Kirsty Williams: Can I thank the Plaid Cymru spokesperson for raising what is a very, very important and serious issue for our higher education institutions? I regret very much the statements that have come from the UK Government with regard to international students. Public surveying demonstrates that the public regard international students as a very welcome addition to UK society. We have been very quick...
Kirsty Williams: I would remind the UKIP Member that I have not been the Cabinet Secretary for 17 years, but I don’t believe that anybody in this Chamber, even those of us who have been here since the start, would agree that Welsh education is where we would want it to be. We can, and we must, do better. My invitation to ask the OECD to come and test the proposals that I have for driving up standards in...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Michelle, for your question. As you will know, the Welsh Government has embarked on an ambitious reform of our national curriculum, based on the recommendations of Professor Donaldson, which will provide for a broad range of educational experiences for all our children, ensuring that they are equipped to play a full part in our modern, working world.
Kirsty Williams: I’d like to know on what basis the spokesperson for UKIP makes such a sweeping remark about the comparison relating to the achievement of our hard-working teachers and pupils in the state sector. I would reflect, Presiding Officer, on a conversation that I had just this summer with a parent celebrating the success of the GCSE results at the former John Beddoes High School—a school that...
Kirsty Williams: I don’t see it to be my job or, indeed, the job of Welsh Government to dictate to individual communities the nature of the schools within those communities. I think local education authorities are best placed to make a judgment, in consultation with parents, teachers, pupils and their local populations about the types of schools that best fit with them. We know that some of our best...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you for that comment. Some of our most successful schools are 11-16 schools, but I am not aware of any comprehensive study that looks at the comparative outcomes of schools that offer curriculum through 11-16 or 11-18. What’s really important is that local authorities take into consideration the unique characteristics of the area in which they are delivering education. We are seeing a...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Paul, for that question and the points you make regarding the importance of delivering change in Pembrokeshire to further improve the educational outcomes for children and young people in your constituency. You will be aware that, if there are any changes, there is a possibility that some of those changes will be referred to Welsh Government for decision. Therefore, it would not be...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Paul. Local authorities are responsible for planning and delivery of their education services, balancing local needs and demands. When proposing change, they must ensure that they comply with the statutory school organisation code.
Kirsty Williams: Discussions are already well under way with local authorities and regional consortia to ensure that the right package of support is in place for these schools when the programme comes to an end.
Kirsty Williams: Discussions are already well under way with local authorities and regional consortia to ensure that the right package of support is in place for these schools when the programme comes to an end.
Kirsty Williams: Our vision for Wales is for a fully inclusive education system where all learners have equity of access to education that meets their needs and enables them to participate, benefit from and enjoy learning. We are fully committed to supporting schools, local authorities and other organisations to deliver this.
Kirsty Williams: Our vision for Wales is for a fully inclusive education system where all learners have equity of access to education that meets their needs and enables them to participate, benefit from and enjoy learning. We are fully committed to supporting schools, local authorities and other organisations to deliver this.
Kirsty Williams: I am committed to improving standards in all schools in Wales and this is reflected in my priorities for education and the draft budget for 2017-18. We will work closely with Pembrokeshire County Council and their consortium to make best use of the resources available and maximise outcomes for learners.
Kirsty Williams: I am committed to improving standards in all schools in Wales and this is reflected in my priorities for education and the draft budget for 2017-18. We will work closely with Pembrokeshire County Council and their consortium to make best use of the resources available and maximise outcomes for learners.
Kirsty Williams: We will be publishing revised non-statutory guidance in November to help local authorities improve support for the home educating community. We will also publish a leaflet for parents that clarifies the rights and responsibilities of home educators and key questions for parents to consider before deciding to home educate.
Kirsty Williams: We will be publishing revised non-statutory guidance in November to help local authorities improve support for the home educating community. We will also publish a leaflet for parents that clarifies the rights and responsibilities of home educators and key questions for parents to consider before deciding to home educate.
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Mark, for bringing that incident to my attention. If you would like to supply me with full details of the case, I’d be more than happy to look at it, and to ask my officials to look at whether everything that was done in that particular instance was what should have been done. If you’d be good enough to send it to me, I’d be very grateful indeed. We are about to carry out a...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Bethan. It’s remiss of me—I wasn’t aware of the existence of Lindsay’s work, but I know that Lindsay approached all his work during his time in this Assembly with great enthusiasm and assiduousness, and so I’d be very pleased to see it. Perhaps you will be good enough to facilitate getting that research to me, because I’d be very pleased to look at it. As well as...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Hannah. I was very grateful to both you and Jeremy for leading on this agenda and coming to see me prior to the summer recess to talk about the importance of this agenda. As a result of that meeting, I am establishing an expert task group to better support me and officials in how we can support schools in this agenda. What we are aware of, from research, is that many schools...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Hannah. I want to make it clear that I will not tolerate any bullying in the Welsh education system. I expect schools and education services to make it clear that all forms of bullying are entirely unacceptable and to tackle any incidents vigorously, ensuring that pupils are properly supported.
