1. What steps are being taken by the Cabinet Secretary to implement the recommendations of the Welsh Co-operative and Mutuals Commission relating to ‘Education for Co-operation’? OAQ(5)0132(EDU)

Thank you, Jeremy. Our national mission of education reform is building an inclusive and equitable education system that supports every learner. We are continuing to strengthen our approach to policy co-construction across the three-tier model, and will work closely with our partners to develop our new curriculum and our new professional teaching standards.

I thank the Cabinet Secretary for that reply. In its update to its report, the commission recognised there were ongoing discussions between the Welsh Government and the Co-operative College, in relation to co-operative education in schools, and described a model that was preserving the maintained status of schools also encouraged the spread of co-operative ethos and principles within the curriculum and in the life of the school. And I wonder whether the Government will be taking proactive steps to encourage that development, having regard to the Bevan Foundation report of a few years ago, which set out some very practical steps, encouraging schools to go along that journey.

Thank you, Jeremy. As part of their rapid policy review, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development identified our comprehensive schools system, which emphasises equity and inclusion as one of the strengths of Welsh education. We are making considerable gains towards a self-improving system in Wales. And we must build on these foundations and continue to develop those approaches, which are based on co-operation, across all schools, learning from each other good practice, as well as incorporating issues around co-operation within the curriculum itself.

Cabinet Secretary, on a slightly different tack, but still in the mainstream of this question, encouraging enterprise in schools, amongst the pupils, in particular, I think is a marvellous thing to do. I’ve many times previously called for social enterprises to be encouraged—I think each secondary school ought to have at least one—and why not use the model of co-operatives? What better way of organising that sort of enterprise?

Thank you, David. The revised Welsh baccalaureate highlights the importance of developing the essential skills and presents opportunities for the co-operative and mutual sector to engage, through the enterprise and employability challenges, and the community challenges. Organisations are therefore being encouraged to develop or become involved in the delivery of those challenges, within individual schools, and, obviously, entrepreneurship forms one of those challenges. I am continually looking at ways in which we can encourage those types of skills to be embedded within the curriculum, because they’re really important skills for our children to learn and utilise in the world of work.