6. What are the Welsh Government's priorities for improving educational performance during the remainder of this Assembly term? OAQ53534

I thank the Member for that. Amongst our priorities for the remainder of this Assembly term is the implementation of band B of the twenty-first century schools programme from April this year. It will invest record amounts in providing school and college buildings where all children can reach their potential.

First Minister, it was a pleasure to join you on Thursday at the official opening of the brand-new £7.2 million Cwmaman Primary School in my constituency, just the latest in a series of new school buildings where my constituency has benefited from investment to the tune of over £100 million—more than any other constituency in Wales, I believe. And, as a former teacher, I know only too well the importance of providing these flexible and aspirational educational settings and the impact that that can have on our pupils' attainment. One thing that struck me particularly about the Cwmaman site was the way that the outdoor space was being used in order to maximise pupils' use of the outdoors and the very many benefits that that can bring in terms of attainment, well-being and performance all round. So, how else is the Welsh Government working to promote opportunities for outdoor learning?

Well, I thank the Member for that. I congratulate her on her success in lobbying for twenty-first century schools expenditure in her constituency. It was a real pleasure to be with her on Thursday of last week at the most strikingly beautiful site that the Cwmaman Primary School now occupies, and to be shown by the headteacher and others the new opportunities that that brings for allowing children to learn in the open air. It's a really truly beautiful site and those opportunities are very real there. As the Member knows, we put great emphasis in the foundation phase particularly on outdoor learning, but that goes right through to the Welsh baccalaureate in its community challenge component, where, again, young people are encouraged to be out and about and learning in the world outside the school.

The new buildings that we are providing through band A of the twenty-first century schools programme and now through band B as well mean that right across Wales we have a more extensive building programme than any time in 50 years, and it is not simply the number of buildings that are being provided, it is the quality of those buildings, the fantastic quality of Cwmaman Primary School and the opportunities that it provides to allow children to thrive inside the school building and beyond it.