Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I have listened with interest and, at times, despair to all that has been said this afternoon. Now, whilst undoubtedly the motion is in order, this is a debate that we should not be having. The debate should not be whether we should reintroduce grammar schools in Wales—part of an outmoded, divisive system of education that was abandoned in our country...
Kirsty Williams: Could I thank Michelle for her question? I think it’s absolutely clear that we do need to have people entering the profession with the right level of skills and qualifications. This is part of the previous Government’s drive to drive up standards and I’m committed to doing that. We do have a range of graduate programmes that currently exist. We have been piloting a Teach First approach...
Kirsty Williams: ALN—of course, ALN. You will be aware that the principle behind the ALN Bill is that all teaching professions should have an understanding and an ability to respond to low-impact, high-incidence rates of additional learning needs, and that has to be incorporated into the initial teacher training of our teachers. There will be the need, alongside the introduction of the legislation, for...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Vikki, very much indeed. In some ways, whilst I’m very glad that you’re here, it’s sad that you’ve decided that politics would be your second career, rather than staying in the classroom. I think you’re right. The relationship that a student teacher has with their host school is absolutely crucial, and that’s why we do need to see a reform in how universities and...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Darren, for your points. If I start with the issue of continuing professional development, obviously the focus of the statement today is on initial teacher education, but you’re absolutely right that we can never forget or take our focus off the need to support teachers who are already in the classroom, and you’ll be aware that the learning passports were launched last year....
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Llyr, for those points. I think what’s really important for education reform as we move forward is if we can continue to try and develop this consensus across the Chamber about a broad direction of travel. I think that’s what the education system needs more than anything at the moment. So, your ongoing commitment to the Furlong reforms is very much one that I welcome,...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. Today, I would like to set out my priorities for the initial teacher education change programme in Wales. Every parent, Presiding Officer, should be confident that their child goes to a school that helps them grow as capable, healthy and well-rounded citizens. Teachers must be supported to be the best that they can be, raising the standard of the...
Kirsty Williams: On Monday, 26 September, I will be launching a public consultation on draft criteria for the accreditation of initial teacher education programmes in Wales, and proposals for giving the role of accrediting initial teacher education courses to the Education Workforce Council, through a committee it will be required to establish. This is a pivotal step, and I expect progress to be made at pace....
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank Jenny Rathbone for those detailed questions? With regard to pupil tracking, we need to make sure that that is happening consistently right the way across our country. True success in the education system will be by ensuring that all our children reach their potential, and we have to acknowledge that each child’s potential is different. Some of the ways in which, perhaps, we’ve...
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank David Melding for his contribution and his continued campaigning in this area? David, you and I are two of only nine of the original class of ’99, and you have consistently, throughout the period of the last 17 years, championed the rights of looked-after children, and I commend you. Much of the change that we have seen has been as a result of people like you continuing to press...
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank Darren Miller for his questions and his welcome for many of the initiatives within the statement? He is absolutely correct when he says that federation is not just relevant to rural schools. Actually, it’s a source of disappointment to me that, although the regulations that allow federation have been around for a number of years, we’ve seen little development of this. If one...
Kirsty Williams: Could I thank Llyr for his questions? It’s disappointing to hear that schools that are supposedly part of the pioneer programme don’t recognise that. Pioneer schools are an important part of developing a number of strands of education policy, in terms of workforce development as well as curriculum development, and we need to redouble our efforts. I do share the Member’s concerns about...
Kirsty Williams: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Colleagues, we are embarking on a major reform agenda, the biggest education reform that we have seen in Wales since the 1940s. We have begun developing the new curriculum in collaboration with the sector, we are making major improvements to initial teacher training and are working to support the development of the education workforce through the current...
Kirsty Williams: Yes, indeed, and, as I said, the new Welsh baccalaureate, which was first introduced for teaching in September of last year, includes global citizenship as one of its four core challenges. There is existing provision within the current curriculum, but as we develop our new curriculum, via our pioneer schools, there will be, as I said, a strong focus of ensuring that our children, when they...
Kirsty Williams: Can I agree with the Member wholeheartedly on perhaps it’s not young people who we needed to have given better information to in the run-up to the referendum result? And, in expressing my sadness and disappointment with that result, it is those young people who will actually be affected by this decision more than anybody else in our nature. And it has been a source of great dismay to me, at...
Kirsty Williams: I thank the Member for those observations. As I said, this is already contained within the existing curriculum, and Estyn have a role in ensuring that the delivery of that curriculum, as it currently stands, is giving children and students the information that they need to be able to participate in all aspects of Welsh life. With regard to the new curriculum, which, as I said, has as one of...
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank the Member for that timely question? Learners currently study politics and current affairs through the personal and social education framework and the newly revamped Welsh baccalaureate. The new curriculum is being designed with four purposes at its heart and will help all young people to develop into ethical, informed citizens of Wales and, indeed, the world.
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank the Member for the point, which is a particularly pertinent one? We do know that, even at the earliest stage, when children go into school, our children from the most deprived backgrounds are already behind. That’s why, this week, the Welsh Government have launched their Ready to Learn project to try and give information to parents and carers about the small things that they can...
Kirsty Williams: My goodness, Mike, I have tried very hard to make sure that I’m well prepared for those questions, but those details I do not have to hand. If it’s acceptable to the Member, I will write to him with the exact details of DDA-compliant or non-compliant schools and the plans that we have. I’m sure much of the investment in the twenty-first century schools programme is aligned with making...
Kirsty Williams: Can I thank the Member? I know that she has worked very hard over a number of years on this issue. Indeed, the Welsh Government in the last Assembly reviewed the guidance very much as a result of the campaigning work that she did in this area. I take a common-sense view that travel arrangements are not suitable if they are not safe. The legislation, as I referred to earlier, that is in place,...
