Mark Reckless: ...that £15 million itself much more productive in terms of its spending? My major concerns—and I’ll be very interested in what the Cabinet Secretary says in response—again relate to the higher education funding settlement. In light of the evidence the Cabinet Secretary gave, the Finance Committee stated: ‘The planned technical transfer of £21.1 million from HEFCW’s budget to the...
Mark Reckless: ...how quickly things have changed and welcome this motion. We should have Wales as a welcoming place for the LGBT community and do as Hannah Blythyn said—particularly what you said about work in schools—compared to how I started my contribution, with what was done 29 years ago. How far we have come.
Mark Reckless: ...at the beginning of the term and then agree a date. I seek no intervention in my own case, which is resolved, but I just wondered, in having childcare to support working parents as well as the education of the child, would it not be appropriate, if both parents are working, perhaps have to give notice to a private nursery, to have at least a month’s advance notice of what date a child...
Mark Reckless: Our policy on grammar schools is one of a number of policies. I think it is really unacceptable for the Welsh Government to use, as a shield for this—I think everyone agrees—deeply unsatisfactory set of PISA results, a report that it will not share. How can we sensibly respond to the statement, or take part in this debate on even terms with the Government, if they have a report they cite...
Mark Reckless: ...along with what the Welsh Government was doing. It was only following that session that I found there wasn’t a report, or at least not as it was suggested. I found this report, ‘Improving Schools in Wales—An OECD Perspective’, which was from 2014, and 143 pages long. I think the OECD is a little slow with some of these reports. These are the 2015 PISA results we’re looking at....
Mark Reckless: ...case, why was this money being spent under the climate change area, if it wasn’t actually required to meet those goals? I wonder if these climate change capital projects will be like the higher education budget, perhaps, was last year, and we may see substantive parts of that put back following what we’ve learned in the autumn statement. I’d like to be assured that what’s...
Mark Reckless: I note the Cabinet Secretary’s response, but the complete record is not available. I would quite like to look at what the key stage 2 results are for different schools across Wales, and to compare what the trend is in that and what improvements there have been, and to make comparisons, appropriately adjusted, between schools, as would many other parents. The system is set up for her and for...
Mark Reckless: ...to make such comparisons across the border because the GCSE grading system is changing in England from A to G to 9 to 1, and Wales is not taking that path. As a parent seeking to compare primary schools, and standards across different schools, I’ve found that a much greater challenge in Wales than I did in England, because the key stage 2 results do not appear to be published in a...
Mark Reckless: Diolch, Lywydd. Last week, ‘The Sunday Times’ published it’s ‘parent power’ tables, including the top 400 state secondary schools across the UK weighted by GCSE and A-level results. Is the Cabinet Secretary happy that the top Welsh school in that ranking was one hundred and eighty-second?
Mark Reckless: ...be agreed? How much of these now much higher loans will the Treasury determine are likely not to be paid off, and therefore be written off from the perspective of the taxpayer, and therefore, as education is devolved, should be a charge against the Welsh Government? Currently, we have a significantly lower RAB than England, because our loans are lower, although Professor Diamond suggested...
Mark Reckless: ...things more difficult for at least some families in Wales? Second, the quality of existing provision has generally been considered to be good, with two and a half hours a day, five days a week in a school environment. I just wonder, when he says in his statement, ‘Our new childcare offer will include our successful foundation phase provision during term times, with supporting...
Mark Reckless: ...back to the Assembly for future years. For instance, when we look at its particular objectives for Wales, it wants to close the attainment gaps by raising standards for children receiving free school meals, children with special educational needs, looked-after children and Gypsy and Traveller children. When it speaks about free school meals, is that a particular problem in Wales—is the...
Mark Reckless: ...Government look at greater use of private sector nurseries, as well as state provision, particularly taking into account that, when you ramp it up from 38 hours to 48 hours a week, that may fit the school timetable and provision less easily and lead to greater average costs for school provision than has been the case to date?
Mark Reckless: ...about the financing, as a father of a two-year-old and a four-year-old I’ve experienced both the Welsh and the English systems for childcare. It’s clear that the provision in Wales, largely, in schools is good in quality, but the inflexibility of five 2.5-hour sessions means that it’s very difficult for many working parents to take advantage of it, and the rate at which female...
Mark Reckless: ...funding and the integration with the NHS are welcome. But can the Minister continue to protect local government to the extent that he says in this budget? The £30 million extra for higher education and further education—we support some of those further education additions. The higher education, we’re told, is for the transition to the new student support arrangements., which we were...
Mark Reckless: ...she confirm, which I’ve seen from an FOI request from one of her constituents, whether the Welsh Government continues to make a payment of £90,000 a year to the private, fee-paying London Welsh School?
Mark Reckless: 3. To what extent does the Welsh Government make payments to schools in the private sector? OAQ(5)0033(EDU)
Mark Reckless: ...to undergraduates, support for part-timers and support for carers. One small part we had in our manifesto was the suggestion of pilot schemes for Welsh students to study globally at the best educational institutions. So, we’re delighted to see that taken forward. I wonder, though, whether the Cabinet Secretary would agree that she has become the Government’s most expensive Minister. I...
Mark Reckless: The provision in Wales is very centred on schools, compared to a more mixed economy across the border. Has the Minister considered that many parents might welcome more of a choice between school-based nurseries and independent nurseries and, for example, might like the opportunity, rather than five days of two-and-a-half hours a day, to have a smaller number of fuller days in the week?
Mark Reckless: 7. Will the Welsh Government continue to prioritise childcare provision in nurseries attached to schools over private nurseries? OAQ(5)0036(CC)
