So, I will now move to group 4, and the fourth group of amendments relates to the history and diversity of Wales. Amendment 43 is the lead amendment, and I call on Siân Gwenllian to move and speak to the lead amendment and the other amendments in the group. Siân Gwenllian.

Amendment 43 (Siân Gwenllian) moved.

Thank you very much, Llywydd, and thank you for the opportunity to open the debate on group 4. Supporting amendment 43 would add the sentence

'The History of Wales in all of its diversity, including Black and People of Colour History' to the list of mandatory elements within the areas of learning and experience. It would be in addition to what we've just been discussing, namely relationship and sexuality education, and be in addition to RVE also as mandatory elements on the face of the Bill.

Supporting amendment 44 would make it a requirement for the 'what matters' code to note how an understanding of key historical events of Wales and the world would be provided across AoLEs. During our Stage 2 debate, the Minister quite fairly highlighted the fact that the history of Wales is not a matter for humanities alone, and amendment 44 recognises that point, making an understanding of the key historical events, in all their diversity, a cross-curricular issue.

Amendments 46, 47 and 48 would make it a requirement for every curriculum in every school to be planned in order to allow pupils to develop a common understanding of the diverse history, cultural heritage, ethnic diversity, identities, experiences and perspectives of Wales. So, following on from the Stage 2 amendments, we've listened to the advice of the education Minister and have changed our approach in seeking to deliver our objectives. In rejecting these amendments, it will not be possible to provide consistency and assurance that every pupil in Wales will have the experience of learning about the rich and diverse history of our nation.

The Children and Young People Committee, in its report on the Bill, has noted that the Government needs to strike the right balance between local flexibility and consistency at a national level. Ensuring that every pupil in Wales learnt about key historical events of national significance would help them to become informed citizens with cultural and political information, which would be crucial, and I believe that including this on the face of the Bill would strike that right balance between the need for consistency at the national level and flexibility at the local level.

The amendments would also secure equal access to education in history, which is crucial to ensure equality in education across Wales. In order to help tackle structural injustice and racism and to promote racial and cultural diversity, we must secure education for all pupils on the history of black people and people of colour. And by ensuring that Welsh history has a statutory basis in the Bill, we can ensure that teachers are able access the necessary information about Welsh history, providing the necessary guidance in order to support teachers and to develop their confidence in teaching a subject that can be complex, but one that is crucial, just as we've discussed in relation to RSE. We need major structural change to tackle racism, and we need to promote identities and diversity within Wales to be a cross-curricular theme that deserves the same status and consistency of approach as other areas.

The Minister's argument is likely to be that the Bill provides a framework without much detail, but she does argue that certain issues need clarity and specific focus, and that's her argument for including RSE on the face of the Bill. My argument is that that is also entirely appropriate in terms of the addition of the history of Wales in all of its diversity. And the fact that RSE and RVE are included on the face of the Bill does open the door to the addition of other issues of national importance too—issues that can be transformational in their nature, and for the very same reasons as we have discussed in relation to RSE. I would therefore assert that there is a lack of rationality in terms of rejecting this as a mandatory element and, therefore, that the Bill is deficient because it is not consistent in that regard. Thank you, Llywydd. I look forward to hearing the debate and the response.

The Minister is next—Kirsty Williams.

Thank you, Presiding Officer, for that. And can I thank Siân Gwenllian for opening this group of amendments' debate, and also for Siân's support in the previous group, which has been steadfast throughout this entire process? So, I'm grateful to Siân and Plaid Cymru for their commitment in that regard.

Can I start with amendment 43? I urge Members to resist this amendment. As I have explained previously in this debate, references in the 'what matters' statement are already mandatory within the Curriculum for Wales. So, I want to make it absolutely clear that these issues cannot be dodged by any school. I have listened to the Member's views in the Stage 2 debate, and I am committed to expanding the wording within the 'what matters' statement, which will become the 'what matters' code, to make this even clearer. I have discussed this with Professor Charlotte Williams, who is content that we should put these matters beyond any doubt by an explicit and clear reference to black, Asian and minority ethnic stories in the 'what matters' code. Professor Williams has been very clear in her support for the Bill and this approach to black, Asian and minority ethnic stories, and I'm also aware of the wider support for Professor Williams's work with us across the communities and peoples of Wales. I'm delighted that Professor Williams has agreed to continue to work with us after the publication of her final report to implement the recommendations—holding this Government's feet to the fire. Sometimes in Government, reports are published by eminent specialists, but then there is something lacking in the implementation. I hope that having that commitment from Professor Williams to continue to work with us on the implementation gives Members confidence that we will not just talk about it, we will actually do it.

