4. What steps will the Minister take to minimise lost school time during the COVID-19 pandemic? OQ56772

There are a range of measures in place to both support learning and minimise lost time. We have committed over £150 million in additional investments to support learners and practitioners. And I also wrote to schools last Friday outlining measures to seek to minimise the numbers of those pupils self-isolating.

Thank you for that, Minister. I think, as we heard earlier, there's obviously widespread concern regarding the amount of school time lost because of the pandemic. Obviously, that's widely shared across Wales—parents, teachers and the whole school teams, as well as, I think, Senedd Members and Welsh Government. It is very alarming that all that time has been lost, and I think we did see a patchy performance in schools in terms of learning at home and, indeed, more school time lost in some schools than others. Part of that, obviously, is due to the pattern of the pandemic, but there may be other factors as well.

I'm just wondering, Minister, given that experience, given that we could see further waves in the autumn and beyond, what lessons have been learnt so that if we do have to have a return to learning at home to some extent, will that be much more consistent and top quality right across Wales. And looking at the longer term—and I know Welsh Government is looking at the length of the summer holidays—what is the latest Government thinking on those long summer holidays, particularly given that I think quite a number of schools in Wales at the moment will have summer holidays of some 7.5 weeks, if teacher training and INSET days are added to the summer holidays themselves? 

On that last point, in relation to INSET dates and so on, obviously, we expect schools to look carefully at when those are scheduled and to provide parents with as much notice as possible of that. On the Member's broader point in relation to the experience of the last year, clearly, schools have adapted at speed to be able to provide support to learners in a home setting, and to provide support to their parents and carers in doing that as well. And I think, over the course of the last year, the quality of resources and the consistency has improved, as you would expect, very significantly. There are things, I think, that can be learned for future pedagogy generally in terms of blended learning there, and I hope we'll be able to make sure that those innovations are captured where they've been able to bring additional flexibilities and additional assets to schools.

I just want to be clear, though, that the intention in the arrangements that I've advised heads of last week is to recognise, essentially, that bubbles have played an important part in reducing contacts between learners, but, as we've moved through the pandemic, we've learnt that they can be a blunt tool, effectively. And so, that is what lies behind the recommendation that contact groups will no longer be part of school life, and the very point of that is in order to minimise the number of learners self-isolating unnecessarily, if I can put it like that, by asking our colleagues in the test, trace and protect system to provide specific advice to schools in relation to those matters. 

Good afternoon, Minister. One of the most devastating impacts of the pandemic—of course, aside from the tragic loss of life—has been the damage done to the educational and emotional development of our schoolchildren. In my constituency, the Vale of Clwyd, we have seen entire schools close as a result of a few cases of COVID-19, often at times as a result of asymptomatic transmission picked up by testing whole year groups that have been sent home to isolate. Not only is this disruptive to the child's education, but also unnecessary. I'm glad you have finally changed the guidance, but, Minister, how will you ensure that children in the Vale of Clwyd catch up on all the schooling they've lost out on as a result of the Welsh Government's previous policies? Thank you very much.

Well, I think the Member's question is incredibly unfair in the way that he ends it. We've been facing the most extraordinary circumstances in our school system, as in all other parts of Wales and across the UK—indeed, internationally—and I actually want to pay tribute to the teaching and educational workforce for the work they have done to minimise that disruption, against very, very serious odds, and I think they've developed incredibly innovative and flexible ways of supporting our learners in very difficult circumstances.

He talks about 'catching up' in his question. That is not the language that we use in the way that we describe the task that lies ahead. What we do not want is a deficit model where children are told they have fallen behind. What we want to do is to encourage our students to re-engage with those skills that enable them to be effective learners—about motivation, confidence, and a sense of being able to learn and engage with each other. Those are the principles we want to have guiding our recovery in Wales, and those are the principles that underpin the renew and reform plan and funding that I've announced.

Picking up on that precise point, Minister, I worry about how often we all use the term 'lost' when we're talking about learning or experiences for young people because of the pandemic. There's a danger that if young people keep hearing this word 'lost' in relation to themselves, they'll think that they're broken or that something has gone that can't be recovered, and I think what this generation of young people is is resilient. They have gone through a lot, but it's our job and the job of society to make sure that they're supported now and that they can recover a sense of joy in learning and in life—so, making sure that assessments are conducted in a way that motivates children to grow, not to worry about lower expectations or how much there is to make up. So, what work, building on what you've just said, Minister, is going on in Government to ensure that children and young people recover from the past year and that no-one, in lessons or outside the classroom, will feel the weight of this 'lost' label on their back?

That is entirely the principle that underpins the renew and reform plan that we announced a few weeks ago, and I completely echo what Delyth Jewell says. We do not want learners to feel that loss is how we define the last year. We want to recognise the challenges that learners have faced, but to work with them and support them in how they move forward. That is the principle that underpins how we want to do that, and I think that's very much what's happening at a school level. One of the flexibilities, if you like, in that programme, is that it allows school leaders to make those judgments about how best to deploy that funding. We know there are particular cohorts that need particular support in the coming years—so, early years learners, those post-16 learners, disadvantaged learners—and all need different kinds of support, and the renew and reform plan enables schools to make those judgments, reflecting the needs of their particular cohorts.