3. Will the Minister make a statement on support for home-educated learners in Wales? OQ55597

I have allocated funding of £400,000 to local authorities this year to provide support to home-educating families in recognition of the additional costs that these families may incur when providing resources and opportunities that are typically available free in school. This provision of funding is unique to Wales. 

I'm very grateful for that response, Minister, and very grateful for the funding that has been made available for home-educated young people. One of the challenges that many of those who have been home educated have faced over the past examination period is that obviously they're not at centres whereby grades could have been provided to them, and as a result, many are having to face the prospect, potentially, of examinations next year. Can you tell us what assurances you can give to the parents of home-educated learners that there will be an opportunity for them to sit their exams next year, so that they won't have to lose out when compared to their peers in terms of being able to have access to the grades that they believe they should have secured this year?

Thank you, Darren, for the recognition of the financial resources that have been made available. As I said in answer to earlier questions, it is my sincere hope that examinations will be able to go ahead next year. However, we know that this virus and the pandemic is unpredictable, so we do need to have other provision in place, and we will need to ensure this time—because we have more time to plan—that the specific needs of children who are not attached to a specific centre have the opportunity to be awarded a grade. So, I know that this is under consideration at the moment.

Minister, home education can be an informed and positive choice for families and children, so the additional funding from Welsh Government is really welcome. But in June, you announced that due to the pressures of responding to the COVID crisis, it wouldn't be possible to proceed with the proposals set out in the consultation on home education statutory guidance and draft database regulations. You wrote reassuringly to the Protecting Home Education Wales organisation explaining that you hoped they would be taken forward by the next Government at the earliest opportunity, and that new or revised proposals would be subject to public consultation. So, could I ask, Minister, would that consultation also take into account any further representations by the Children's Commissioner for Wales or by child and safeguarding organisations on how these proposals—recognising they're primarily focused on educational support—can also assist child safeguarding in Wales?

Huw, I can give you that assurance that any further consultation on these proposals will indeed take into consideration the views of everybody that has something that they feel that they can contribute. It is disappointing that we have found ourselves in the position where we cannot proceed in the way I had intended; it is regrettable indeed. But I should stress that despite the inability at this time, due to pressures of COVID, not to proceed with new legislation, local education authorities still remain under the legal obligation to ensure that all children are in receipt of a suitable education, wherever that education is delivered, and that hasn't changed. We issued guidance to local authorities earlier in the year about how they could continue to fulfil that function and support home-educating families during the pandemic, and we're looking to spread good practice across local authorities in that regard, so that where improvements can happen, and need to happen, there are examples of how that can be achieved.