Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education – in the Senedd at 1:53 pm on 17 October 2018.

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Photo of Suzy Davies Suzy Davies Conservative 1:53, 17 October 2018

Thank you. I was anticipating your answer as well, as it happens. I expect we'll be back here before the Donaldson curriculum is finalised, because I think there is space—this is not the same as, 'Can I bring falconry on to the curriculum?', this is about life-saving skills. And there's a demand for it to be mandatory on the curriculum, as far as I can tell, so perhaps we'll return to it. 

In the meantime, I just want to go back to the questions you were answering earlier on on female school pupils' welfare. The Children's Commissioner for Wales has found that gender bullying, of course, is still a problem in our schools, and that there's a recognition now that autistic spectrum disorder amongst girls is probably recognised less frequently than its actual prevalence, partly, of course, because girls manage to learn behaviour that disguises the experiences they're actually having. Now, I personally think Paul Davies's Bill will direct both attention and resources towards this, but I'd be grateful to know what you're doing at the moment to raise awareness with staff and pupils about how girls with autistic spectrum disorder conditions may present in schools, and how to support them if they're being bullied, and perhaps on those occasions when they might be the perpetrator. Thank you.