Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. I welcome this opportunity to talk about the legislative response that we've made to the COVID-19 pandemic using powers related to the Coronavirus Act 2020. As you and all Members of the Senedd will know, these have been, and continue to be, extraordinary circumstances and our response has had to acknowledge that.

We have worked hard to ensure that the actions that we've taken have been measured but immediate. We've given schools and local authorities the time and space they need to get on with the important job in hand of looking after the needs of learners right the way across Wales. 

Making an amendment to the curriculum requirements regulations has allowed us to issue a notice that temporarily disapplies the basic curriculum requirements and associated assessment arrangements for schools and non-maintained funded nursery settings. These statutory requirements were designed to be delivered in a formal classroom-based environment, and they have been disapplied to provide practitioners the space and flexibility to focus on the health and well-being of learners, preparing them to re-engage with learning. We have also published guidance that provides advice on learning and teaching that schools and settings may wish to provide for the remainder of the summer term. 

Perhaps less high profile, but nonetheless equally importantly, we have made changes that have allowed us to issue notices modifying the school organisation code, so that school organisation proposals can continue even where schools are closed due to the coronavirus—for example, any knock-on effects on funding or the Welsh in education strategic plans that may have impacted by COVID.

We have also made another notice disapplying part of the changing of school session times regulations, allowing schools and local authorities to quickly make the necessary changes to start and finish times of the school day so that they have been able to safely accommodate more learners to check in, catch up and prepare at their own schools this term.

All of these actions have been completed with the help and collaboration of some of our key stakeholders. Colleagues right the way across Wales, in local authorities, regional consortia, Estyn, diocesan authorities and school governing bodies, as well as parents, children and young people, have been instrumental in our response. I would commend the regulations to the Senedd.