11. What provision will the Minister put in place to enable pupils to catch up on education impacted by the pandemic measures? OQ56251

Thank you, Huw. There are currently a range of measures to support learning, including extensive professional learning, significant investment in devices and connectivity, and £29 million for the accelerating learning programme. I am considering further actions to address the pandemic’s impact on learners’ education, health and well-being, and I will publish a learning recovery plan shortly.

Minister, I'm glad to hear that, and I know you'll join with me in applauding those teachers, headteachers, all of the people who've actually made huge efforts over the last year to continue teaching in some form or another, and to provide that welfare support and pastoral support as well through our education system. But I know that I'm having teachers in my own area saying to me now that whilst they are concerned about the welfare, not simply welfare in terms of the pandemic and teaching staff, but also having some down time, they do want to make use of the available time we have, particularly towards the summer, in terms of getting that catch-up provision for some of our pupils who really, really need it. So, Minister, I just wonder, how are discussions going with the various teaching unions to see whether they are flexible, and to actually work with Government and work with local schools, with the focus being on the education and the pastoral care of our students and helping them to catch up? 

Thank you, Huw, and thank you for acknowledging the immense efforts that headteachers, classroom teachers and teaching assistants have put in, finding innovative new ways to keep children learning at this time, and going above and beyond to support children and families. Clearly, we need to utilise all opportunities to address the interruption of learning, and ensure that children have the opportunity to address that interruption. But as I said in answer to an earlier question, we need to start from the understanding of addressing children's well-being and their readiness to learn. And, Huw, I want our recovery programme also to recognise the immense pressure and stress that our teaching workforce themselves have endured over the last year, and ensuring that we support them also to be in a position to continue to provide that support, which we know is going to have to be intensive in the short, medium and long term. So, we need to support them to carry on doing what they're doing for children and young people.