We now move on to the next item on the agenda, which is the debate on the Children, Young People and Education Committee's report on teachers' professional learning and education. I call on Lynne Neagle as Chair of the committee to move the motion. Lynne.

Motion NDM6688 Lynne Neagle

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

Notes the Children, Young People and Education Committee Report on Teacher's Professional Learning and Education which was laid in the Table Office on 21 December 2017.

Motion moved.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm very pleased to open this debate today on the Children, Young People and Education Committee's report on teachers' professional learning and education.

The quality of teaching in our schools is, I believe, the most important element of our children's education. Both the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Estyn have left no-one in any doubt about how important good-quality teaching is in delivering a high-quality education system. A highly trained and motivated workforce is also vital to support the introduction and delivery of the Welsh Government's ambitious plans for a new school curriculum. That is why the committee felt it necessary to undertake an investigation into how our teachers are initially trained and then supported throughout their careers. We recognise that they will need to respond to systemic changes and emerging best practice. As part of this, the committee also examined the new professional standards that underpin the new teacher training system, and which are intended to provide the aspiration for teachers to achieve.

The committee received wide-ranging written and oral evidence. I was delighted to see 837 submissions to our online outreach survey, carried out jointly with our colleagues on the Public Accounts Committee, which was aimed at education practitioners. What we found raised concerns in a number of important areas. We heard that recruitment for teacher training courses has fallen below its target in each of the last four years. These shortages are particularly apparent in key areas such as science and maths, and for teachers from ethnic minority backgrounds and those able to teach in Welsh. It is clear that targeted recruitment is needed and that there needs to be a wider understanding of the rewards of being a teacher in today's society. We were impressed by schemes in England that were exposing undergraduates to teaching in the course of their degrees, and we look forward to similar projects being introduced here in Wales.

We were further concerned about the number of teachers who appeared to leave the profession within a few years of qualifying. We have heard that this could be because of the pressures that the Welsh Government's accountability system places on teachers, or because of high work loads leading to poor work-life balance. We appreciate that this is a complex issue with multiple factors involved. As a result, we've called on Welsh Government to further investigate these areas and to ensure the actions it is taking are sufficient. 

Other evidence led us to conclude that, at present, the education workforce is not sufficiently prepared for the implementation of the new curriculum. This lack of preparedness seems to be down to a combination of lack of training and the limited time in which to prepare. We recommended that learning from schools already engaged in curriculum reform is shared more widely, and that current professional development programmes are used more effectively to prepare our teachers. 

More generally, we found that the professional development available to teachers in Wales is inconsistent in terms of quality and availability. Too many teachers are not accessing the training and development they need, deserve and are entitled to. This is particularly concerning given the scale and the importance of changes happening in Wales. An unprepared workforce poses a risk to the aspirations for a world-class education system here in Wales. 

We were disappointed to hear that this was often because their workloads did not allow them to take up available training, or that the training represented too much of a burden on the school budget. More must be done to support teachers to access the training they need inside and outside the classroom. 

The quality of professional development in Wales is also being questioned. We heard arguments for there to be a system of accredited professional learning for teachers. We agreed, and have recommended this to the Welsh Government. However, we are mindful that Estyn will be looking at some of these issues, and we look forward to seeing the inspectorate's findings. 

The professional development that does take place is not consistent across Wales, with different courses available in different regions. We acknowledge that the Welsh Government is taking steps towards a more national model of delivery. We believe this has to happen to ensure that all teachers are equally prepared for the challenges and opportunities ahead. 

We also firmly believe that as part of a new national way of working, supply teachers should have full access to professional learning programmes. Supply teachers provide a valuable service to our schools, and we have called on Welsh Government to ensure that their entitlement to development opportunities is not overlooked. 

Finally, the committee is keen to see higher levels of education-themed research in Wales. There are so many Wales-specific education reforms ongoing, from the introduction of cross-disciplinary frameworks, the promotion of bilingualism, writing a new curriculum from the ground up, and more. These reforms and processes would benefit from greater levels of academic scrutiny and analysis. Academic oversight will help us to chart a course to the future and learn the lessons from the past. Not only that, but we believe that other parts of the world would benefit from a greater insight into the work that those across the education sector are doing in Wales. 

