Therefore, we move to questions from the party spokespeople to the Cabinet Secretary for Education, and, first this week, the Welsh Conservatives’ spokesperson, Darren Millar.

Diolch, Lywydd. Cabinet Secretary, will you provide us with an update on any progress that you’ve made towards implementing your priority of reducing infant class sizes to a maximum of 25 in Wales?

Thank you, Darren, for that question. As I said prior to the summer recess, officials and I are studying the evidence of how best we can implement such a policy, especially as we know that smaller class sizes have the potential to make the biggest difference for children who are from our most deprived backgrounds, for children whose first language is not Welsh or English, and where we know that that will allow a change in teaching styles. I hope to make further announcements following the publication of the Welsh Government’s budget.

I’m sure that the Cabinet Secretary will be familiar with the broad consensus of opinion amongst many academics that this is not the best way to invest money in order to improve outcomes for younger pupils, and, of course, you’ll be aware of the fact that we’ve got some significant recruitment challenges now across Wales in terms of teaching staff. Will you consider looking again at making this a priority, in order that we can look at the opportunity cost of investing the resources that might be available? You estimated in your Liberal Democrat manifesto that this would cost around £42 million in order to achieve it. Wouldn’t that money be better spent on other priorities, such as improving the quality of teaching in our schools, to deliver better outcomes for our younger pupils?

There’s also a consensus amongst parents and, indeed, teachers, that class sizes makes a real difference. Indeed, in the most recent industrial action that we’ve seen from teachers across the border in England, growth in class sizes was their largest concern. Now, I recognise that class sizes alone is not the only thing we that we need to address to raise educational standards in Welsh schools, but it is one part of an improvement agenda that I and this Welsh Government are committed to.

You’ll be familiar with the fact that the Scottish Government also considered some moves towards this, and that the conclusions that were drawn by a working group up in Scotland were that these were complex issues, and whilst everybody would like to see smaller class sizes, the money could be better spent elsewhere.

Can I switch to another issue, which I know we’ve had some correspondence on, Cabinet Secretary, and that is the recognition of the Welsh baccalaureate qualification by higher education institutions, particularly over the border in England? You will know from the correspondence that we’ve exchanged that there are a number of universities that do not appear to pay regard to the quality of the education that our young people receive, who take the Welsh baccalaureate in Welsh schools, and this is denying them access to the courses that they want to be able to choose in those higher education institutions. What action specifically are you taking to be able to tackle those problems, and will you join me in visiting some Welsh baccalaureate students in my own constituency in order to discuss this issue with them?

Presiding Officer, can I thank the Conservative spokesperson for his support for the Welsh baccalaureate? I know that he recognises it as an important qualification. The Welsh bac, passed at advanced level, is the equivalent of 120 Universities and Colleges Admissions Service points. That is the equivalent to an A grade, and I met many students over the summer that had gained a place in university courtesy of their Welsh baccalaureate. But the Member is absolutely right: there is more to do with some institutions that do not recognise the rigour in our new reformed Welsh bac. So, as a result of the correspondence I’ve received from you, Darren, my officials will continue to work with UCAS to identify those institutions and particular courses within institutions that do not accept the Welsh bac, and I intend to write to all those institutions to reassure them of the rigour and the policy background behind this important qualification. I would be delighted to visit schools with you that are doing so well in delivering the Welsh baccalaureate.

Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Llyr Gruffydd.

Thank you, Llywydd. You will be aware, I’m sure, Cabinet Secretary, that recent Research by the National Union of Teachers Cymru has revealed that teachers in Wales had lost up to 52,000 school days last year because of sickness as a result of pressures of work. It seems that 12 local authorities in Wales have recorded an increase in absence because of stress, and the research estimates that the financial cost to our schools was some £34 million over the past four years as a result of that. Can you tell us what your Government is doing to tackle this situation?

Thank you very much, Llyr. I recognise that workplace stress and ill-health arising out of the workplace is of huge detriment to the individuals involved and to our ability to transform education here in Wales. The Member will be aware that, as part of our pioneer schools and networks, some schools are currently looking at workload issues to see what we can do to reduce workload in the classroom for teachers. We are carrying out an audit at present of some of the paperwork associated with teaching to look to see what we can get rid of that isn’t adding value to teachers’ understanding of their pupils or actually making a difference to pupils. And, later on this year, I will be carrying out, for the first time ever, a Welsh Government-backed survey of all teachers in Wales and classroom assistants so I can hear directly from them about aspects of their job that are causing them stress and frustration and are not actually aiding them in their ability to do what we all want them to do, which is to spend their time teaching our children.

Thank you for that response. Of course, it seems that this stress is mostly apparent on headteachers, who, at the end of the day, have to do a great deal of the additional bureaucratic work. We know that there are difficulties here in Wales, with a number of vacant headteacher positions and a number of temporary headteachers in place. This, again, creates more stress not only for those individuals, but for the teachers who are left behind and who have to pick up the additional burdens because these posts are left unfilled. Can I ask you therefore what the Government is doing to try and tackle the disincentives that are out there—with stress clearly being one of them—for teachers in stepping up to headteacher roles?

