6. Statement by the Minister for Education and Welsh Language: Implementation of net zero carbon and the 21st century schools and colleges programme

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:37 pm on 2 November 2021.

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Photo of Jeremy Miles Jeremy Miles Labour 5:37, 2 November 2021

Yes, there is, and I think that this presents an opportunity, not solely from the point of view of the contribution the building itself makes to our larger targets, but there's also a very important opportunity for us to grasp here to use the development itself as a teaching tool, if you like. My visit yesterday to Llancarfan primary was a very, very good example of this. Unfortunately, obviously, because of COVID, they hadn't been able, as a school, to visit the site in the way that I think they would have liked to have been able to do, but they were describing to me that they will—. When the school is completed early next year, it'll have QR codes set at different points in the school where it'll be a teaching aid, effectively, to explain to pupils why the building is built in this particular way, what the consequences are of that and to explain to them the broader environmental impact of the choices that have been made. I think that's just a very inspiring way of approaching this, really, and I think there's a lot of potential for us to try and do more and more of that.

I think the Member makes a very, very valid point about the limitations, perhaps, on some of our older schools because of where they're situated, and the capacity to expand and to develop in the way that we might like isn't there. I think that's one of the challenges that I've been trying to outline in terms of the longer term retrofit ambitions that we have, but it is absolutely essential that we do that as part of our broader aim of being a net-zero nation.