Sixth form provision provides an important route for learners accessing post-16 education in Wales. It provides a significant option for our learners supporting guided progression into HE, further learning and employment.

To reiterate the First Minister’s earlier reply, up-to-date advice for trips is produced by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. This advice is also signposted in the all-Wales guidance for education visits, written by the outdoor education advisers’ panel for Wales and the Health and Safety Executive. It is accessible from the Welsh Government’s website.

Local authorities are responsible for sixth form education. When proposing change they must comply with the school organisation code, in the interest of learners, with the impact of proposals on the quality and standards of education being their prime consideration.

I announced my plans for an extended pupil development grant in March. This investment is making a real difference to the lives of learners from deprived communities. I will continue to consider ways in which the investment can have an even greater impact on disadvantaged learners.

The Welsh Government recognises the value of learners studying a modern foreign language and has invested in the Global Futures plan, which supports the teaching of modern foreign languages in schools, using innovative approaches and expertise from universities and language institutes.