Lynne Neagle: ...is that young people retreat into their bedrooms…and don’t leave'. And it is this confusion and this letting go at too early an age that makes me think we need to move to a system of compulsory education or training up to 18. This is a change that has been introduced in England, with cross-party support, and where levels of NEETs in young people is now below that of Wales. Central to...
Lynne Neagle: .... And the second recommendation from that report said this, 'Welsh Government should explore mechanisms to ensure children and young people between the ages of 16 and 18 years are supported in education or training, which includes work based training. This could be enabled by raising the school leaving age to 18 years.' That recommendation was based on common themes that emerged in the...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I've agreed to give a minute of my time to Suzy Davies AM. There's a common theme to every debate through history on raising the compulsory age of education. Politicians begin and often end their case by citing the impact on the economy. In a discussion about raising the school age in the 1960s, the Tory education Secretary, Edward Boyle, described it as a...
Lynne Neagle: ...that an £8 billion funding gap will exist for councils in England. What does that mean? It means job losses, wholesale privatisation, library closures and, even now, the prospect of shorter school days. If that is the Tory vision for local government in Wales, then at least be honest about it. In Wales, the Welsh Government and councils are working hard and working together to keep...
Lynne Neagle: Minister, due to Tory austerity, Torfaen council has had no option but to increase council tax this year in order to protect vital services, namely social care and education. I'm very proud that, in Torfaen, we have a Labour council that is prepared to take those decisions to protect our local services. The leader of UKIP knows nothing about the financial pressures facing the local authority...
Lynne Neagle: ...focus on today is meeting skills demands after Brexit. The evidence received during the inquiry painted a very clear picture that, through their more local focus and skills-based curricula, further education colleges are particularly sensitive to the strength of their local economies and employers. They also have a key role in meeting skills demand. It is almost inevitable, therefore, that...
Lynne Neagle: ...on whether we agree with Brexit or on the votes happening in the UK Parliament. Rather, our aim in tabling today's debate is to discuss the potential impact Brexit could have on students and education providers in Wales, based on the evidence we received from experts in the field and those on the front line. This was a challenging inquiry that was considered against a backdrop that was,...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Llywydd. I'm pleased to open this debate today on the Children, Young People and Education Committee’s report, 'Degrees of Separation?', which discusses the impact of Brexit on higher and further education. Members of this Chamber will be fully aware of my views on Brexit, but at the outset of this debate it's important that I emphasise that I am contributing this afternoon as...
Lynne Neagle: ...crucial not just that the Welsh Government works with the advisory group to promote the guidance but that the Welsh Government proactively leads on ensuring that this guidance is used in all schools in Wales. Several schoolchildren have died by suicide in Wales since 'Mind over matter' was published, and action on this is urgent. It cannot wait until the new curriculum and a whole-school...
Lynne Neagle: 2. Will the Minister provide an update on the guidance which is going to be issued to schools in April on talking about suicide? OAQ53576
Lynne Neagle: ...areas that have been identified as priorities—the life skills in the curriculum and the emotional and mental health of children and young people—are issues that the Children, Young People and Education Committee are already taking a very keen interest in and are prioritising ourselves. Of course, it's for the young people to decide how they take their work programme forward, and I'm...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Minister. Because of Tory austerity, Torfaen council yesterday were forced to put up council tax by 5.9 per cent in order to protect vital public services, especially schools and social care. I'm very proud to represent a Labour council that is fighting so hard to protect local services, and although I welcome the additional funding the Welsh Government announced for local...
Lynne Neagle: Can I ask what discussions the Minister will have with both the Minister for Education and the Minister for Housing and Local Government, and what assurances you can give that ensuring sufficient funding for our schools will be a priority for you?
Lynne Neagle: Suzy, I know that you're aware that the committee that you're a member of is undertaking a major inquiry into school funding, but I am a bit puzzled by this long catalogue of difficulties that you're referring to, because I'm wondering where you think the funding pressures that are inflicted on schools are actually coming from, when it is actually your Westminster Government that cut our grant.
Lynne Neagle: ...but, given the time constraints, I will focus on two areas. The first is particularly close to my heart—young suicide and the overlap between this report and the Children, Young People and Education Committee's 'Mind over matter' report, because the two are inextricably linked. Suicide is the leading cause of death for young people aged 15 to 19. More than 200 children die by suicide...
Lynne Neagle: I just wanted to thank Bethan for tabling this very important subject. In the Children, Young People and Education Committee's inquiry into the emotional and mental health of young people last year, social media was a constant theme that arose, and, as you've already highlighted, we are more connected than ever before. But actually, I think we are more isolated in many ways than ever before....
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Minister. Coed Eva Primary School in Cwmbran has recently been praised by Estyn for creating strategies to develop pupils' independence and attitudes to learning, one of which includes a pupil leadership scheme that involves the pupils conducting lesson observations, focusing upon learners' learning behaviours and attitude to learning and where they provide feedback to pupils and...
Lynne Neagle: 7. Will the Minister provide an update on the impact of pupil leadership schemes in schools? OAQ53118
Lynne Neagle: I am speaking today on behalf of the Children, Young People and Education Committee. Budget allocations are one of the most important ways the Welsh Government can evidence its stated commitments to policy areas and population groups. Allocations made to support our children and young people are no exception. One of our jobs as a committee is to scrutinise the priority the Welsh Government...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary. I know that you are well aware of my deep concern about the decision by Newport council to withdraw from the Gwent-wide specialist education service for children with sensory impairment, known in Gwent as SenCom. Disappointingly, this decision was taken with no consultation, either with families or with partner local authorities, and I'm deeply concerned that the...
