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 how we can engage all schools in this progress and process of change. I do think that there is a danger that I have detected since taking up this post, that there are schools that are very engaged in this process and then there are others that are simply sitting back and seemingly, maybe, will have a nasty shock in 2021 when the new curriculum falls upon them. So, I am looking at ways in which we can address that to ensure that everybody is a part of this process of change, especially with regard to the curriculum.

But, I must say it’s not all doom and gloom. Digital competency, which the Member will be aware, is one of the three key strands that runs across the curriculum alongside literacy and numeracy—. The digital competency framework will be available for schools in September of this year. So, although we don’t expect it to be formally taught until 2021, that part of our new curriculum will be available for schools to begin to use that and incorporate it into their teaching from this September. And, we will be doing that with each part of the curriculum—building up. I do not want there to be a sudden, almost like a pushing of the switch in 2021, when, all of a sudden, we move from one system onto a new system; we have to be able to make that a part of a process.

The Member asked whether I’d do—. The Liberal Democrat manifesto said that there would be a workforce survey and he asked whether I would do that by the end of this term. I can assure him that I will do that before the end of this year, in fact, and I look to have the first ever survey of the teaching workforce, and, importantly, the support staff workforce as well. I want to hear the views of all of those people who are involved in our education system and that survey will take part later on this year; he doesn’t have to wait until the end of the Assembly term for it.

With regard to workforce, I would not disagree with his analysis that maybe, for young people looking at future careers, perhaps the issue around bureaucracy and work-life balance, which will actually form part of our survey, are things that puts people off. We are actively engaging with the sector to look at bureaucracy and actually testing whether what we’re asking them to do is actually adding value to the system. I will be looking to do what I can as a result of that work that is just beginning now, to strip out as much as I can, if at all possible. And, as I said, officials are already in contact to establish that piece of work. There is no doubt that this is a challenging time for the education system in Wales and there is a balance to be struck between moving forward with already-announced initiatives, and also, at the same time, wanting to put my own stamp on things and reflecting on some priorities that perhaps haven’t been looked at in the past. I want to support education practitioners in their work and to raise the esteem in which they are held. I think that often is part of the issue and it’s perhaps why people aren’t coming forward to teach, or perhaps they’re leaving the profession. There was a time when teachers were held in very high regard within the community, and I think that has changed. I want us to get to a place where, once again, teachers and school leaders are held in the very highest regard in our country. So, we are looking at improvement in every aspect of the education system, but it’s not about creating more bureaucracy. We’re trying to strip bureaucracy out, in fact.

With regard to rural schools, it’ll be the first time for the Welsh Government to have a rural schools policy. One exists in Scotland, one exists in England, and that’s why I want to make progress in this area. I’m glad that he welcomes that. Yes, it will look at the issue of surplus places. He will be aware of the document agreed between myself and the First Minister that says that we will review existing policy with regard to surplus places, and especially how that impacts upon rural areas. So, we will be looking at that to see whether it is appropriate.

Let me also say that the issue of surplus places is not just one for rural authorities. The desire to take out surplus places has had unintended consequences in some of our most urban areas. So, it’s not alone a rural issue. But, the issue with the rural schools is to look to see what we can do to strengthen education in rural areas. It can be an incredibly challenging place to teach. If you are a headteacher in a very small school with a high workload, as well as all your responsibilities with regard to headship, making sure that there is a breadth of curriculum, making sure that you can support staff, it’s a really, really challenging role for individual teachers, for leaders and for local authorities in rural areas. Therefore, we’ll be looking to see what we can do to support them and to support those educational provisions. I do believe that federation is one way in which we can keep children within their communities, but also ensure that the quality of the education that they’re receiving and the school leadership are as good as they can be. So, I’ll be looking to develop that further.

The Education Workforce Council is absolutely crucial, and I will be discussing with them ways in which we can support them and the role that they will play. They will have a crucial role in helping me set up the leadership academy. There has been a lack of support and lack of focus on leadership, and I want them to help me address those issues.

With Welsh language, there are two issues here. There is the provision of Welsh-medium education, but also what we can do to develop Welsh as second language teaching in our schools, which is not where it should be and not as good as it should be. If we are to reach the Government’s target of 1 million extra Welsh speakers, I think it’s by 2050, then education has to be a part of that. But, to do that, not only do we need to get parents to make that positive choice, we need to have the workforce in place to do it. That’s why I mentioned in my statement that we will need to resource additional teachers going into programmes so that they have got the skills to deliver that. I will be constantly reviewing whether the powers that I have are adequate to achieve the change that I want to achieve. Thank you.