Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for this important statement. As you're aware, the Children, Young People and Education Committee has recently published our report into the emotional and mental health of children and young people, and a number of themes arising in our wide-ranging inquiry resonate with the key findings of the expert panel. First, that the whole school approach is crucial in...
Lynne Neagle: ...it yesterday. I have no doubt that she is personally deeply committed to supporting our poorest pupils, but on this issue, we need some urgent clarity and assurances. In the last five years, the school uniform grant has benefited 1,107 pupils in Torfaen—young people whose families would otherwise have struggled to afford school uniform. This year, there are 202 pupils who should be...
Lynne Neagle: ...would be and what benefits would arise from it. I certainly think the financial benefits are in danger of being overstated. Whether you have eight, 10, 12 or 22 councils, they still have to educate the same number of children in the same number of schools, collect the same number of bins and care for the same number of vulnerable people. These are the key drivers of cost. This is...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you. As you're aware, I recently visited the Torfaen Traveller education service based at West Monmouth School, and it was absolutely fantastic to see how well the young people are doing, how they're getting really good qualifications, and some of them are considering going on to university. As you also know, I'm very much behind your efforts to tackle early entry, but one of the issues...
Lynne Neagle: ...that is going to be in good time for this summer's exams? My second question was on the issue of more able and talented learners, because the committee has received a lot of evidence that some schools are just using their PDG on free-school-meal pupils who aren't performing well, and I very much welcome the clarity that you've provided this afternoon that you expect that money to be...
Lynne Neagle: ...poverty by 2021 because of the Tory Government's welfare reforms. Given the challenges we face in tackling child poverty and the huge concern that has been expressed over the decision to end the school uniform grant in Wales, will the Welsh Government look again at this, and will the Welsh Government also take urgent action to ensure that its 2011 guidance, designed to ensure that...
Lynne Neagle: .... I very much welcome Darren Millar's reinforcement of the message that the role of teachers and the quality of teaching is actually fundamental if we are going to improve the standards in our schools. That's a very welcome acknowledgement. Darren, you also raised some of the issues that have come out through the inquiry around funding. Those issues are also emerging in our...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm very pleased to open this debate today on the Children, Young People and Education Committee's report on teachers' professional learning and education. The quality of teaching in our schools is, I believe, the most important element of our children's education. Both the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Estyn have left no-one in any doubt about how...
Lynne Neagle: What steps is the Cabinet Secretary taking to improve educational outcomes for Gypsy and Traveller children in Wales?
Lynne Neagle: ...'s annual report. It is important that the Assembly has the opportunity to scrutinise the work of the chief inspector, both in this annual debate and in committee. The Children, Young People and Education Committee is itself taking evidence from the chief inspector on the annual report next week, and I'm sure that what has been said in the debate today will give the committee much food...
Lynne Neagle: I'm speaking this afternoon in my capacity as Chair of the Assembly's Children, Young People and Education Committee. We've recently undertaken a comprehensive inquiry into the emotional and mental health of children and young people in Wales. Tomorrow, we will hold our final oral evidence session, hearing from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services and the Cabinet Secretary for...
Lynne Neagle: ...threat. We must make sure that our commitment to tackling loneliness cuts across Welsh Government policies. On Friday, a lady came to my surgery who was deeply worried that the pressures on adult education funding had led to charges being introduced for people who were on benefits to attend her local art class, some of whom had disabilities. Again, for some of those people, that art class...
Lynne Neagle: Will the First Minister make a statement on how the Welsh Government supports Gypsy and Traveller families in education?
Lynne Neagle: ...of perinatal mental health and the symptoms. We are disappointed by the rejection of this recommendation but look forward to hearing more from the Cabinet Secretary in his reply about the public education approaches he believes will be most effective in achieving the levels of awareness we think are crucial if we are to reduce the high level of stigma reported to us during our inquiry. The...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm very pleased to open this debate on the Children, Young People and Education Committee's report on perinatal mental health. Perinatal mental illness affects up to one in five women in Wales. With around 33,000 births a year, that means up to 6,600 women in Wales encounter mental health issues caused or worsened by pregnancy or childbirth every year....
Lynne Neagle: Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on efforts to improve school standards in Torfaen?
Lynne Neagle: ...her son, Peter, two years ago. As the Cabinet Secretary knows from those meetings, I strongly support the calls for an awareness-raising campaign about type 1 diabetes, particularly amongst GPs, school staff and parents. Janet has very clearly articulated how easy it is to save a life with a simple finger-prick test. I am keen to see, Cabinet Secretary, further direction from you and...
Lynne Neagle: ...of amendments, but before I do that I would like to take this opportunity just to place on record my heartfelt thanks to the clerking team and the research team for the Children, Young People and Education Committee, who have done an absolutely fantastic job of work on what has been a complex and long-awaited piece of legislation. As the Cabinet Secretary has said, placing the due-regard...
Lynne Neagle: Thank you. Last month, I was really proud to present Griffithstown Primary School with their dementia friendly award, the first school in Gwent, and one of the very first schools in Wales to receive the award. Every single class in the school has taken part in the initiative from reception to year 6, with older pupils also visiting patients at County Hospital and participating in an...
Lynne Neagle: ...that you have listened and have responded in that way. As you know, it is an area that the committee has looked at and is continuing to look at. One of the issues that was raised is that the schools that aren’t pioneer schools did not feel sufficiently in the loop and sufficiently involved in the process. So, I would like to ask what your plans are, going forward, to make sure that that...
