Siân Gwenllian: ...this testing will be vital in January, as we move forward. As well as the large-scale tests, and the wearing of masks that we discussed earlier, what further measures are you considering to keep schools open, but in a safe way? For example, better ventilation of buildings. Is there detailed guidance for that? And, can you talk about other special measures to safeguard vulnerable school...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much. I want to start where you finished there, namely with the tests on a wide scale. I'm aware that you are doing work and considering introducing a programme on a wider scale in schools and colleges, for pupils and teachers, and I agree entirely that we do need a planned programme of tests going forward. There are tests going on in schools in the Liverpool area, and you've...
Siân Gwenllian: ...which sounds great, and is praiseworthy as far as it goes, but is entirely inadequate if we are serious about reaching a million Welsh speakers. Only major steps in the workplace, in law and in the education system will secure that aim. Education has a crucial role in creating that million Welsh speakers, but the report states that there are fewer Welsh-medium primary teachers in this...
Siân Gwenllian: ...a number of challenges arising in introducing these changes, particularly in light of COVID and bearing in mind the far-reaching curricular reforms that are also in the pipeline. The changes to ALN education have a cost to them, but it is not clear exactly how much all of this will cost—it's not clear what it will cost in staffing terms or in terms of training. But I do think that there...
Siân Gwenllian: ...to succeed. So, I would like to ask the Deputy Minister how he believes funding settlements for the sector in future should provide for digitising local and national collections and provide for educational activities and engagement activities on the internet. I turn to two other issues to conclude. Eluned Morgan has noted that the Welsh Government wants to release a feasibility study on...
Siân Gwenllian: I do welcome this news. As you know, Plaid Cymru has been making the case for having no end-of-year exams for months now. This announcement will be a relief to young people, their parents and to schools across Wales. It would have been impossible to hold external examinations in a way that would be fair to pupils under current circumstances. The decision does mean that alternative...
Siân Gwenllian: ...about what was said in that report, which was entitled, 'The Cwricwlwm Cymreig, history and the story of Wales'. These are the words of the panel: 'Much of the debate on the history taught in school tends to emphasise the factual content of the curriculum. There is, however, far more to the discipline of history than chronology and factual knowledge alone. While chronology and factual...
Siân Gwenllian: ...'t possible. But he has been walking the same distance on the farm, back in Trawsfynydd, and has drawn attention to this issue that he feels so passionately about. In the Children, Young People and Education Committee, we have been discussing the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Bill, gathering evidence from a number of different sources. And I have been trying to make the point...
Siân Gwenllian: Thank you very much. Our motion this afternoon focuses on important and timely aspects of the world of education in Wales. First of all, exams and assessments and the need for change that has been underlined by COVID and the requirements of the new curriculum, and I will expand on that in my contribution. Another important aspect is the identity and diversity of Wales. Including the history...
Siân Gwenllian: ...'re keeping the situation under continuous review. That is vital, isn't it? Now, turning to another issue, to conclude, in July it was announced that 600 additional teachers would be recruited to schools and 300 teaching assistants for the current school year. I would like an update on this, and perhaps there isn't sufficient time this afternoon for you to give that update, but will you...
Siân Gwenllian: I welcome your decision to extend your free school meals scheme to include school holidays until the spring of next year, and, also, your decision to extend the free-school-meals scheme to include additional pupils, particularly those from low income families. Will you consider extending it further still to include families who receive universal credit, the basic provision, or, even better...
Siân Gwenllian: .... May I begin with the financial situation of our universities as a result of the health crisis? I'm aware that there is support being provided by the investment and resilience fund for higher education. It appears that the applications need to be in by the last day of this month, which is within the firebreak period. And, of course, universities will have additional requirements as a...
Siân Gwenllian: ...does to try and improve the lives of children and young people in Wales. There is no doubt that the COVID-19 crisis has changed the lives of the children of Wales in a dramatic manner, with schools and childcare settings closed for long periods of time, lectures and lessons delivered online, playgrounds closed and major restrictions on opportunities to socialise. And it's no surprise that...
Siân Gwenllian: ..., namely on the equality of English and Welsh text in law in Wales, but the other, which is, perhaps, of more interest, is the right of every citizen in Wales to have easy access to Welsh-medium education. According to the court's judgment, only 10 per cent of the language impact assessment on the decision to close Ysgol Pont Siôn Norton in Cilfynydd focused on the impact on the Welsh...
Siân Gwenllian: ...and a full appreciation of the importance of the arts in the recovery programmes. In New Zealand, the sector is central to their recovery; work has been given to hundreds of artists in the nation's schools as part of their recovery programmes, and there are many different funds and proposals in place, as well as a particular arts and culture recovery programme in place that includes all...
Siân Gwenllian: ...'s report as an addition to the evidence and the increasing consensus of the need to make black and minority ethnic history a central part and a compulsory part of the teaching of history in our schools. Rooting anti-racism in the curriculum is one small but substantial step in the bigger picture as we move towards eradicating structural and systemic racism in Wales, and there is an...
Siân Gwenllian: 'lack of clarity around the accountability framework and the school-leaving qualifications, which risk that misaligned accountability and assessment measures could undermine the curriculum.'
Siân Gwenllian: 'There is a risk of inequalities increasing due to the challenges that disadvantaged schools can have in implementing the curriculum, which accentuates the need for clarifying resources available for schools.'
Siân Gwenllian: It's this problem of schools that are in deprived areas, schools that aren't reaching the necessary standards, and the risks for them as they try to put an entirely new curriculum in place. I do want an assurance from you that equality within the policy will be given more prominence in the discussions on the curriculum from here on in. And the third point, and the final point in a way, is the...
Siân Gwenllian: So, clearly, we do need to focus in on that, that lack of connectivity between the vision and the practice that will be expected within schools. There's no doubt that that's a major challenge in the face of inadequate funding. As the children and young people committee has highlighted, there isn't enough funding reaching our schools. Therefore, the challenge of ensuring that the curriculum...