During the course of the inquiry, we were pleased to see the Welsh Government taking action in a number of areas that were of concern to us, particularly on teacher recruitment and workload. We also appreciate that delaying the introduction of the new curriculum will help more teachers prepare. We also acknowledge that the Welsh Government has put in place mechanisms for future change in many of these areas of concern.

However, there is still more to do. We hope that our recommendations and conclusions help point the way to achieving the best possible environment for our teachers and, consequently, our learners in Wales. With this in mind, we were pleased to see that the Welsh Government accepted, or accepted in principle, all but two of our 25 recommendations. As a committee, we will be watching carefully to ensure that the Welsh Government delivers on these commitments. Thank you.

Can I thank the Chair of the committee for opening the debate and summarising so well all of the themes within this report on such an important topic? The Chair's absolutely right: the success of our education system is down to the quality of the teachers that are in it, and I know that this is something that we all, across this Chamber, feel passionately about. 

I have to say that I was a little bit disappointed to read that so many of our recommendations had been only accepted in principle, and not just fully accepted. I think there's some ambiguity around many of the responses that have been given, which seem to sidestep, even though it says 'accept in principle', in many ways the recommendations that we have made.

But this is an important issue. We have to get to grips with making sure that we've got high-quality teachers, and we must also ensure, of course, that we bring new teachers into the profession who are ready to deliver on the ambitious programme that the Welsh Government has to transform our education system here in Wales. 

Just this morning, we've seen reports in the media about the ongoing funding crisis in our schools. We know that for every £1 that's spent on a school in England, Wales gets £1.20. For me, it seems unbelievable that we have this significant spending gap now per learner—around £700, according to the unions, per child, per year. That's a huge spending gap, and, of course, I think that that in part is leading to demoralisation of the teaching workforce. So, it came as no surprise to me, when we look at the latest figures, that we see that Wales is massively under-recruiting into teacher training places, and that, I believe, is one of the reasons behind that.

We also know that it's not just about recruiting new people in with the right skills, but of course we've got to train those people up who are already in the workforce, giving them ongoing professional development opportunities, and to retain those very good teachers who are thinking about leaving. We were alarmed during the course of the inquiry to see the national education workforce survey results, which suggested that a third of teachers are thinking about exiting the profession within the next three years. So, if you've got a shortage of new teachers coming into the profession, along with a third of teachers thinking about leaving the profession, you can see how a crisis is beginning to emerge—

Will the Member give way?

Of course, very happy to.

Could he help me at all to understand why spending is £700 less per pupil in Wales, when it's health spending that's had the real cuts in Wales compared to England? And I had understood that local government had been treated relatively generously in Wales compared to England. Why hasn't that money flowed through from local government to schools?

Well, I think it's—. Local decision makers obviously have a part to play in this, but on top of that there have been some decisions by the Welsh Government to take certain grants out of the education funding landscape. We've seen this with cuts to the minority ethnic and Gypsy/Traveller grants, for example, which are having a huge impact right now across the whole country. But, of course, at the end of the day the cash is there, it is available to be spent, and it's disappointing to see that this funding gap has opened.

We looked at the recruitment of ethnic minority background teachers, and I think it's very concerning, really, that just 69 teachers out of the 36,000 registered with the Education Workforce Council identify themselves as black, particularly when we know that young boys, particularly from black or Afro-Caribbean backgrounds, are underachieving so significantly. In addition to that, Gypsy/Traveller communities—we're not having sufficient numbers of people coming forward into teacher training from those communities either. So, we've got to take some concerted action, and I don't believe that the Welsh Government's response on those things in particular has been sufficient. I'd like to hear more about the research that you are conducting into these issues, Cabinet Secretary, in your response to the debate.

Now, I know that the Welsh Government has taken some action to reduce the workload pressures on teachers, and I know that there is a good practice guide that has been issued. I'd like to see the outcomes of that to see whether the approach that the Welsh Government is taking is working. There's been a positive development as well, of course, with the appointment of business managers to work not just within individual schools, but across a number of school sites too. Clearly, some of the recommendations in our report, looking for the evaluation of those projects, are very, very important.

If I can just turn very briefly to professional standards, I am astonished really that the Government has rejected two very important recommendations around broadening the remit of the Education Workforce Council to allow them to be the custodians of professional standards in the future. We were alarmed by the complexity of the new professional standards and the way in which they are accessed. Effectively, it is over 100 slides on a PowerPoint that people have to fathom and interpret in order to determine whether they are meeting those professional standards, and the Education Workforce Council have told us that the new standards and the approach that's being taken are going to make it more difficult to enforce against people meeting those standards. So, I'm very concerned about that, as I am—

Are you winding up now, please?

