1. What is the Commission doing to engage with schools in North Wales? OQ57053

The Senedd's education and youth engagement team engages with schools from across Wales to increase understanding of the Senedd's work. Since April 2021, over 5,000 young people and education professionals have engaged in our education sessions, which, due to the pandemic, have taken place predominantly online. Over the past year, our engagement work with young people has focused on raising awareness of the Senedd election in May and encouraging young people to stand in the upcoming Welsh Youth Parliament election in November this year. Fifty-six young people from the North Wales region have nominated themselves for the Welsh Youth Parliament election.         

Thank you for that answer. I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting schools across north Wales virtually and hearing the issues that are important to them. I have been contacted by the parent of a child in Ysgol Bryn Coch in Mold, who is disappointed that the child will be unable to visit the Senedd for an education visit in person during a school trip to Cardiff. I believe they fit it in with visits to other establishments as well in south Wales around here, so it's a really good trip to come from north Wales to south Wales. So, I think it's a real shame, and we should encourage children to be involved in our democracy from a young age, so it would be great if they could come and visit in person for that education visit. So, can I ask whether the Commission has plans to reopen the Senedd estate for education visits in person? Thank you.

Thank you very much for the question. I'm sorry, of course, that this experience isn't currently available to young people and those in school because of the pandemic and the risk assessments that we've undertaken. But we certainly want to see young people returning to this estate, so that they can have that experience of coming here to their national Senedd, their Parliament, as well as learning about democracy. So, we are looking to see when the risk assessment will allow us to be able to reopen the centre for learning for young people. We're sorry for that particular school if it's not going to be ready to do so according to the current pandemic restrictions for this trip that they're undertaking, but if it's not this time, then hopefully soon the experience will be available to young people again.