Thank you, Llywydd. I’m very pleased to contribute to this Stage 1 debate to outline the Children, Young People and Education Committee’s main conclusions and recommendations in relation to the curriculum and assessment Bill. I want to begin by stating that our committee supports the general principles of this Bill.

The evidence we received made it clear that improvements are needed to the curriculum to enable our children to lead happy, successful and enriched lives, and to help them to make a full contribution to Welsh society and beyond. We've been particularly struck by the call for change from children and young people themselves. They want to see a new curriculum that enables them to develop the skills they need to begin their journey into adulthood. So, we welcome the emphasis on life skills and preparation for adulthood that runs throughout the new curriculum for Wales. Furthermore, we agree with the Welsh Government that the current curriculum is not fit for a modern Wales. The opportunity this Bill presents for schools to shape their own curriculum, based on pupils’ needs, is bold and ambitious. It has the potential to make a significant difference if implemented successfully.

Nevertheless, Members who have seen our detailed report and 66 recommendations will know that I have more to say about this Bill and the legislative framework it aims to create. As a committee, we are clear that, while we support the Bill’s general principles, there are still issues to be addressed. Our concerns are around the practicalities of how this curriculum will be rolled out effectively, whether there is enough time to train staff to deliver it, particularly in the context of COVID-19, and whether the Welsh Government is sufficiently clear about how it will ensure this legislation contributes to raising standards as well as providing pupils with the same opportunities and experiences from their education.

With only eight minutes, I can't discuss all elements of our report, so I will give a brief outline of the headline issues and some of the solutions we would like to see. But before I go into that detail, I'd like to pause to thank all of those who contributed to our scrutiny. This is the first Stage 1 to be conducted in a wholly virtual context. More importantly, it's the first Stage 1 to be undertaken in a global pandemic. We’re enormously grateful to all those who took the time to share their views and expertise with us in recent months. We know that so many of them have been on the front line, managing the impact of the coronavirus, and ensuring that our children and young people continue to receive care, support and education in Wales. So, I would like to give them my heartfelt thanks for helping us to ensure that, despite the challenges of the pandemic, our scrutiny has been as robust and as comprehensive as any piece of primary legislation rightly demands.

I also want to thank our clerk, Llinos Madeley, our researcher, Michael Dauncey, as well as Lisa Salkeld and Rhiannon Lewis from the legal team for all their hard work on this Stage 1. I've said before that the committee is blessed to have such a brilliant team supporting us, and this report is further evidence of that.