I am—it's just a very important point, and this is about the acceptance only in principle of the need to extend powers to suspend people. From a safeguarding situation, I think it is appalling that you've not just accepted that and aren't cracking on with it. We know that when people are accused of rape or child molestation—

It is five minutes. Come on. And I've allowed for you to have the intervention, so—. 

I appreciate that.

Yes, well then can you wind up now in one sentence, please?

The issue is there's a safeguarding problem. People who are accused of rape or child molestation, even if they are innocent, there should be a period during which they are suspended from the teaching register. That's not going to be the case at the moment in Wales because they don't have powers to do that. That needs to change.

I will start by focusing on this point on the barriers that exist in terms of the education workforce taking advantage of CPD opportunities. We know, and we have heard time and time again in the evidence that the committee took, that we need to create the time and we need to create the space within the teacher timetable to train and to share experiences and to look more objectively at their own work by going to listen to lessons in other schools.

The ATL union—or the NEU as it is now—referred in its evidence to the workload crisis and, as we heard from the Chair, that was reflected in the survey that was issued by the committee on this very issue. Many of them—78 per cent, in fact—said that the main reason that they didn't take advantage of training opportunities was because of workload issues. That is no surprise when we see that almost 90 per cent of the workforce in another survey stated that they didn't succeed in managing their workload within the designated working hours. 

On average, teachers work 50.7 hours per week, and part-time teachers work 35.8 hours per week. Estyn told us that teachers in Wales work far harder and longer hours than teachers in any other nations, and that in turn leads to difficulties, with 52,000 teaching days lost because of illness caused by stress in 2015, as compared to only 21,000 back in 2009. So, the message is crystal clear in that regard. Estyn has also said, of course, that if we are to give more focus on training and development then that means that we need to place less focus on other things, such as administration and bureaucracy.

Given the contracting capacity, which is driven by reducing budgets and problems in recruitment and retention of teachers too, then finding that space and that time to leave the classroom for CPD and training is far more challenging and is a lot less likely to happen. And, as has already been mentioned, there are comments in the press today in terms of the funding of schools—well, in the evidence, we also heard that getting the funds to pay for cover in the classroom to release teachers to attend training was also challenging.

Now, the failure to meet targets in terms of teacher training is an area that the report focuses on, and I know that it's an area that the Government is very aware of. But, while people see a sector and workforce that is under stress, as it is at present, then it is no surprise, is it, that there is a recruitment problem. Yes, we can offer better financial incentives, and I know that the Government would recognise itself that that isn't necessarily the solution in and of itself. We could perhaps deal with this condition of having to have a specific grade in GCSE maths before entering teaching. There's a dilemma there. I'm also uncomfortable with that; we can look at that, but, again, that, in and of itself, will not provide the solution, because the fundamental problem will persist. Until we see a reduction in this workload—the long working hours and the pressure, much of it driven by assessment—until we tackle those crucial issues, then the next generation will vote with their feet and the recruitment targets will continue to be missed, and, unfortunately, we will still lose good teachers who will leave the profession early.

But there is an opportunity with the devolution of teachers' pay and conditions for us to do more to tackle some of these issues, particularly the conditions side of things. Now, I understand, and am sensitive to, the nervousness that exists in terms of varying pay on a regional basis. I understand the nervousness about that, and I myself and Plaid Cymru still say that we need to provide a premium to teachers and teaching assistants who are highly qualified. I think we can do that in any case in order to attract and retain the best. But, in terms of conditions, I think there is an opportunity now to look at how much time is available for teachers to train and to review this balance between teaching time, preparation time, CPD time and so on.

There's no getting away from the fact that if we need to create that additional space to carry out the training then we will need additional capacity and we will need additional resources to go along with that. Now, the Welsh Government has rejected or accepted in principle most of the recommendations. If you don't agree with the recommendations then listen to the central message of the report, namely the concerns about the capacity within the system as a whole, the workload of teachers, and, of course, the fact that reducing budgets makes that a lot worse.

Teaching is a very important profession that's worthy of a huge amount of continued professional development, and yet the committee found that there is very little opportunity or take-up of continued training, and a number of speakers today have covered the reasons for that. That has to be a concern that, effectively, it could be possible for someone to enter into the profession aged 23 and be a teacher for 40 years with very little additional training along the way.

