Thank you, Llywydd. As a Government, we are absolutely clear that we expect allegations and incidents of bullying and racism to be fully investigated, with immediate actions taken to address the matter and prevent further instances from happening. We are absolutely committed to our schools being inclusive and welcoming to all pupils. I reiterated that recently against the backdrop of the case involving Raheem Bailey, and the importance of providing support to the family and the school community, who will also have been impacted. 

Llywydd, our education system has a crucial role and responsibility to help deliver our vision for an anti-racist Wales. We know that what young people learn in school stays with them their entire lives and shapes our broader society.

The Welsh Government’s 'Anti-racist Wales Action Plan' published today sets out a number of goals and actions to embed an anti-racist culture in schools in order to make meaningful and measurable changes to the lives of black, Asian and minority ethnic people. The plan also brings together work across education, including updating statutory anti-bullying guidance, to reflect our vision for a truly anti-racist Wales. 

While we will deliver on our commitment to update our anti-bullying guidance by the beginning of the next academic year, we will build on this guidance further by working with the Children’s Commissioner for Wales to engage with the lived experiences of children and young people, as well as our teachers and education practitioners.

But, recognising that one of the areas that is most asked about is how we can provide better support to the teaching workforce to deal appropriately with questions in relation to race and racism, today's statement primarily focuses on our innovative developments to establish a national approach to diversity and anti-racism professional learning. This area was identified by Professor Charlotte Williams OBE and her working group. She noted that it was a priority to prepare practitioners for the new curriculum, and that is a key Government priority.

The diversity and anti-racism professional learning—DARPL—project will be led by the BAMEed network and a constantly evolving coalition of partners, including the Black Curriculum and Show Racism the Red Card, among others, who are driving this challenging yet inspirational project to move forward with pace.