7. Plaid Cymru Debate: School Funding

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:54 pm on 13 June 2018.

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Photo of Lynne Neagle Lynne Neagle Labour 5:54, 13 June 2018

Well, I have to say that I don't recognise this largesse that you've described from the Westminster Government, and I also think it's very difficult now to make comparisons between England and Wales on school funding, and that is one of the issues behind why I think this inquiry is so important. We do have to get to the bottom of exactly what is being spent, how much is going into the RSG, how much is actually reaching the coalface for our pupils, because where I completely agree with Leanne Wood is that we do have a very ambitious reform agenda in Wales—not just the new curriculum but also the plans for teacher training, continual professional development, and it's undoubtedly the case that those plans are going to need additional funding. I recognise the commitment that the Cabinet Secretary has to taking forward those plans. This is a matter for the whole Welsh Government. I hope that there will be some lessons learned as we go into the budget round about some of the decisions that were taken to place things into the RSG, which I do not believe have worked in the interests of our most vulnerable pupils this time around. But we do need now that wider look at how we fund our whole education system in Wales—