Jeremy Miles: Well, in the context of the question that he raises about elective home education—and the diffidence with which he presents the benefits of that, I think, is acknowledged—just to remind the Member that, of all the four nations in the UK, Wales has the most generous support for the elective home educating community. The current year funding for that level of support is around £1.7...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member of that question. As in all parts of the UK—. Each part of the UK has a regime through which education providers are qualified for support through the respective arrangements in each of the four nations, and the fact that one institution may qualify in one of the nations doesn't automatically mean that they satisfy the criteria in each of the four nations. They would need...
Jeremy Miles: Our national mission sets out our commitment to the success and well-being of all learners. Education other than at school is an integrated part of the continuum of education. EOTAS is education provision for children and young people who, for whatever reason, require tailored support away from mainstream schools.
Jeremy Miles: Well, this is a very important point and I want to acknowledge the pressure that school leaders and teachers are facing at present, but also over the past year and beyond. I was discussing on Tuesday morning with local authorities and education unions, and the wider education workforce, and I asked them to pass on our thanks as a Government, and I'm sure, as a Senedd, to their workforces for...
Jeremy Miles: Well, thank you for that further question. Through the revenue support grant funding that we provide to local authorities, it is possible to use that source of funding to ensure that their schools get to grips with this particular situation. But we're also working with the Health and Safety Executive and with Ystadau Cymru to support good practice to deal with asbestos in schools and in...
Jeremy Miles: Well, the plans that we already have in place—the frameworks that are in operation in all parts of Wales—the intention of that policy is to ensure that our schools are safe for our learners and our teachers and the wider workforce, and that the measures that are being taken in our classrooms and the wider schools estate reflect the requirements of the schools themselves, but also the...
Jeremy Miles: Well, it is possible for people to teach in Wales even though they don't have specific language skills. What we want to see—. And we have a pilot scheme being developed at the moment with the National Centre for Learning Welsh to encourage students in our universities to work as teachers through the medium of Welsh or to teach Welsh in our schools. We'll be announcing further details of...
Jeremy Miles: Well, the Member is entirely right in saying that the demand for Welsh-medium education in some parts of Wales isn’t being fulfilled at the moment, so there is a need for increased ambition for provision in some communities across Wales. But, at the moment, as the Member will know, the local authorities are working on their strategic plans to provide Welsh-medium education in their areas,...
Jeremy Miles: Well, we have several ways of supporting businesses across Wales to provide services through the medium of Welsh. I pay tribute to the work that the mentrau iaith do in every community in Wales to support the local economy to provide those kinds of services, as well as the Helo Blod service, which provides a translation service, and Helo Blod Lleol, which operates through the mentrau iaith,...
Jeremy Miles: Well, the change in the rural economy, of course, is a crucial element in language policy development, so these things are under constant overview. Now, I didn't hear the answer of the Minister for Climate Change, but it's not clear what the scale of the problem is, and we don't want it to become a major problem; we want to work with farmers to ensure that it doesn't become a problem. In...
Jeremy Miles: I hold discussions on numerous issues with the Minister for Climate Change relevant to our portfolios and have had conversations with the Deputy Minister on this issue. Meeting woodland creation targets is crucial to reach our climate change commitments, as well as generating new opportunities for farmers, including Welsh-speaking farmers. We recognise that investments should not affect...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for that important question. As part of the effective delivery of the RSE part of the new curriculum, and as well as the work that schools will be doing to make a reality of the health and well-being area of learning and experience that's an integral part of the curriculum, that requires specialist expertise, time and resources to ensure that the kind of supportive...
Jeremy Miles: I thank the Member for that important supplementary, and I share with her—. I was very saddened and very concerned to read the testimony on the Everyone’s Invited website, and any form of harassment or indeed abuse is totally unacceptable. I know that we will all want that message to be really clearly sent from this Chamber. We’ve introduced measures already in advance of the report...
Jeremy Miles: We have a range of guidance and support to ensure the safety of children and young people. I've also commissioned Estyn to conduct a review into peer-on-peer sexual harassment in education settings, and the findings will play an important role in supporting settings and in informing Welsh Government policy.
Jeremy Miles: It is too early to say what the long-term impact of COVID-19 will be on learners. But we see positive signs that learners are regaining their Welsh language skills when they return to school. I want to thank our educators across Wales for their care and dedication to their learners after a very difficult time.
Jeremy Miles: As stated in the new programme for government, we are committed to eliminate inequality at every level of society, which includes implementing policies in education that will give everyone the best life chances. We recognise that this will require radical action, innovative thinking and strong coordination and collaboration.
Jeremy Miles: The Welsh Government provided significant suport in the financial year 2020-21 to support the education system’s response to COVID-19, which included £26.491 million to support learners to complete vocational qualifications as well as £5 million on supporting vocational learners returning to college to complete licence to practice qualifications.
Jeremy Miles: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. May I thank all contributors to the debate today and acknowledge what Paul Davies said about the committee's work, and thank him and the committee for their work on this?
Jeremy Miles: Can I also thank Huw Irranca-Davies and the committee for their work, as I mentioned at the start, and for his forbearance about the question about replying to the recommendations in the report? I can assure him that we will be accepting the recommendations in full. Partly, it's a question of timing, which illuminates the larger picture, which I know his committee has been concerned about in...
Jeremy Miles: As you're aware, my advice to the Senedd is that we should not give approval to the Bill in its current form. The Bill was developed at speed by the UK Government, and the majority of this activity took place during our pre-election period, which prevented Ministers from engaging in the development of the Bill. This rapidly turned the development of a non-legislative common framework, which...
