Questions now from party spokespeople. Conservative spokesperson, Laura Anne Jones.

Diolch, Llywydd. Minister, as you know, in just four years' time, BTECs won't be available for our Welsh learners. Many professionals in colleges I've visited across Wales are getting extremely anxious now that no replacement has been announced. With such a short period of time to go, there has been no clear policy direction from this Welsh Government and, sadly, the response from Qualifications Wales was merely, 'Don't panic.' Minister, our educators need to know the plan and would greatly appreciate it if you could enlighten us today as to what that plan is.

Well, that's an important question that the Member raises in her question. She's right to say that the UK Government is phasing out a number of qualifications in England, which will have an effect on learners in Wales because they're also studied here in Wales. That is a decision that is being taken without reference to the interests of learners in Wales, by the UK Government. What Qualifications Wales has been able to do is secure the extension of some of those key qualifications so that we have additional protection for learners in Wales, which those over the border will not have, as it happens.

She will also know that it's part of the co-operation agreement with Plaid Cymru to undertake a review of vocational qualifications and to see how far we can extend the idea of made-in-Wales qualifications. We have done some of those. There is scope for doing more of those to make sure that learners in Wales don't lose out as a consequence of decisions in Westminster.

Minister, that's not good enough. We need a world-class, high-quality vocational qualification, fit for the next generations, but our educators need time to prepare it and ensure that our students and our learners aren't being failed by the lack of preparation upon introduction. It is quite clear that your own pride and ideological view will mean that we don't follow England with the T-levels, but we aren't being told what the other options are. Minister, will they be made in Wales by our own regulator, like in Scotland, or will this be done through partnership with higher education institutions?

Well, I'm sorry to give the Member the same answer that I gave earlier, but I'm not sure she entirely followed what I was saying. There is a vocational qualifications review under way that will explore the extent to which made-in-Wales qualifications can be extended beyond the existing level of provision. And in the meantime, there is an extension to those most popular qualifications, to provide additional time for that to happen.

One of the challenges that we've faced throughout this process is that the UK Government has proceeded without regard to the needs of other parts of the UK. So, the best way of doing this, in the interest of learners in all parts of the UK, is to do this in a collaborative way. That has not generally been the experience. And so, the position that we find ourselves in is developing alternatives to protect the interests of Welsh learners, and negotiating extensions to those existing qualifications, which Qualifications Wales has been doing. I meet with them regularly. I discussed this question with a number of further education principals recently. And I think it's very important that there's an ongoing dialogue between QW and the colleges, so that, in the interests of learners, which are paramount in all these discussions, there is clarity and an understanding of what lies ahead.

Minister, once again, there is a distinct lack of leadership from you being shown on such an important issue in education for our children and learners in Wales. You are failing to clarify your position on something that you've known about for a long time. This review could have been done a long time ago. People need time to prepare, our colleges need time to prepare these and know the direction that you're going to take. You've left our colleges without this direction, and, as a result, four further education colleges are developing a partnership to award qualification with the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Will this be the model that you use for all of Wales?

Well, the Member, I think, is conflating two separate things. The review that has been announced by the Welsh Government, in conjunction with Plaid Cymru, is around the made-in-Wales qualifications. There's an existing review that Qualifications Wales has already been undertaking and, as I'm sure she knows, has done a risk analysis of the impact on Welsh learners of the withdrawal of qualifications on a UK-wide basis. We know of the work they've already been doing around made-in-Wales qualifications in some key areas—which I'm sure she's across—and also commissioning additional qualifications for those gaps when they have emerged. So, the work is already under way. As she will know, the designation, the responsibility for managing this lies, as it does in all parts of the UK, outside the direct hands of the Government, in the qualifications regulator, which is what we would all wish to see. And the work that I've been telling you about is work that they are doing together with FE colleges. But it's absolutely important to make sure that that dialogue continues, so that learners know what the options are as those qualifications—many of which have been relied on for a long time—are withdrawn by the UK Government.

Plaid Cymru spokesperson, Heledd Fychan.

Thank you, Llywydd. Minister, on 11 May, Jayne Bryant and I met with members of NEU Wales for a session that focused on raising awareness of the impact of workload on the mental health and well-being of staff in schools. A recent survey of its members found that 95 per cent of educators are working longer hours than those specified in their contracts, and that 44 per cent of educators are seriously considering leaving the education sector. The survey also found that 79 per cent of respondents feel uncertain whether they have a good work-life balance, and 62 per cent of respondents said that their employers aren’t doing anything to lessen their workloads.

Although some support has been given by the Government to support the health and well-being of staff, the clear message that I received from them was that this wasn’t being felt on the ground, and that the most important thing that the Welsh Government could do would be to help to lessen workloads. Do you have any plans to provide further support for the mental health of teachers and school staff through lessening their workloads, and ensuring that we don't lose more teachers?

'Yes' is the answer. There are two things ongoing. We have tripled the budget to provide support to teachers who are under pressure. Part of that is online resources, some of it is one-to-one advice, and some of it is training for leaders and headteachers to identify what more could be done in terms of support within schools. The broader budget is going to enable that service to reach more people. The experience on the whole, I would say, is if you've been to a school where you've had experience of that service, it is a positive thing, but it hasn't been available to enough people. So, that's the intention in increasing the budget: to ensure that it is available for more teachers.

But the basic question is: what does that mean in terms of workload and work pressure? We have a forum with the trade unions and local education authorities looking at what we can do to ensure that we strike the right balance between the requirements and the pressure. So, that process is ongoing. The unions are all part of it, and I hope that that will come to fruition soon.

Thank you, Minister. It is to be welcomed that you are aware and trying to respond to the demand. One of the challenges raised with us was the time that it takes to care for one's health and well-being, because of the pressures. So, it is a challenge.

One of the things that was emphasised to us was that they are still continuing to cope with COVID and those challenges, the additional support for those pupils who need it, and also preparing of course for the developments that are needed with the additional ALN provision and the new curriculum. Certainly, one of the clear messages that we heard regarding the new curriculum, even though they feel excited about it, was that the challenges in terms of preparing for September are very challenging and places additional pressure on them. So, with the Welsh Government intending to introduce this new curriculum from September onwards, what plans are in the pipeline to specifically support those teachers who perhaps are considering leaving the profession because of the current workload, and to ensure that essential transition between the current curriculum and the new curriculum?

I accept the point that one of the challenges is to have the time to look after yourself. That has been very challenging. You're right also to say that the experience of the last two years isn't at an end, and education practitioners, teachers and assistants are under pressure currently. Certainly, that is true. In terms of the further support, you will have seen the statement that about half of the secondary schools have decided to implement the curriculum in September this year rather than wait until next year, which is to be welcomed, of course. Our ability to increase staffing levels as a result of COVID—about 1,800 additional members of staff in the system—I think, provides some extra support. But, of course, the needs are greater as well as a result of the pressure on students and pupils over the last two years.

Perhaps the Member will have seen that back in February I announced a support scheme for teachers over the following months, from the beginning of the year, to ensure that they felt they were ready for September. Teachers may be on different parts of the path of feeling that they're ready, and I'm sure that many may feel they've lost that additional time to prepare for September. But, a lot of work has been ongoing for a long period of time to ensure that the training and the resources are there. And it's not too late; there is a lot of support available to ensure that every teacher feels confident to teach the new curriculum in September.