2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:26 pm on 23 October 2018.

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Photo of Julie James Julie James Labour 2:26, 23 October 2018

Well, if you furnish me with a copy of the initial letter, I'll chase the response from the Cabinet Secretary for you. 

In terms of BSL, as part of our additional learning needs transformation programme, we are funding training for local authority-based specialist teachers of learners with various sensory impairments, including BSL. We're very committed to creating an inclusive education system for all learners, regardless of their needs, and very much support the right of learners to access education through British Sign Language where required. It's a matter that Mike Hedges brings up on a very regular basis with me. Local authorities do have a legal duty to provide suitable education for all children, and that includes the provision of BSL. And local authorities also have a responsibility to ensure that appropriately qualified staff are available at schools where a learner has been identified as requiring BSL. 

We are investing in the training and development needed to strengthen the capacity of specialist services. A total of £289,000 over three years has been agreed to support the postgraduate training of a range of local authority-based specialist teachers, including six teachers of the deaf. This funding is also being used to train local authority-based staff in British Sign Language. And our Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Act 2018 is at the heart of our work to transform the education and support for children and young people with additional learning needs in Wales. The Act enables us to improve the planning and delivery of additional learning needs provision and ensure it's more focused on a child or young person's individual needs. So, Llywydd, the Welsh Government takes this matter very seriously.