As our knowledge of best practice improves and education changes alongside a changing society, it is inconceivable that a three or four-year course prior to becoming a teacher will be enough to sustain a lifelong career that serves the teacher or the students well. It's therefore essential that teachers are given time for CPD. The purpose of continued professional development is about raising and maintaining standards of teaching. So, while it is welcome that the Cabinet Secretary has accepted, at least in principle, almost all of the recommendations of the report, it's very disappointing that she's rejected recommendations 19 and 20, which are essentially about defining and clarifying acceptable teaching standards.

How can we reassure parents that we have the educational needs of their children at heart when the head of education in Wales refuses the recommendations of the committee to help define what we expect from our teachers? The committee only asked her to consider the idea—an idea that would see a baseline of acceptable standards—but she refused; she refused to even consider it. What worries her so much about the implementation of minimum standards for teachers? There are minimum standards in many professions, and, as the Cabinet Secretary won't stop telling us how important a profession she thinks teaching is, it seems very odd that she's not prepared to introduce official minimum, measurable and verifiable standards so we can be sure that Welsh children are getting a decent education.

So, in conclusion, I back the report and the recommendations 100 per cent. I welcome the fact that the Cabinet Secretary accepts, at least in principle, almost all of the recommendations. And I would ask that, rather than just acceptng them in principle, she shows us the determination she claims she has and implements them all as soon as possible. And I urge her to accept recommendations 19 and 20. She clearly thinks the report has merit in every other aspect, but her dismissal of the proposal for tangible minimum standards throughout the career of a teacher is worrying and will do nothing to reassure Welsh parents that she's genuinely concerned about the standards of teaching in Welsh schools. Thank you.

I just wanted to address a particular point, really, and it is with regard to the importance of leadership in our schools, which we very regularly hear is vital, and I believe that, indeed, it is. We must have the right leadership skills and the right leadership teams in place if we're going to make the sort of progress that we wish to see in our schools. I want to relate that to the particular challenges in our more deprived schools, where I think particular leadership qualities, perhaps, are necessary.

So, I'm wondering whether the new national academy for leadership, and, indeed, the new professional leadership standards, might have a bespoke element that looks at the particular abilities that have been proven to work in our more deprived schools, where the leadership teams have the necessary skill sets, the necessary characteristics and abilities, to really take those schools forward, and whether we might recognise and identify those particular skills that are working in those schools really making progress in our more deprived communities, and then seek to ensure that there are sufficient of those skills present in our staff, our leadership teams, right across Wales to ensure that all schools serving those more deprived communities succeed in the way that some are—those exhibiting best practice at the moment.

So, I think there is, perhaps, a particular need within the more general leadership skills and abilities that we want in Wales that would more effectively address those challenges in those schools. These are issues that have been discussed, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I wonder whether the Cabinet Secretary and, perhaps, indeed, our Chair might address the progress that could be made on those particular matters. 

And finally, Hefin David.

Thank you. I come from a family of teachers—my mum, my dad, my sister—I was the only one who didn't become a schoolteacher, but I was an university teacher instead, so these things are very close to my heart. I wanted to just identify a few recommendations that chimed with me from the discussions we had in committee and from the experiences that I've had myself.

Recommendation 1, with regard to undertaking

'work as a matter of urgency to ensure that the whole workforce is prepared',

I think is linked to recommendation 4, which is to

'consider promoting greater use of peer to peer learning, and to encourage more development and training within the classroom'.

I think those two things go very well together, and I think if you're going to achieve preparation, it's got to be classroom based. I feel myself if learning takes place, it takes place through experience, and sitting in a big lecture room being delivered, 'This is how you do it', is less useful than actually doing it.

Recommendation 2 urges the Cabinet Secretary to

'ensure that learning from pioneer schools is shared more widely across the education profession as a whole, to help ensure that the education workforce is fully aware of developments and prepared for the reforms on the way.'

There's an 'accept in principle' there. One thing I'd say: I've had dialogue with the headteachers in the Caerphilly borough. They meet regularly, and I met with them to talk about those who were pioneer schools and those who weren't, and I was a little concerned that the sharing of knowledge at the stage I spoke to them last year—I admit this was a year ago—they weren't at that point at which they were sharing knowledge as widely and as quickly as I would like to see. I know that the Cabinet Secretary has given assurances to committee since then that that has improved and things are changing, and I think it's something where the regional consortia are essential in ensuring that these things are happening effectively, linked again to recommendation 4 on peer-to-peer learning.