Moving on, then, to amendment 44, I have to say that, again, this is already mandatory. Schools need to be anti-racist as well as promote diversity and an understanding of black, Asian and minority ethnic stories, and the upcoming consultation on the race equality action plan will set out how important this commitment is to promoting an understanding of diversity in teaching and learning, and how that sits alongside active policies to address racism. The key concepts that form the proposed 'what matters' code have been developed in a process of co-construction owned by practitioners, against a clear set of criteria. And I have to say, whilst I appreciate that Siân Gwenllian says that she has taken some advice in terms of drafting amendment 44, what the amendment suggests would limit and narrow the study of the matters of Welsh history and identity and of black, Asian and minority ethnic stories not within, now, the subject of history—so, we've moved on from that, and I'm glad of that—but we've simply moved to the issue of maintaining that within the humanities area of learning and experience, and I think there is a danger in that. I've been clear throughout this process that, through statutory guidance, diversity, the history of Wales and all of its cultures, is something that schools should embed across each of the six areas of learning and experience.

So, what Siân Gwenllian talks about is absolutely important, and I would argue that the mandatory nature of the 'what matters' code means that those subjects will be taught, but I don't want to see these subjects contained merely within the humanities area of learning and experience. Why should not the stories of Wales be explored through the lessons of literacy and communication, in the texts that schools choose to study? Do our stories not find a place in our expressive arts, in the production of drama, music and dance? Do these experiences of our diverse communities and the impact of our experience within those diverse communities not have a role to play in the teaching of health and well-being? So, I would argue that what we have here in the Bill is the opportunity for Welsh histories in all of their diversity to be explored, not just within a single subject, not just within an AoLE, but actually to have those histories and experiences reinforced in cross-curricular work across all elements of the curriculum. That's been a really important piece of advice from Charlotte Williams, who says, too often, when we have talked about these issues, they have been confined to a single topic within a single subject, and it's not reflective of the contribution of our diverse communities right the way across all aspects of our lives.

As I said, we will amend the words to make it even more explicit, to provide the confidence that they need. But let me be absolutely clear, the legislation before us today absolutely expects, demands and will ensure that Welsh histories and the experiences of our black, Asian and minority ethnic communities are taught in every school in Wales, and I want to be absolutely clear that that is our expectation, and the legislation before us provides for that.

Siân Gwenllian to reply.

Thank you very much, Llywydd. Amendment 44 does what you claim it does not do. Amendment 44 reads like this:

'The What Matters Code must set out how an understanding of the key historical events of Wales and the world, including—

'(a) Black and People of Colour History,

'(b) Black, Asian and minority ethnic experiences and contributions, and

'(c) the histories of racism and diversity,

'will be ensured across areas of learning and experience.’

I couldn't be more explicit that the intention of this amendment is to promote this area outside of the humanities to be exactly what you were saying it should be. So, you perhaps are deliberately taking us in a different direction to what we intend to deliver through these amendments.

If this area is to be mandatory, as you state will be, and that it will be mandatory through the 'what matters' statements, then what's the problem with supporting these amendments before us today? That isn't going to make any difference, is it? It will be on the face of the Bill if you support our amendments, and everything that you describe will flow down from that and will emerge from that. For me, that's the purpose of legislation: you state things quite clearly if you want everything else to filter down from there, and, if it's going to be in the guidance in any case, I don't understand your argument for not promoting it to be included on the face of the Bill.

I return to this point: you have decided to put RSE as a mandatory issue on the face of the Bill—excellent—and you're doing that so that everything else can flow from that decision. I can't understand the logic why not to put an area that is so crucially important for the development of our nation as we move forward and in respecting diversity and eradicating racism from our society. That too needs to be on the face of the Bill so that transformation that needs to happen can happen and can be given the valid status that it deserves. So, I would urge you to support our amendments here. Thank you. 

The question is that amendment 43 be agreed. Does any Member object? [Objection.] Yes, I see an objection, and therefore we'll move to a vote on amendment 43, tabled in the name of Siân Gwenllian. Open the vote. [Inaudible.] In favour 20, two abstentions, 31 against. 

Amendment 43: For: 20, Against: 31, Abstain: 2

Amendment has been rejected