I think a 10-year target of...
David Melding: ...I do think it is an issue for all departments of Government under your direction and co-ordination to look at, because it does need a comprehensive approach—and you've already mentioned health education; it also affects local government and access to safe playing areas—and I just wonder if the Welsh Government might not follow its excellent practice, I think, with the Andrews report,...
David Melding: ...as well as being born on 28 August. I think I was often 18 months behind many of the people that were in the same class year as me. It caused reading and writing difficulties when I was in primary school, and it wasn't until the very end of secondary school that I started to achieve close to my intellectual potential. This is a real issue, and we need to have children in the appropriate...
David Melding: ...establish this concept of the bank of mum and dad and apply it in this key area. I also think that, for care leavers, it is usually housing that becomes the most dominant need for them. I think educational attainment is a really important thing for young people in care, but when they leave care—although they may still be in some form of education—housing is then very, very pressing....
David Melding: ...m glad that a piece of work has been commissioned from the Wales Public Policy Institute, and I think that will help very much. I think, for care leavers, the housing situation is as crucial as the education situation and educational attainment is for those in care when they're going through formal education. And then adverse childhood experience frameworks have come to play a big part in...
David Melding: Cabinet Secretary, I've served as a school governor since 1992, and I've always been privileged to work with the most outstanding senior management teams. I do notice in the independent review that has given you advice on how these powers may be used that the way headteachers are employed could change radically, so that they're employed on a regional and national basis. Now, I wonder how that...
David Melding: 8. How does the Welsh Government's education programme develop skills in new technology and innovation? OAQ52783
David Melding: ...young people can have those sorts of life experiences and start to meet their real potential. So, it's really important that we challenge ourselves in terms of the standards we are delivering in education, and I think it's appropriate for us to look at these exam results, to look at PISA, and to urge the Government to have a strategy that really does turn us around so that we can again be...
David Melding: Cabinet Secretary, I've heard, in relation to the proposed transfer/closure of Llancarfan Primary School, which my colleague has just referred to, that the issue of access to the school building programme requires schools, often, to be built on new sites and schools to be consolidated or expanded. This is a real problem for schools in rural communities, where there may be a constrained site,...
David Melding: 5. What is the Welsh Government doing to protect rural schools? OAQ52599
David Melding: ..., and the referral via CAMHS in the inappropriate referrals out of not knowing where else to go, so you make a CAMHS referral. I think some of the practical suggestions—the national approach for schools, including the need for a guidance teacher model, so that lead members of staff have responsibility and enable other teachers to pick up the things—this is basic pedagogy. I find it...
David Melding: ..., I do commend the written statement you made earlier today for concentrating on the prevention of fires and the work of the fire service and the other emergency services to raise awareness in schools and also just around the community about the dangers of starting fires. I think that's a really, really important part of their work, and we are seeing a lower incidence it seems now in terms...
