9. Debate on the Children, Young People and Education Committee report on Teachers' Professional Learning and Education

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:26 pm on 14 March 2018.

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Photo of Kirsty Williams Kirsty Williams Liberal Democrat 4:26, 14 March 2018

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.