Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm really sorry this is only a half-an-hour debate, which means I only have four minutes to sum up, because there are some things where I agree very passionately with what Members have said this afternoon, and there are some things that I vehemently disagree with this afternoon.

Gareth, can I be absolutely clear, there is intrinsic value in children leaving our schools with examinations and qualifications that allow them to go on to something else? Our education system can be about more than that, but to say that we're not doing a useful thing for our children in getting them to pass tests, exams and to attain qualifications is not one of them. And we have to, I have to say, Mr Reckless, see education in the cultural context in which it's delivered. And I don't think there are many parents in Wales who would want to see the effects that there are on child well-being in many of the countries, including Singapore, that you have talked about in the educational system here. Indeed, a group of parents went recently to the far east to look at education methods in the far east, and one parent said to me, 'Whatever you do to improve the situation in Wales, please do not subject my child to what we saw when we visited those countries.' So, we have to see education in the cultural context, but does that mean we can do better? Of course it does, and you know that I am determined to do better because it is my, it is this Government's national mission to deliver a reformed and successful education system in Wales for its young people. An education system that is a source of national pride and enjoys public confidence. And I recognise that, above all else, it is the quality of teaching that transforms young people's lives, and therefore it is essential that our reforms support a sufficient supply of high-quality, well-qualified teachers to underpin our national reform journey.

Our teachers of tomorrow are absolutely integral to our national mission, and I've made very clear my commitment to attract and retain more highly qualified graduates into teaching because our young people—your children, my children, all of our children—deserve nothing less. That's why all teachers in Wales need to be qualified, unlike other countries such as England, where the use of unqualified people in our schools is growing at pace. The overall teacher vacancy rate in Wales remains comparatively low, although I would be the first to admit that there sometimes can be local difficulties in recruiting into certain subjects and into certain phases.

Now, Plaid's amendment states that the recent national workforce survey showed that 34 per cent of teachers said they were considering leaving the profession. That is a matter of fact. Yet, to put this into perspective, out of 30,610 teaching practitioners, just over 1,600 stated that they were considering leaving the profession, for some of whom it may have been a result of retirement. I am pleased that, in contrast, 47 per cent of teachers stated that they were looking to continue to develop and strengthen their practice, with others looking to progress on to leadership roles. I would agree with you, Mark, that ensuring that we have a consistent national approach to professional learning and career development is a really, really important point, and we are working on that at the moment, as, I also recognise, is the issue of workload, and we continue to work with the unions and experts regarding workload, especially through the prism of the devolution of teachers' pay and conditions.

With regard to recruitment, Deputy Presiding Officer, in October I announced an improved priority subject incentive scheme, and a new incentive scheme targeting Welsh-medium postgraduates to address some of the complexities that we face. Many of the points raised this afternoon are already in train. The teacher recruitment and retention advisory board, which I have set up, is reviewing international evidence to consider how we support people into the profession—all those wishing to enter into the profession through alternative routes. That's people who are wanting to change careers. That is indeed foreign teachers. It's indeed upskilling people who are already in the education workforce but want QTS. But when I do that, it will not be at the expense of lowering down standards. I am determined to maintain a standard that requires people to go into the profession. We wouldn't be saying some of these things about the medical profession, would we? We wouldn't accept it for that profession, and why would we accept it in this case?

But there are ways in which we can find new ways for people to find themselves in classrooms if that is their calling, because I want teaching in Wales to be a first-choice profession, so that we can attract the very, very best, and our reformed initial teacher education offer will ensure that more people will want to train in Wales and will give them the very best start to their careers. These reforms enable the profession to take a central role delivering and leading change, as well as creating a stable, high-quality system that enables institutions and individuals to flourish. And it will do exactly that, Gareth: our teachers will be intrinsic to the development of our new curriculum. They will be at the forefront of that. 

I have established the leadership academy, which will continue to work with the Welsh Government, so that leaders and leadership are supported to enable the objectives of our national mission—supporting existing headteachers and nurturing those who want to go on to lead Welsh schools. The academy will engage with leaders, identify international evidence and create a network for collaboration to help inform the profession and make a difference to young people.

Deputy Presiding Officer, the overall objective of our national mission is simple, clear and ambitious. Working together with all of our partners, we will raise standards, we will reduce the attainment gap and, as I said, deliver an education system that is a source of national pride and enjoys public confidence. And to achieve this, we will help everyone, including everyone teaching in our schools, to be the best that they can be, so that they, and the children that they teach, can reach their full potential.