Group 7: Implementation and advice (Amendments 5, 7, 11, 12)

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 7:02 pm on 2 March 2021.

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Photo of Suzy Davies Suzy Davies Conservative 7:02, 2 March 2021

Diolch yn fawr. Thank you, Minister, for coming back to some of these points. I appreciate that your position won't particularly have changed from Stage 2 on the opportunities for a small number of schools, perhaps, to delay the implementation of the curriculum, and I do understand the arguments that you're putting forward as to why, perhaps, this amendment, you wouldn't be prepared to support it. What I'm not clear about, I suppose, is what happens on day 1 of the curriculum implementation. Some schools, despite any support they've had, are so far behind that they're actually in breach of this Bill. I’m hoping that the genuine answer to that will be, 'Well, obviously, they'll be at the front of the line for some quick catch-up of their own', if you're allowed to use the words 'catch-up' in the context of education these days. But it is a consideration, and I'm sure that both our successors will be on it, as they say, if that problem does arise.

I'm really grateful to you for your final comments on this. I understand it's quite difficult to try to introduce something specific in the course of a Bill like this one, but the role of committee is greater than it could be. I think you're quite right, the Parliament is the body that represents constituents, and we need to be able to ask the questions that they want answered. So, I hope your successor will look at this in the way that you have. I'm pretty sure that my successor is going to be delighted you've got this on the record, and if they happen to be in Government, all the better. Thank you. Diolch.