Jeremy Miles: ...to play in that. I think it will help us to meet the needs of disadvantaged and vulnerable learners, and that's been an important consideration in how it's been designed. Embedding that equity in schools is, obviously, critical, and I think that because the curriculum takes the learner where they find the learner, it enables us to provide bespoke learner journeys, if you like, which can...
Jeremy Miles: 'Beacon of hope' is exactly the right phrase in John Griffiths's question. I'm aware of the work that Maindee primary do. I've met some of the staff, and I would be delighted to visit the school to see at first hand the fantastic work that I know they do. The kind of work that the school does is exactly the sort of work that we want to see more and more schools in Wales supported to do. We...
Jeremy Miles: ...the EMA, at its current level at least, is extended. We continue to allow learners to benefit from an extended period, as I was saying, of backdated EMA payments. We recently issued a notice to all schools and colleges reminding them of the mechanism by which that works, and highlighting the discretion in the scheme for learners with particular extenuating circumstances—caring...
Jeremy Miles: Well, as the Member knows, and acknowledges, we do everything we can to ensure that the resources available are provided to help those who need them most in our education system. In terms of the commitment to maintain the EMA, that's part of our programme for government. And I'm proud that we have continued with that, as Scotland and Northern Ireland have done, but that's not the case in...
Jeremy Miles: There is a range of additional support measures provided to post-16 learners in receipt of education maintenance allowance. These are measures provided by the Welsh Government through their college or school. These include free or subsidised travel, free meals, free period products, and access to hardship funding where available.
Jeremy Miles: ...that point. In terms of the broader point, the point that she makes in this context, as was the case with the previous question, is quite proper in terms of how important transport is to accessing education. But because of geographical distribution, it's particularly pertinent in relation to Welsh-medium education, as her question suggests. There is an element of flexibility or...
Jeremy Miles: ...of inflation that has affected Wales and the whole of the UK generally. But that is not what we saw. We saw some increase in what we can expect, but it's nowhere near meeting the challenges that schools, and public services more broadly, face. And it certainly doesn't make up for the impact of inflation on budgets. I have seen what the NAHT have said, and I have discussed that with them in...
Jeremy Miles: I'm not sure what point the Member is trying to make; what I heard was a list of criticisms of our school system. I think her time would be better spent, if I may put it to her, finding ways to scrutinise me in a way that puts forward a positive alternative. If she doesn't think what we are doing is in the interests of the school system, maybe she would like to advance a view of her own—a...
Jeremy Miles: ...they understand the world of business more broadly. It's a full, it's a rich curriculum, and it's completely appropriate that young people have access to all parts of it, as they work through their school journey. What we have seen is that understanding people's democratic rights, union membership, rights in the workplace, responsibilities in the workplace, is a positive in people's lives....
Jeremy Miles: Well, I think the Member has rather missed the point. What the curriculum is designed to do is to make sure that our young people have a rounded education and that they are ethical and informed citizens when they leave our education system, understanding fully the range of their democratic rights and their responsibilities; the importance of social action; their agency as individuals,...
Jeremy Miles: I thank Jenny Rathbone for that question. They can expect our commitment to further education to continue; I was determined that we would reflect that commitment in our budget settlement for this year. So, for the 2022-23 year, you will see investment of over £400 million directly to colleges for core provision and support, which is the largest increase, actually, in many years, and that was...
Jeremy Miles: I thank Vikki Howells for drawing attention to the good work happening in Capcoch school in Abercwmboi. The PDG—access grant that we make available in Wales has, I hope, made a significant difference to many families, at least many lower income families, around Wales, helping to remove some of the worry, at least, around, for example, the purchase of school uniforms, kit and other...
Jeremy Miles: ...didn't pose a barrier to young people being able to take advantage of the blended learning that was taking place at the time. We invested over £180 million to, if you like, futureproof our education technology infrastructure and make sure that it's available to every learner on an equitable basis. That involved 216,000 end-user devices and also connectivity. So, there will, I'm in no...
Jeremy Miles: Thank you to Heledd Fychan for that supplementary question, and this is a very fair point to raise, and it is a challenging situation, as the Member said. I visited Llanishen school recently to discuss with a group of pupils, including a Member of the Youth Parliament, who had been undertaking research into the impact of this on the school, and who'd been looking at possible solutions. And it...
Jeremy Miles: Our pupil development grant—access provides funding directly to eligible families for the purchase of uniform, kit and other school supplies. I announced an additional one-off payment of £100 to all children and young people eligible for PDG—access this year, taking funding to over £23 million for 2022-23.
Jeremy Miles: We are committed to creating an inclusive education system. Our additional learning needs reforms put learners at the heart of the process to identify and meet their needs and will help ensure that all pupils requiring additional support to meet an ALN have that support properly planned for and protected.
Jeremy Miles: We expect that the new statutory guidance for elective home education will be implemented in April 2023 and that, in doing so, it will bring a range of benefits to electively home-educated children and young people in Wales, including those in Denbighshire.
Jeremy Miles: Our Welsh in education workforce plan, which I published earlier this year, sets out a number of actions that we will take with our stakeholders to increase the number of Welsh-medium teachers over the next 10 years.
Jeremy Miles: ...policy. I'm very proud of what we as a Government have achieved over the past year. We've launched the commission for Welsh-speaking communities. We've worked with local authorities on the Welsh in education strategic plans to increase the Welsh language provision across Wales. We've launched a new policy to provide free Welsh lessons for those between 16 and 25, and for the education...
Jeremy Miles: ...movingly at the event in the Senedd about his own journey, as he has here today, and I think it absolutely illustrates the power and the importance of lifelong learning to democratise access to education at every point in your life. I think that the story that John Griffiths has just given is the inspiring story of adult education—it's to begin at one point in the journey, and then that...
