Part of 2. 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education – in the Senedd at 2:39 pm on 11 January 2017.
As I said, we’re not waiting for the Wales Bill and the devolution of teachers’ pay and conditions to address this issue. A task and finish group was set up by the previous Minister and I am currently reflecting on the work of that group and will make a statement shortly on how we will take this agenda forward. But I am keen that teachers’ pay and conditions be devolved to this institution. Let’s be absolutely clear that there is no such thing as a national set of pay and conditions. When we say we want teachers’ pay and conditions to stay in London, what we’re saying is we want an English system here for Wales, because Scotland already has a different system. I’m very keen to be able to develop, in conjunction with the teaching profession, a made-in-Wales solution to issues around teachers’ pay and conditions. The First Minister has made it very, very clear that no teacher in Wales will lose out, but this is an opportunity to align teachers’ pay and conditions with our national mission of education reform and education excellence.