Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language – in the Senedd at 2:29 pm on 14 July 2021.
Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, firstly can I start by thanking you for your written statement last week? I really welcome the fact that you listened to my concerns, our party's concerns, and those, most importantly, of the educational sector, and have now yourself taken the decision to remove masks and bubbles in schools across Wales from September, with local authorities being able to adapt if absolutely necessary in a reactive way going forward. That is the right way to do things, so I thank you for that change, Minister.
The fact remains that children in Wales have lost out on the most learning of any UK nation—124 days between March 2020 and March 2021. So, Minister, can you assure this Senedd that we will not see the ridiculous situation of whole schools closing, whole year groups going off time and time again, if we are in a situation, which I hope we're not, that hospitalisations rise again? And what measures and mitigations do you have in place and are you looking at to ensure that in-school learning, from next term onwards, is a top priority, as our children cannot afford to miss any more face-to-face learning?