I'd like to talk about recommendation 18, which says that

'the Cabinet Secretary should consider further the complexity and accessibility of the standards to ensure that all those across the profession have access to the standards in format that is best for them, and in a way that makes the use of the standards simple to incorporate'.

Again, that was accepted—I think it was accepted in principle. If I just get to the right page—

[Inaudible.]

Yes, it was; thank you, Chair. It was accepted in principle.

One of the issues with the standards: I want them to be a key part of the successful educational landscape, but, at 106 pages, they're quite a hefty document. Now, I know exactly what the Cabinet Secretary will respond with—they're meant to be used interactively. I'm yet to see the interactive, online use of this document. I wouldn't like to think that teachers would have to print out these standards and learn them. Also, some of the language used in the standards, I still believe, is rather opaque, especially for a teacher who is, at the end of a working day, very busy, is a bit frazzled, and has little time to sit down and think. I still am not convinced by the language used in the standards, and I felt that, when Professor Mick Waters gave evidence to the committee, he took a bit of a Panglossian approach to the use of the standards. He gave some very, very good evidence and it was very well presented, but I just felt that, sometimes, he was reluctant to face challenge, slightly, on how those standards might be difficult for a teacher to use if trying to use them quickly.

Finally, recommendation 23 says that

'the Cabinet Secretary should ensure that there is greater support for the use of the Professional Learning Passport given its potential, and the resources already spent on it.'

I've actually been to the EWC and had a go at using the professional learning passport. It clearly has a value. In her response, she said that users

'need to be confident that the PLP meets practitioners’ needs so increasing numbers are convinced about the perceived value of engaging with the PLP.'

It definitely has a value, particularly, I imagine, if it's used in conjunction with Hwb. So, as an online tool, if you've got a teacher in Conwy and a teacher in Caerphilly doing the same kind of lesson plans, it's an excellent tool to share that and prevent duplication, and share good practice. What I'm not convinced about is that it's been rolled out quite as widely and universally as it could be. I don't think practitioners are currently buying into it, but they could, because it's a good tool. I've seen it, and I would welcome it if I was a teacher myself. I think, therefore, the Cabinet Secretary should be extolling the virtues of the PLP, the professional learning passport, and encouraging its take-up.

So, on the whole, a very good response from the Government to the report, other than, in small parts, 'in principle'. I'd like to see some further acceptances. [Interruption.] Michelle Brown's having a very late—[Interruption.] And with that, I'll draw my remarks to a close.

Thank you. Can I call on the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Kirsty Williams?

Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. Could I begin by thanking Lynne and fellow Members of the committee for conducting this inquiry? I welcome their focus and added scrutiny in this hugely important area. I recognise that it is all very well establishing a transformational new curriculum, but of course, above all else, it is the quality of the teaching of that curriculum that will really make a difference to the children. That is what actually transforms young people's lives, and it's therefore essential our teaching profession are fully prepared and equipped when they start to teach this new curriculum. 

I believe that we have made significant inroads in supporting practitioners to realise the new curriculum. However, like the Chair said, I also recognise that there is a long way to go. Consequently, I have been able to accept the majority of the recommendations arising out of the inquiry. I recognise, also, that we cannot expect any teacher to be currently fully prepared for implementation of the new curriculum. I have to say that the committee's opening conclusion in this regard is merely a statement of fact. We are, of course, right in the middle of a collaborative approach to establishing and developing that curriculum, so we can't be in a position yet to have everybody ready, because the curriculum itself is not fully ready at this point. Nonetheless, I recognise a number of the points that the committee has made, and I'd like to take this opportunity, Deputy Presiding Officer, to summarise some of the significant actions taken during the inquiry to address the core concerns regarding the readiness of the profession to implement the new curriculum.

I am confident that our emphasis on leadership, professional learning and excellence will enable us to successfully deliver on our national mission of education reform. A phased approach to professional learning will ensure that we are equipped to respond to emerging development needs, as pioneers begin to test that new curriculum this autumn. Wider testing will ensure practitioners at all levels are directly engaged in curriculum sensemaking, to increase professional confidence. And of course, one of the reasons I took the decision to change the way in which the curriculum was going to be rolled out has given us that crucial time to be able to build that confidence in the profession, especially in the secondary sector, where I think the challenge is greatest.

