Thank you very much. Our motion this afternoon focuses on important and timely aspects of the world of education in Wales. First of all, exams and assessments and the need for change that has been underlined by COVID and the requirements of the new curriculum, and I will expand on that in my contribution. Another important aspect is the identity and diversity of Wales. Including the history of Wales, including the history of the Welsh language, is vital for pupils the length and breadth of Wales so that they have an awareness of the national identity of Wales and the historic basis of our modern society. Even though some important aspects are mandatory elements of the new curriculum, for example relationships and sexuality education, there are some parts and groups in our society that have been forgotten. Black communities and communities of people of colour deserve status and respect in the new curriculum, and also the role of those communities in the history of modern Wales. So, we support the inclusion of people of colour and black history being part of the statutory part of the curriculum to strengthen the teaching of the identity of Wales and all of its diversity and to eradicate racism.

We will talk about apprenticeships and further education this afternoon—the need to support apprentices who are impacted in terms of employment and in terms of finance as a result of COVID-19. We will discuss the emotional and mental well-being of our young people and we will discuss the Welsh language, and the need to take further steps to ensure that the new curriculum facilitates fluency in the Welsh language as a norm by increasing Welsh-medium education in every sector and period of learning. Swansea and Rhondda Cynon Taf have the same contribution and responsibility in the national effort as does Gwynedd and Ceredigion.

I want to turn to examinations. The examinations fiasco this summer is still very much alive in the minds of our young people. They remember that it had taken a major effort—and we in Plaid Cymru were at the heart of that effort—to get rid of the algorithm system that was going to be hugely unfair to very many young people. After deciding, entirely rightly, to cancel the examinations, there was an unnecessary step taken to use a failing mathematical formula. In the end, the Minister for Education in Wales changed her mind after a period of campaigning and the teacher assessments were used. Faith was placed in the teachers, the professionals who know our young people best, but that could have been done from the very beginning, avoiding the entire fiasco and all of the concern and anxiety caused to our young people.

Plaid Cymru has been saying since the summer that A-level examinations and GCSE examinations shouldn't be held next year either. We said that because the experts told us that there would be a second wave of the coronavirus in the autumn. We were of the opinion that making a swift decision, before the schools reopened, even, in September, would be a fair way of moving forward, and that our young people and their teachers and parents would know what to expect and what would happen, with plenty of time to change direction and to change arrangements. Teacher assessments could be used, and there would be plenty of time for a sensible approach in terms of standardisation. It's not too late to do that, and we are continuing to press for the cancellation of the examinations next year, and there is increasing pressure coming from all corners for that by now. We hope that there will be a decision made on 9 November, which is the date mentioned or mooted for the decision to be announced. I very much hope that the Minister for Education won't follow England slavishly again, and that we will have the right decision for the people of Wales.

As the virus spreads and as the situation intensifies, pupils are missing school because they're self-isolating, and it impacts on their education and the continuity. Exam-age pupils are going to lose more of their education during the firebreak, on top of the education lost during the full lockdown. Some young people are going to lose more than one period of education, with these periods taking place at different times in different schools and different colleges, with different young people losing out on different pieces of work. And yet, everyone sitting the same exam.

Doing the work remotely isn't possible for many. There are many who still don't have an electronic device, who don't have broadband connectivity and they don't have the space and the quiet in their homes to do the work, which often means that it's those children from the poorer backgrounds who lose out and who are left behind, and that isn't fair.

There is an alternative method of assessing progression, which would include continuous assessment and teacher assessments. It's not as if there is no alternative but exams; there is an alternative and the sooner the better to decide on that alternative. We need to get rid of the uncertainty and give fair play to everyone.

And in the longer term, we need to get rid of the Government obsession with examinations. We need to create a system that identifies the individual's progression. The entire education system needs to shift from the emphasis on examinations and certificates, and ensure that our young people have the right skills for the world of work and for life in future.

The Curriculum for Wales does provide some of the answer, but the whole system needs to be changed. This includes rethinking qualifications and assessments, starting with a meaningful discussion about GCSEs. Do we need a qualification at all for young people of the age of 16, when the vast majority of them remain in education? We need to move from one exam, which is the same for everyone and gives a grade on a basis that doesn't measure the right skills. The Curriculum for Wales has the ability, if rooted correctly, to move the emphasis on to skills. The way that we assess has to be aligned to the new curriculum or it won't work, and schools will continue to focus on the grades, rather than the progress made by the individual.

We have a genuine opportunity to create an excellent educational system in Wales, one that doesn't leave any child or young person behind. The curriculum does provide an opportunity for us to start on that journey. We need to scrutinise the Bill in detail over the next few months, ensuring that the curriculum will genuinely be fit for purpose in the modern Wales. And it needs to be supported with resources and meaningful training, and assessment methods need to change too.

Our children and young people are our future; they are the future of our nation. They're not having an easy time of it at the moment, but there will be better times ahead. We, in the Senedd, need to give all support to them in this COVID period, but also by ensuring that the seeds that we are sowing now to revolutionise our education system—that those seeds grow into robust plants and grow in the right direction. I look forward to hearing everybody's contributions in this important debate.