I recognise this as a real, real issue for our potential next generation of school leaders, and there is a number of things that we need to do: we need to ensure that individual local education authorities are providing support mechanisms for those people to make the next step; and we need to work with our consortia to ensure that, in taking the step into being a headteacher, people will be supported in the first few months and years of taking on that particular role. The Member will be aware that, prior to the summer, I made an announcement regarding the setting up of a leadership academy in Wales, which will be specifically there to support, in the first instance, headteachers. Progress is going well and I hope to be able to make further announcements about the formation of that later on this autumn term. We’re also looking at the development of the role of school managers, so allowing headteachers to concentrate on curriculum development and educational matters and giving some of the paperwork associated with managing what are often large institutions to professional school managers. Officials and I are also looking at future options for reform of the qualifications that will be needed to become a headteacher, because we do know that there are some issues, especially given changes across the border, which are potentially narrowing our pool of potential headteachers, and we’re looking at options for change at this moment.

You’ve said twice, in response to both questions, that you acknowledge that there is a problem. You’ve mentioned some things that are in the pipeline or are already commenced and you also talk about having a dialogue later in the year. But the fact of the matter is that teachers and headteachers are facing those challenges and stresses now. I don’t know if you’re aware, but in one education authority in Wales, just since the start of the year, three headteachers have suffered strokes because of the pressures of work. That is not acceptable. It won’t be much comfort to many in the front line that ‘something is going to happen at some point in the future’. Can you tell us more specifically when people at the coalface will see a difference?

The leadership college, as I said to you prior to the summer recess, will be established during this year and will be taking and providing courses by the start of the next academic year.

With regard to school managers and different forms of school governance and leadership, I hope to be able to make those announcements in line with resources allocated in the Welsh Government’s budget, which will be later on this term. We are moving as quickly as possible to look at ways in which we can change qualifications for headteachers. I’ve literally been in post since halfway through May and we are moving things on as quickly as we possibly can. I identified a lack of support for school leaders immediately on coming into office. It’s one part of issues that were raised with Welsh Government by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development that had not been taken forward, and I’m taking them forward as a priority.

UKIP spokesperson, Michelle Brown.

Thank you, Presiding Officer. Cabinet Secretary, if, as most experts predict, Wales fails to make any significant progress in the PISA rankings this December, what does the Cabinet Secretary propose to do to improve our rank for next time?

What I can tell the UKIP spokesperson is, by not waiting to see what the PISA results are before—

You know them already.

No, I don’t know them already actually, Simon. I don’t and if you have evidence that I do, maybe you should get up and say it. [Assembly Members: ‘Oh’.]

Carry on, Cabinet Secretary.

Thank you. We are not waiting for the PISA results to come. We have embarked on an ambitious programme of educational reform, shaped by the expert views of the OECD, which had some very critical things to say about the Welsh education system when they reported in 2014. I am taking those things very seriously and, in fact, I have asked the OECD to come back to Wales this term so that I can be assured that we are on the right track and that we are making the right decisions that will make a difference. I have no intention of waiting to see what the PISA results do before making any of those changes. The reform is ongoing. It’s happening now.

What does the Cabinet Secretary intend to do regarding tuition fees in Wales now that the Diamond report has been published? Would she agree that the current system of subsidising Welsh students to study in England is not sustainable and is not a good use of precious Welsh Government resources?

I’m assuming that the Member was in the Chamber yesterday for my statement on the Diamond review, where I stated quite clearly that the Welsh Government have accepted the underlying principles contained in that report. I want to ensure that Welsh students will be supported in a system that is unique in the UK, in that it is fully portable, so that students can study in other parts of the UK and indeed around the world, and that the mode of study is also supported, regardless of whether you are part-time, a full-time undergraduate or postgraduate. Those are the recommendations by Sir Ian Diamond. I know that UKIP don’t like to take the advice of experts and live in a post-fact world, but having received the report from Sir Ian Diamond, who is one of the UK’s pre-eminent academics, a report that was also written and supported by people such as the vice-chancellor of Cardiff University, the director of the Open University, the president of the National Union of Students and esteemed ex-colleagues here in this Chamber, I think that UKIP should be very careful about casting aspersions on the quality of the people who have considered that report. I’ve considered it and the Cabinet are backing the principles contained within it.

Welsh Labour and the Liberal Democrats are in favour of referenda when it suits their political purposes, namely on further devolution and voting reform. So, let me use this opportunity to ask the Liberal Democrat education Secretary in a Labour Government to give local people an opportunity to start new grammar schools, where there is sufficient local demand demonstrated through the means of a local authority-managed referendum. Will she join with UKIP in giving local people more choice over their children’s education?

Presiding Officer, I had thought that I had been crystal clear in the debate last week about my views on grammar schools. There is no evidence at all that grammar schools serve their students any better than traditional comprehensive schools. We know that they are bad news for the poorest students and we also know that the OECD, even though it had many tough things to say about Welsh education, commended us for our comprehensive system. They say that’s the best way to make improvements to the education system in Wales, and I intend to follow that advice.