Our continuing work with the OECD to enhance system capacity will support all schools through the transition to the new curriculum, and our innovative approach merits international recognition. No other country has fully embraced schools as learning organisations to support their reform journey, and the move to a national 'schools as learning organisations' approach will ensure that all delivery tiers are using the same language and are modelling the same behaviours, accelerating the transition to a self-improving education system. We, and the committee, will be able to find out more about this when the OECD's study report on Wales in this area will be published in July of this year. That report will provide an indication of current improvement capacity in all of our schools to adapt to the new curriculum, and areas that will require further action, from myself as the Cabinet Secretary, from our middle tier, and individual schools. Early findings of the study have already revealed a direct correlation between those schools that are strong with regards schools as learning organisations and a high level of job satisfaction from the staff that work in those organisations. And when we talk about retention of teachers, developing this capacity within our system to be learning organisations as well bodes well for issues around some of the retention issues that Members have raised in the debate this afternoon.

Of course, our initial teacher education reforms are also crucial in this regard, and they will enable education professionals to take a much more central role in shaping, delivering and leading change in the profession. And I also believe that will help create a more stable and high-quality system, to enable institutions and individuals to flourish.

With regard to some of the points Members have made very briefly, Members will be aware that I have established a teacher recruitment and retention advisory board to look at issues around recruitment into ITE schemes, to look at the questions of diversity that have been raised in the report and, crucially, what we need to do to retain teachers within the system.

Recommendation 14: Lynne mentioned the issue around exposing undergraduates to the potential of teaching as a career. We've already seen some very positive feedback from our modern foreign languages scheme, and I'm pleased to say that we'll be rolling this out to physics in the new academic year. I hope to build on that, subject upon subject, so we can get those bright, sparky undergraduates enthusing young people about their subjects and potentially turning on some of those young undergraduates to the prospect of what a rewarding career it is to be a teacher. There are few jobs in this world where individuals that you have worked with will remember you after your time. With all due respect to anybody here, I suspect that won't be the case for us, but I'm sure all of us can still name a teacher that had a fundamental impact on their lives. For me, it was Mr Burree, but we've all got a Mr Burree in our lives. There are few other professions where you can have that long-lasting impact on an individual.

Darren, I've said before: it is not simply credible to make those direct comparisons. Because of the disintegration of the education system in England, you cannot make those direct comparisons between funding. But it is right to say that there is a role for local authorities, and that's why I was disappointed to find Conservative councillors in my own authority, just two weeks ago, voting down amendments that would have seen an additional £1 million put into delegated budgets.

Will you take an intervention?

I have no time. I need to move on, Darren.

With regard to professional standards, professional standards have been simplified, and we will continue to work with the EWC to explore issues around accessibility and the workability of those standards, and linking them into the professional learning passport, which, I think, Hefin—as you said—has the opportunity to be a really, really powerful tool in professional learning and sharing of good practice.

With regard to the issue of safeguarding, which is a very important point—and if I may, Deputy Presiding Officer, I'd like to explore this a bit more fully—in the first instance, I would wish to see the EWC, as an independent body, undertake their own consultation with the 80,000 registrants that they have, and the wider education sector. I would then like to use that evidence to look at the opportunity to amend the Education (Wales) Act 2014. So, I want to see that evidence come in, a consultation not carried out by me, but a consultation carried out on behalf of the profession by that professional body to look at the evidence that comes back in. But I'm not ruling out—I'm not ruling out—making changes, as has been highlighted by the committee.

The Llywydd took the Chair.

Can I just say, Michelle, that I am absolutely content and confident that the standards that we have provide a very clear baseline for teacher performance? Newly qualified teachers cannot successfully pass induction without demonstrating that they meet all the relevant descriptors, and those descriptors continue to act as a baseline throughout a teacher's career by setting out what is required of them to undertake their role effectively. We should actually make a distinction between these professional teaching standards and issues around competency and how one deals with competency in a classroom. The majority of teachers and leaders will reflect on their practice in relation to those five standards, and for those practitioners who wish to deepen their practice, the upper-level descriptors provide an aspirational focus for professional development going forward.

