Kirsty Williams: But my ambition for learners does not stop here. I want our learners to go further than just using the tools and infrastructure that we have made available. I want them to move from being users of technology to being creative authors. Learners’ ability to write code is a key aspect of that ambition and is far broader than just using technology. It is about problem solving, being creative,...
Kirsty Williams: Could I thank Michelle for her questions? Let me be absolutely clear for the Member and for the Chamber: this is not about replacing teachers with computers; it is about being able to supply teachers with instantaneous, good-quality information about the abilities of an individual child—something that, at the moment, we do in one way, but I think we can improve upon it. As I said in my...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Llyr, for those questions and observations. You’re quite right; Professor Donaldson told us that the frequency of testing should be kept to a minimum, but he was also very clear in his report that external standardised testing provides important benchmarking information and should be used in combination with school tests and teacher assessments. So, in no way did...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Darren, for your questions. I had hoped that the statement this afternoon would be able to help develop a broader understanding of the difference between assessment for learning, which is a crucial part of how we raise standards in our schools—and how that is a very different beast to what is accountability. The fact that the two have been melded together in the past,...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. The word ‘dysgu’ means both teaching and learning. As Professor Dylan William of University College London has pointed out, this linguistic and cultural perspective neatly demonstrates that the quality of teaching and learning cannot be separated. Assessment for learning means that teaching is always adaptive, specific to the learner’s needs and...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Presiding Officer. We will hear much today, I suspect, about Rhodri as one of the ‘gwerin’—one of us—and that is, was, indisputably true. But we must also recognise that he stood out and he stood taller than us as well—as a politician, as a leader, as a father figure and friend to those of us from the class of 1999 and in the communities across Wales. Now, many of the...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. Could I begin by thanking Darren Miller and the Welsh Conservatives for bringing forward the debate this afternoon and the very thoughtful contributions that we’ve had from across the Chamber? I’m afraid, Deputy Presiding Officer, I have to admit that I am indeed old enough to remember what a ZX Spectrum was, although I have to admit I was...
Kirsty Williams: The roadshows will commence on 12 June. I don’t know whether the roadshow will include your own constituency, but I’m happy to provide details. Details of the roadshow will be given out via all the platforms that the Welsh Government has at its disposal, including ‘Dysg’ and including the new ‘Education Wales’ Facebook page. I would encourage Members—if they want to keep up to...
Kirsty Williams: Well, I don’t know about a Tory policy finding its way into my agenda. I can assure the Member that this was a commitment in the Welsh Liberal Democrat manifesto a year ago, and that’s one of the reasons why I’m determined to take it forward. I think this issue about values is absolutely fundamental. One of the things that makes me proud to be the education Secretary in Wales is because...
Kirsty Williams: Deputy Presiding Officer, you want me to give short answers, but those are big questions—big, big questions. On higher-level teaching assistants, you’re quite right. They are a crucial part of our workforce, and we have seen the development of higher-level teaching assistants over the last Assembly term and we want to accelerate the number of teaching assistants that can access those...
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank Michelle for her optimistic outlook on the future of school leadership in Wales? What I should have done in answer to, perhaps, some of the questions from Darren and Llyr Gruffydd, and, indeed, to Michelle—I’m sure Ann Keane, who is chairing the shadow board, would be very happy to meet with spokespeople, or indeed other Assembly Members who have an interest in this area, for...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Vikki. One of the things that the OECD told us was (1) yes, we have to do more about leadership, but, secondly, we have to get better at recognising success and celebrating success. I think, sometimes, there’s something intrinsic in the Welsh psyche—if we were Americans, we’d be shouting from the rooftops, but there’s something intrinsic about us as Welsh people not to want...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you to Llyr for his questions. With regard to the professional learning offer, I simply don’t think that, in the past, we have been able to offer our teaching profession the professional learning opportunities that are truly useful to them. There’s a balance to be struck between a national approach, making sure that every teacher, regardless of where they are in Wales, has access to...
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank Darren Millar for his in principle support for the academy and a strong focus on leadership? Members will be aware that lack of support for leadership was a key component of the OECD report into the state of Welsh education in 2014, and it’s an area where not a lot of progress has been made. So, like you, Darren, I’m very anxious that progress is made as quickly as possible...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. When reflecting on the many excellent schools that I have had the privilege to visit over the last year, it is clear to me that each benefits from high-quality leadership. Our challenge, as noted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, is to ensure a whole-system approach to leadership, and to make it a prime driver of our...
Kirsty Williams: Could I inform the Member that the latest forecasts show that, in 2015-16, £50 million more funding came into the Welsh HE system that went in tuition fee grants to institutions outside of Wales? Now, our Diamond reforms will help secure the future stability and the sustainability of the sector here in Wales, and my remit letter to HEFCW confirmed that I fully expect future financial...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Huw. As you say, it’s not the only issue that we need to consider, but it is an important one. Just prior to Christmas, I hosted a quadrilateral meeting of UK Ministers who have responsibility in this area, and I repeated all the points I’ve just made to Llyr Gruffydd to Jo Johnson, the then Minister with responsibility for higher education. Who knows whether he will retain...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Llyr. As I’ve said, all universities, including Aberystwyth and the other institutions that you have mentioned, are autonomous bodies and, therefore, we do not have, as I have said previous, locus in this area. I am aware that the higher education sector in Wales is facing a number of challenges, not least in some institutions a failure to meet their recruitment targets for...
Kirsty Williams: Diolch, Llyr. Universities in Wales are autonomous bodies. As such, responsibility for staffing matters rests solely with Aberystwyth University. The Welsh Government has no locus in this matter. But, of course, I understand that the university is in discussions with members of staff and the trade unions about proposals for a review of its staffing structures.
Kirsty Williams: Well, Dai, as I said, the curriculum reform, which I was urged earlier by your colleague to stop and slow down and pause on, gives us this new opportunity to enhance the ability to teach Welsh children about their history. As I said, the Welsh dimension in both the current and the new curriculum is an important and prominent part of the education system, and Dr Elin Jones’s report, ‘The...
