Dirprwy Lywydd, in our mission to ensure an education system that delivers high standards and aspirations for all our learners, every policy, every decision of this Government can help tackle the impact of poverty on our young people's ability and chances to learn and to grow. But we can only do this if we support and value the well-being of all our learners and staff. Therefore, now is the right time to ask ourselves whether the shape of the school year and the school day helps us achieve these essential and collective goals. Is the long summer break advantageous for the academic and personal development of our more disadvantaged learners? Is the uneven calendar, particularly with a long autumn term, positive for staff well-being and avoiding burnout? Could we do more with how we support schools to plan their days and weeks, so that learners have greater opportunities to build academic, cultural and social capabilities?

We have gone too long without having a proper discussion on this issue. In fact, we have a school calendar virtually unchanged for 150 years, when the expectation on young people to combine studying with working on farms, in factories or supporting at home was far different to what it is today. The experience of the last two years has required us to look afresh at how we do many things. That has, obviously, been a necessity, but it's also an opportunity. So, now is the right time for a national discussion about the school year and day. We must explore how school time and how we use it best supports learner and staff well-being, narrows educational inequalities, and can better align with modern living and working patterns.

We are currently gathering views, perspectives and experiences on how we structure the school year. This includes hearing from learners, from families and the education workforce, but also the wider public and private sector, such as childcare, health services, tourism and transport. We have commissioned Beaufort Research to support us in taking this forward, so that we develop an extensive Wales-specific evidence base, and this work will inform our next steps.

To be clear, Dirprwy Lywydd, we are not considering changing the total number of teaching days or the amount of holiday. But we are listening to views on how we could schedule the school calendar differently, to ensure that we continue to support learner progression, to enhance staff and learner well-being, and align with contemporary ways of living. My initial conversations, and early feedback from this work, suggest that there is a real appetite to look at changing the calendar, and I will continue to gather views to help shape our next steps, in further discussions both here in the Senedd and beyond.

Turning to the school day, Members will recall that, in early December, I announced plans for a small-scale trial guaranteeing an offer to learners of additional well-being and learning activities over a 10-week period. Dirprwy Lywydd, I am pleased to confirm that these trials are now under way. Thirteen schools and one college, from five local authorities, have volunteered to take part in the trial, and more than 1,800 learners will benefit from a further five hours a week of additional enrichment sessions around the school day, including sports and arts, social activities, well-being support and academic programmes. We know from research that there be can be gains in attainment, as well as improved attendance, confidence and well-being from this kind of approach, especially for our disadvantaged learners. Programmes such as these trials, which provide stimulating additional sessions and support learners to re-engage with learning, can have a greater impact on attainment than those that are solely academic in focus.