We do need a national approach to ensure that there is a consistency across our nation, and I hope that, by September of this year, we will be able to be very clear to this Chamber, and to the profession, about what that national approach will look like. It will need to have an element of generic training with regard to the curriculum, but we will need to deep-dive below that for subject specialists and for stage specialists and by September I think we'll be in a position to do that.

John, leadership is absolutely key to that. There is nothing more demoralising for a teacher than to be working in an institution with poor leadership. That adds to your workload and it adds to the stress that you may find in your institution. I was delighted last week to meet the first set of associates for our new leadership academy. I'm hugely inspired by them and the contribution that I think that they will bring. But accrediting training and support for those teachers who are asking to work in our toughest communities is something that I'm very keen that the new academy would look to explore. There are a number of areas where we need those specific skills, whether that's working in some of our toughest communities, whether that's the challenge of running a through school, whether that's the challenge of being an executive head, where maybe you are the head of three or four schools. So, there's a whole set of things that we need to look at in that regard.

Presiding Officer, in the words of the curriculum scholar Lawrence Stenhouse,

'there can be no curriculum development without teacher development'.

I am very clear on that. As far as I'm concerned, the two go hand in hand, and that's why this committee's report is very useful as we develop policy in this area.

I call on Lynne Neagle to reply to the debate. 

Thank you, Presiding Officer. Can I thank all the Members who have contributed to the debate this afternoon, and also thank the Cabinet Secretary for her response? I will try and cover some of the main points that were made by Members.

I very much welcome Darren Millar's reinforcement of the message that the role of teachers and the quality of teaching is actually fundamental if we are going to improve the standards in our schools. That's a very welcome acknowledgement. Darren, you also raised some of the issues that have come out through the inquiry around funding. Those issues are also emerging in our current inquiry about targeted funding to improve educational outcomes, and I know that we'll want to keep those issues under review, including the issues around Gypsy/Traveller children and minority ethnic learners.

You've expressed your disappointment about some of the recommendations around the Education Workforce Council. The one recommendation was rejected, but I'm grateful to the Cabinet Secretary for the assurances that she's given this afternoon, and, again, I think we will want to keep that under review. I know that you feel very strongly about the power to suspend, but that was accepted in principle, and I know that there is ongoing dialogue about that. Again, that's something that I'm sure the Cabinet Secretary will want to keep us updated on.

Llyr Gruffydd, thank you for your contribution. Unfortunately, I didn't hear the first minute of it, because there was a problem with the translation, but I'm sure it was excellent. [Laughter.] If I can just say that and I will catch up on it later. You very eloquently highlighted some of the pressures that we heard from our teaching profession and the impact that that's having in terms of absence and stress. I think we would all agree that it is absolutely crucial that those issues are tackled. One of the things I'm very pleased to know is that the Cabinet Secretary has commissioned research from Beaufort Research and the National Foundation for Educational Research Cymru, which is going to look in more detail at those issues. I think that that will be very valuable.

Michelle Brown also expressed some concern about some of the recommendations that had been rejected, notably 19 and 20. I think I've covered that, but I welcome Michelle Brown's reinforcement of the need to improve continuous professional development for teachers across the board.

John Griffiths has been a very vocal advocate of the need to improve leadership in schools throughout the inquiry and in particular to focus on the needs of our most deprived communities, and I'm sure that, like me, he'll have been very pleased to hear the Cabinet Secretary reference that in her response. 

Hefin David has also been a very passionate advocate of the need for peer-to-peer learning and of the need for there to be more reflective practice in our schools. So, it was good to see that picked up in the debate today. He's also been a very strong advocate of the professional learning passport, which we have made recommendations on. I hope that the Cabinet Secretary will be able, as she looks as this whole area, to look very carefully at that issue.

The committee did have some concerns about the complexity of the professional standards, which Hefin has alluded to. I think we recognise that it is a work in progress, and that is something that we will be wanting to return to going forward.

Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary again for her response and for the update on the initiatives that are ongoing? I would also like to thank our clerking team, who, as usual, have been absolutely fantastic with this inquiry. I think we all recognise that, if we're going to get the school system that we want and our kids deserve, the quality of teaching and supporting teachers is absolutely fundamental, and this will continue to be a major theme of the committee's work going forward. Thank you very much.

The proposal is to agree the motion. Does any Member object? The motion is therefore agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.

Motion agreed in accordance with Standing Order 12.36.