Kirsty Williams: Welsh Government’s priorities are to provide high quality health services that deliver the best possible outcomes for the local population.
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank you, David? You’re absolutely right. Leadership, in all its forms, from the head of an individual institution to the middle-tier management to the individual subject leaders within the school—leadership at all levels in our schools is absolutely crucial, and that’s why we will set up the leadership academy—details of which I will announce later on this month. We have to...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much. The Member should not be surprised that the programme has come to an end, because as I stated at the very beginning, the programme was never intended to be anything but a shorter-term intervention for the period of three years, and we have now come to the end of the three years. We’re carrying out a detailed evaluation into the aspects of the programme that have indeed,...
Kirsty Williams: Once again, could I congratulate the immense hard work that has gone on in that new school for the improvements that they have seen? It is a testament to the dedication of the staff and the commitment of pupils and parents, and Nick Brain is to be congratulated. Huw, you have touched on the very central point of how we can drive educational change in this country and that is outstanding...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Paul. Again, I’d like to congratulate the success of the school that you’ve mentioned. You have also recognised that those successes have not been universal in all schools that have taken part in the programme. Unfortunately, in some cases, we’ve seen some schools fall backwards, which is very concerning. Let’s be clear, when the Schools Challenge Cymru programme was...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you. Like you, Vikki, I would like to congratulate Pontypridd High School on their reported improvements. I’m committed to building, as I said, on the progress made in Pathways to Success schools, ensuring that the lessons are learnt about how we can share that across the wider school system. We’re working closely with local authorities and the regional consortia to ensure that exit...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you Vikki. Presiding Officer, I understand that you’ve given permission for questions 7 and 10—
Kirsty Williams: Apologies. Vikki, Schools Challenge Cymru is a temporary intervention to accelerate improvement in our most challenged schools. The programme’s central funding ends in 2016-17. However, I will reflect on verified GCSE results and evaluation findings to embed lessons learned and inform deployment of the £100 million pledge to raise school standards.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you for that very important point, and I’m sure the Minister who will be taking the Bill through the Assembly has heard what you have to say. Can I say that I too recently met with a local autism group? Given that my constituency neighbours your region, many of the people that came to the meeting were actually from your region. I was very concerned to hear that those parents felt that...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Jenny, for raising that important point. Welsh Government recognises the importance of educational psychology; that’s why we support the professional development courses for educational psychology here in Cardiff. As you will be aware, the Minister has stated his intention to bring forward the draft Bill before Christmas of this year. Views around the role of educational...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Mark, for that question. The closure of John Summers school is not an easy one and not one I took lightly, but took on the advice provided about how best we could improve educational outcomes for all children in that particular area. You will know that, in my progressive agreement with the First Minister, there is specific mention about the need to review the schools organisation...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Mark. Consideration for the needs of these children runs throughout the statutory code. The code sets out factors that should be taken into account, and that relevant bodies should place the interests of learners above all others, with particular attention being paid to the impact of school proposals on vulnerable groups of children.
Kirsty Williams: Could I thank the leader of the Conservative Party for his question, although as for the image he paints, once again, about him having his shirt off, can I remind you that Halloween was on Monday, not today? [Laughter.] Over the last three years, the Welsh Government has invested, with Sport Wales, £3.7 million to deliver physical literacy programmes for Welsh schools, and the 2015 school...
Kirsty Williams: Can I join with the Member in congratulating the success of the teams? I know the Member invited the teams recently—I think last week—to the Chamber to celebrate their success. I share with you an enthusiasm for the game of rugby in all forms. Indeed, my youngest daughter competed recently in the Urdd tag rugby tournament, here in Cardiff, and she enjoyed herself immensely. The Member...
Kirsty Williams: I want all young people to have the opportunity to participate in sport and physical activity. Schools can provide a safe and structured environment for playing rugby and touch rugby is a good way to introduce new players to the game.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Nick. As I said to Adam Price, if the Member—. Or, indeed, the offer has been made to the teaching profession: if they have ideas of how we can make the school categorisation system more robust, for instance in the field of value added, and how can we put that into the system, then I am happy to look at it and, as I’ve said, I will not be afraid to change it. I think it is an...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Adam. I think the first thing to say is that it’s important to remember that the school categorisation system is not a system that is based on data alone. There are different factors as well as data that go into the school categorisation. If there was any evidence that people were acting in such a way, it would be dishonest and it would be unprofessional. If teachers have...
Kirsty Williams: Diolch yn fawr, Adam. Developed by the system, for the system, categorisation provides a picture of how well schools are doing and the level of support that they need to do even better. Importantly, the system also identifies schools with the capacity to support others, acting as a driver for collaboration and sharing expertise and excellence.
Kirsty Williams: Who I do agree with, Llyr, is with the universities across Wales who tell me that international students are an important part of the wider successful future of a HE sector in Wales. I will leave no stone unturned to protect the interests of Welsh universities, and not to hinder their ability to attract students either from the EU or from the wider world. We have an excellent offer. They...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you. You will know, Llyr, that, as a result of the Brexit vote, I have established a higher education and further education working group to advise me on the impact of Brexit. We know that, for each institution, their exposure to international students is slightly different, and therefore potential drops in student numbers will affect different institutions in different ways. That group...
