Michelle Brown: ...important decisions should not be left to Labour, I do not think they should be left to the EU either. Labour have messed up everything that has been devolved to this place so far, whether it’s education, the NHS or housing. But this is a matter of democratic accountability, and the ability to sack those who make bad decisions. If the out-of-touch, complacent decision maker, who has no...
Michelle Brown: Thank you very much for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. If a local authority isn’t maintaining a rural school properly, would you ever consider it appropriate to remove that school and a relevant proportion of the revenue support grant from the local authority and fund it directly as a delegated school?
Michelle Brown: Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. Last year, when you became Cabinet Secretary for Education, and again today, you quite rightly said that there should be a presumption against the closure of rural schools, and that pupils in rural schools deserve the same opportunities as children in other areas of Wales. What action, if any, would you take if you suspected that a local authority...
Michelle Brown: Thank you, Presiding Officer. Cabinet Secretary, in 2012, you said that the welfare of pupils, teachers, and staff at our schools is paramount, and also, when talking about the discovery of asbestos, that the Government will try to shift responsibility on to local authorities and schools. Do you still believe, as you did when in opposition, that the Welsh Government should take responsibility...
Michelle Brown: ..., regardless of income, is a positive step forward. The Cabinet Secretary may say that we may be taking about a relatively small amount of money here, but that money could be spent elsewhere in the education system, such as making essential repairs to a rural school. The Welsh Government is constantly complaining that they’re not given sufficient funds, yet you can find the cash to give...
Michelle Brown: ...and teenage years that we’d all want them to have? Since 2006, the number of young carers in Wales has nearly doubled. Children and young people who are also carers are much more likely to miss school frequently, as has been commented just now, and according to Barnardo’s, they’re afraid to ask for help for fear of letting the family down or being taken into care. So, I do support...
Michelle Brown: ...the Plaid amendment. Part-time study can be vital to those who cannot afford to give up work but need to study in order to improve the future for themselves and their family. A healthy part-time education sector can be a major attraction for businesses looking for a new home that want the option of being able to upskill their workforce. It gives increased options for those who want to...
Michelle Brown: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. I welcome the consultation on the reforms to post-compulsory education and training. I do have some questions. I appreciate that you may not have a firm answer right now to some of them and, if that’s the case, I’d like your assurance that the views of stakeholders will be sought on the points. I...
Michelle Brown: ...footing strategies and pathways to diagnosis and meeting the needs of autistic people. An autism Bill would complement the additional learning needs Bill, which addresses the support needed in the education system by people with autism and other conditions. Indeed, it seems illogical and contrary to place into law the good principles of the ALN Bill in the education setting, but not to do...
Michelle Brown: Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. Schools will clearly benefit from the kind of advice and support you’re talking about, and I realise that improving schools is an ongoing process, which is why the lack of concrete support reflected in the guidance on the school classification system concerns me. However, there are young people who will have spent their education in either an...
Michelle Brown: Okay. Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. Schools in the amber category will receive up to 15 days’ support, with those in the red category receiving up to 25 days’ support. There’s no mention of additional resources in the guidance given to parents and schools—the additional resources being for the purposes of employing more teachers and to provide additional and upgraded...
Michelle Brown: Thank you, Presiding Officer. Can the Cabinet Secretary tell us how many primary schools feed into high schools that are in the red or amber category and how many primaries in the red and amber categories feed into high schools that are in the yellow or green categories?
Michelle Brown: ...Officer, and thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. I welcome your commitment to the objective of ensuring that all pupils in Wales are digitally competent by the time they leave school. In modern workplaces, there are few jobs that don’t require at least some level of competence with digital technology, and few areas of life where it does not now not extend. I’m therefore...
Michelle Brown: Okay. Thank you for that, First Minister. Labour’s education policies included the abolition of tuition fees and the reintroduction of maintenance grants—something that we would actually support in UKIP in respect of STEM students. Do you have any intention of implementing this in Wales?
Michelle Brown: 10. What assessment has the First Minister made of the impact that last week's UK General Election will have on the Welsh Government's education policy? OAQ(5)0657(FM)
Michelle Brown: What assessment has the First Minister made of the impact that last week's UK General Election will have on the Welsh Government's education policy?
Michelle Brown: ..., Deputy Presiding Officer, and thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. Whilst I support the use of the latest technology in the classroom, it must always remain in a way that improves the education for the child, and doesn’t simply ease the teacher’s workload. The answer to overworked teachers should always be more teachers, not more computers. There is no substitute for the...
Michelle Brown: ...promote the life offer available to professionals in order to have them come to north Wales or not to leave in the first place? We undoubtedly have a recruitment problem in Wales. Whilst a medical school in Wales may result in a number of medical graduates remaining in Wales—hopefully, they’ll realise what a wonderful place it is to live and work and remain here—it isn’t a...
Michelle Brown: ...it’s the latter, will the Cabinet Secretary please explain how the new programmes will be co-ordinated with existing ones? I support the Cabinet Secretary’s objective to improve leadership in schools and to give school leaders the support they need, but there is a lack of detail in this statement, and I look forward to hearing that detail in due course. I genuinely hope this academy...
Michelle Brown: Okay, thank you for that. As you’re aware, there are too many schools in the amber and red categories. Should there be a mechanism that makes it easier than it currently is for children attending a school assessed as amber or red to switch to a school that isn’t failing?
