Part of 1. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education – in the Senedd at 1:55 pm on 28 September 2016.
Can I thank Simon for that? The current legislative framework already allows schools and local authorities to procure Welsh produce if they wish to do that, and many do, where they can, and where they can balance, as I said, the issues around local procurement with maintaining school meal prices at a level that is affordable for parents. We’ll be looking to review what opportunities may arise out of changes to procurement rules, not only in education but across Welsh procurement. But, if there are opportunities to get more local produce into schools, then I would welcome that.
With regard to pupils growing their own food, the new curriculum outlined by Donaldson actually creates much more flexibility in our curriculum to allow schools to be able to tailor their needs without having to pay reference constantly to the very tick-box curriculum that we currently have at the moment. So, I would hope that there were opportunities for more of that activity. Certainly, within the foundation phase and the focus on outdoor education, there is plenty of opportunity for our very youngest pupils and their teachers and learning practitioners to be engaged in that kind of activity, and I know that many do.