2. Will the Minister make a statement on Welsh-medium services for school governors in Wales? OQ56437

Governing bodies have an essential role in improving school performance. Local authorities provide direct support to governors through their governor support services. Under Welsh language standards, all information, advice and guidance provided by the Welsh Government to local authorities is provided bilingually. Local authorities are under the same standard duties.

I'm a governor here in Denbighshire and as is required and reasonable for me to do, as with everyone else, I need a DBS check every now and again to ensure that I am a fit and proper person to be a governor. Now, I was invited for a DBS check recently and it was undertaken online, but if I want to do that through the medium of Welsh I have to ask for a paper form. Although I am a Welsh speaker, a governor in a Welsh-medium school where the governing body holds all of its meetings and administration through the medium of Welsh, I have to settle for a second-rate process. Now, there is discrimination on a linguistic basis here and I understand, too, that online applications usually take less than a week to process, but if done on paper it can take a month to six weeks. So, do you think that this kind of discrimination on the basis of language is acceptable, and if you don't, then my question is what will you and the Government do to try and put that right?

Well, firstly, Llyr, can I thank you for serving as a governor? They are important roles and I would encourage everybody that is interested in education to think about how they can help our children and young people by doing what you do and serving in the role of governor. Clearly, the situation that you have just described is not acceptable. I'm grateful to you for bringing it to my attention, and I shall raise it with the necessary authorities to ensure that there is equality in the service that is offered to people who have taken the time and trouble to put themselves forward to undertake this important role. Diolch yn fawr.

Minister, I'm pleased to hear that you have thanked everyone who has given of their time and skills to become governors in our schools, and their jobs are about to become more burdensome under the new curriculum, and more similar to the role of trustees or non-executive directors of businesses or charities. Certainly, their relationships with local communities will have to be more open, too, because of the curriculum. How will you ensure that governors receive all the training they need, and what measures are you putting in place to help learners and their families to hold governors to account?

Well, thank you for that, Suzy. Can I assure you that that training is already being delivered? For instance, even in the midst of the pandemic, GwE, our regional support service in north Wales, is already delivering a comprehensive programme of governor training in anticipation not only of curriculum reform but also ALN reform, and that is a programme of work that is being replicated across Wales. It is absolutely important that governors have the skills necessary to provide that supportive challenge to headteachers and to be able to play a full part in developing new curricula within their schools. You're right; this gives us a new opportunity to be able to explain to parents in the roll-out of the new curriculum the important role that governors will have and how parents themselves can influence that process, and indeed to encourage other parents to take up roles as governors, not just in the slot that is reserved for parents, but actually looking at ways in which they too can contribute, either to their own children's school or to other schools in their area.