Kirsty Williams: With all due respect, if we have got limited numbers of people applying to go to those universities, we can't hope to raise the number that are offered and hopefully go on to accept a place. What's really important to me is that Welsh students' aspirations are raised so they feel confident enough to make those applications to Oxford, to Cambridge, to medical schools, to veterinary schools. I...
Kirsty Williams: I'm sure, Presiding Officer, the Member is very well aware of the Government's investment in the Seren network. I would refer the Member to data that I told the Chamber not so long ago about with regard to the closing-off date when students have to take individual entrance exams for Oxford university, for a number of medical schools and veterinary schools—applications are up.
Kirsty Williams: As I said, Llyr, it is absolutely crucial, because, I have to say, you’re giving the impression that Hwb itself is coming to an end, and that is not the case. We are changing a very small part of it because the contract is coming to an end and there are no options within that contract to renew. I have decided, on the basis of public value for money, to pursue this project in a different...
Kirsty Williams: I think it’s really important for Members to be clear that we are not ending the Hwb project. We are looking to refresh a particular part of that programme, Hwb+, which is a part of the programme that has not seen particularly high levels of usage, and the feedback from practitioners has been that it has not been particularly useful. Hwb in the round will stay and we will be looking,...
Kirsty Williams: What’s really important, Llyr, is that we learn from the experience of practitioners who use this online resource. There are certain sections of the project that have been very successful. High amounts of usage and feedback from practitioners and students say that it’s very valuable. However, there have been aspects of the platform that have been less well used, and, as we update our...
Kirsty Williams: I would agree, Andrew, that many students are concerned about how they will financially support themselves whilst undertaking a period of higher education study, and that's why we're implementing the Diamond review, which will see Wales have the most comprehensive support for students, especially for those students from a non-traditional background who perhaps in the past wouldn't even have...
Kirsty Williams: All courses provided by alternative providers must be specifically designated by the Welsh Government before students are able to apply for student support. We have issued guidance on the Welsh Government's approach to the designation of specific courses by non-regulated providers for the purposes of student support funding. I'm sure most people in the Chamber would agree with me that it is...
Kirsty Williams: The reforms that we are implementing in response to the Diamond review will deliver a fairer, more sustainable system of student support. I am confident that the Student Loans Company, which provides the Student Finance Wales service, can deliver the changes to the student finance system for our nation.
Kirsty Williams: Estyn is an independent body and the Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales is responsible for the inspection of quality and standards in education and training in Wales. An independent review of the implications of our education reform for the future role of Estyn is currently under way.
Kirsty Williams: I published ‘Public Good and a Prosperous Wales’ on 20 June. It set out our policy for all post-compulsory education and training in Wales. I was heartened by the broad support the White Paper received. I intend to publish a further, technical consultation in the new year.
Kirsty Williams: We recognise the value and importance of encouraging strong links between institutions and business. Our broad range of support for innovation and commercialisation in academia and industry helps the flow of knowledge from our universities to the commercial world, creating growth and highly skilled jobs.
Kirsty Williams: The Welsh Government is planning to invest more than £225 million over the next two years through the education improvement grant for schools to support our schools, regional consortia and local authorities to improve educational outcomes for learners in Wales. This represents a significant investment in school improvement in Wales.
Kirsty Williams: Education services have a legal responsibility to report any suspicions of abuse and neglect to social services. Our statutory guidance, Keeping learners safe, supports them in this work. It covers key areas of safeguarding and information on how children and young people should keep themselves safe, including online.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. All I can say, Llyr, in response to the comments that you've made, is that sometimes the issue isn't about quantity, it's about quality, and I'm very grateful to the Plaid Cymru group and to the Conservative group for the quality of their work on this legislation as it goes forward. I think that should be acknowledged. As I said in my opening...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Llywydd. I formally move the motion on this afternoon's order paper. Nearly a quarter of all children and young people will have some form of additional learning need during their education. The current system of support is based on a model introduced more than 30 years ago and we know it is no longer fit for purpose. For over a decade, reports and reviews have challenged the...
Kirsty Williams: I appreciate that the Member doesn't agree with it. What is more important to me is that NUS Cymru agrees with it, the higher education sector in Wales agrees with it and higher education experts across the United Kingdom consistently say, 'If you're interested in progressive HE and FE policy, then look to Wales.' Because it is us, and us alone, who are doing something interesting in the...
Kirsty Williams: With regard to the establishment of the commission, as I said, we will go out to a technical consultation. It is my intention that the executive of that commission will be appointed in normal open competition procedures. As to the members of the commission, they will be subject to the public appointment process that we have here in Wales, a process that has just been undertaken to recruit new...
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank Llyr again for the support in principle that he has for this reform agenda? The consensus that we seem to have in the Chamber today is reflective of the consensus that there is out there across Wales of the need to move forward in this regard, and is reflected in the consultation. With regard to timescales, what I have learnt over the last 18 months is to be very circumspect in...
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank Darren Millar for that series of questions, and for his in principle support for the reform agenda that we have before us? Darren, like me, understands that the status quo is not an option, and some of the problems and commentary that Darren has just made about some of the challenges that face students are one of the driving factors behind the reform. We need a system that is...
Kirsty Williams: The strategic planning role of the proposed commission was welcomed. There was agreement that funding from the commission to learning and training providers should be made dependent in some way on Welsh Ministers’ agreement to its strategic plan. The majority of respondents outside the higher education sector in principle supported the introduction of outcome agreements but wanted more...
