1. Will the First Minister make a statement on planned school closures in Swansea? OAQ53443

Wel, diolch yn fawr, Llywydd, and, with your permission, I'll just echo a few of the words that you've just expressed in relation to Paul Flynn. A huge servant of the city of Newport, a remarkable speaker in the House of Commons and on stages elsewhere in Wales, but someone who I think will be remembered most for speaking up on behalf of people and causes where little popular support existed at the time, and that included devolution at the start of his own career. Some in our trade are skilled at spotting a tide that is already on its way in and are able to ride it to the shore. I think Paul Flynn's integrity and courage was to be willing to speak for those things where that tide had yet begun to run and then to make others more willing to follow in its wake. He will be hugely missed, as you said, Llywydd, by family and by friends, but long remembered by us all too. 

So, just to turn to the first question, and to say that Swansea City and County Council has published notices to close Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Felindre and Craigcefnparc Primary School. The objection period ended for both proposals on 6 February. The council’s cabinet must now decide whether to approve or reject the proposals. I am unable to comment on proposals that may subsequently be referred to Welsh Ministers.

Thank you for that response. On the romantic, isolated slopes of the Big Parcel stands the village of Felindre, and the Welsh-medium primary school in Felindre, which is located in a naturally Welsh-speaking area to the north of Swansea, is listed among the small rural schools that would be protected by the Welsh Government code. Although the process of closing the school started before this code came into existence, Swansea Council said that they would adhere to the spirit and principles of that code. But, despite that pledge, the local community is extremely disappointed because a decision's been taken to close the school rather than federate with another school or look at other options. That was the council's response to the public consultation. If this is the situation in the rest of Wales, then this code will be a huge disappointment in trying to safeguard Welsh-medium rural schools.

Some 600 children go to each of the nearby urban Welsh-medium schools, such as Lôn Las and Pontybrenin, but in the more rural areas we need an alternative solution. So, First Minister, will you look into this particular case—I hear what you had to say, but this is a crucially important issue—and do everything in your ability to ensure that the community of Felindre and similar communities elsewhere are given fair play according to your own code?

Thank you very much to Dai Lloyd for those important points, and I hear all of them, but, as I said in my original response, the decision is still in the hands of the City and County of Swansea Council, and I'm sure that the Member has made those points to the council—the things that he has said to us as a Government today. They are still on record, and if the decision comes to Ministers, then we will be able to look again at the points that he has made today.

Well, as you say, residents, teachers and pupils have been fighting Swansea Council's decision to close Craigcefnparc Primary School as well, and I've been very proud to support them in that fight. As part of the fight for both schools, actually, I've asked the Children's Commissioner for Wales and the Future Generations Commissioner for Wales about how and when their expectations should be included in the processes that councils follow when considering school closures. Because it's not just a matter of the school code now; there are other things to be taken into account. I appreciate that you can't comment on individual cases, but can you say whether Welsh Government has a role in advising councils on what weight they should give to commissioners' guidance, or are you content to let that be a matter for the courts?

Llywydd, the Welsh Government school organisation code sets out the requirements that Welsh Ministers provide to local authorities, governing bodies and others in this matter. The code, as Suzy Davies says, is not the only matter that is at play. But each set of circumstances has to be considered on its own merits, and the other obligations that organisations who have to make these decisions need to take into account are, I think, best understood in that local context and are for them to weigh up.

I'm used to parents complaining about having mixed-age classes and demanding that their children are taught with children in the same year group as them. And I believe that at below a certain size of school, education suffers, and more than two year groups taught together in primary school disadvantages the learner—the reason why we have education. And secondary schools need to be above a certain size to be able to fulfil the national curriculum. Will the Welsh Government publish guidance on minimum primary and secondary school sizes, so that people know exactly how many pupils they need to get in? I understand that at least one school is down to just over single figures.

I thank Mike Hedges for that supplementary question. He will be aware, I know, that our former colleague Huw Lewis, when he was the education Minister, asked Estyn—the inspectorate—to look particularly at this issue of whether there was a minimum size of school that ought to be observed. I think the facts are that the report that Estyn published in December 2013 found that there were other factors that were more relevant to the success of a school than size. And, indeed, I'm very used to hearing the Member make very persuasively the case he makes in relation to local authorities, where he generally takes the view that size is not the key determining factor in whether a local authority can be a success or not. The work of Estyn took the same view in relation to schools, saying the quality of leadership, for example, was more significant than size in whether a school was performing well or not. But the issue that the Member raises is an important one and will certainly be kept under review by the Welsh Government.