In November 2021, Administrative Data Research Wales published its examination of the association of school absence and exclusion with recorded neurodevelopmental and mental conditions in a large cohort of children and young people in Wales. It found that school absenteeism and exclusion rates were higher after the age of 11 in all children, but disproportionately more so in those with a recorded condition. The study also found individuals with more than one recorded condition were more likely to be absent or excluded, and this was exacerbated with each additional condition. To improve the evidence base about the mental health of pupils who have been excluded, we have asked ADR Wales to rerun the research project to link education and health data to identify whether pupils who are excluded, with a focus on those who are in education other than at school, have poorer mental health than those in mainstream provision. ADR are currently developing this proposal.

As part of our whole-school approach to emotional and mental well-being, jointly sponsored by me and the Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Well-being, we're looking at how schools work with other agencies, such as CAMHS, to meet the needs of young people and enable them to stay engaged in their education. And our aim is to ensure schools across Wales are able to develop consistent plans to meet the emotional and mental health needs of their students. 

Our whole-school approach framework statutory guidance published last year highlights that key to achieving effective teaching and learning is ensuring that teachers have the necessary skills to approach their teaching in ways that reduce the likelihood of poor behaviour, whilst also equipping them with effective skills and responses for those instances where difficult behaviour does occur. Where teachers have good preventative and responsive skills, the likelihood of difficulties emerging or developing into incidents and escalating to exclusion will be markedly reduced. 

There are already many instances of good practice—and Jenny Rathbone alluded to this in her opening remarks—good practice on which we can draw, and I want to make sure that, through our new guidance, which I'll say more about in a moment, we are able to make sure that schools do draw on that good practice. And we know that many schools undertake well-being audits, which give pupils an opportunity to share how they feel about themselves, their relationships, their progress in school. This is used by staff alongside other information, such as attendance and behaviour information, to identify those who may benefit from additional support. 

Schools have also used our whole-school approach funding to train emotional literacy support assistants to support pupils to reflect and share honestly their thoughts and feelings, with the aim of understanding the psychological need behind poor self-esteem and undesirable behaviour, enabling them to relate better to their peers, to improve their decision making in social contexts, and to be better at identifying risky situations. Recognising the importance of this work, the Deputy Minister and I have agreed funding of £12.2 million in the current year to support emotional and mental well-being in schools, part of an over £43 million investment over the course of the three-year budget.

In reflecting on the impact of the pandemic on learning, and in considering the wider policy contexts, such as ALN reforms, it's clear that updating our exclusions guidance must be a priority. This will ensure that it's able to draw on all the good work, activity and learning that has taken place since the guidance was last updated in 2019, and I hope to have the new guidance available early next year. But I'm keen that this work is not undertaken in isolation, and that all interrelated policies are considered holistically. 

The recent attendance review contained a number of recommendations that we will be taking forward, one of which is a review of the current attendance guidance. This will include sharing and disseminating best practice for improving attendance and considering how best schools can engage with learners and their families and provide targeted professional development. As part of this work, I'm keen that we review the definition of 'persistent absence', which is currently considered as being more than 20 per cent absent. This is an important measure as it's often set as the trigger for certain kinds of intervention, such as the involvement of the education welfare service. 

The report also highlighted the link between deteriorating attendance and subsequent behavioural and emotional problems of the sort that Jenny Rathbone referred to very compellingly in her opening speech. And if they're not addressed, they may lead to exclusion of those learners from school. This reinforces the need for these policies to be considered and reviewed in parallel. The disproportionate number of exclusions of learners with additional educational needs will be another key factor in the development of our new policy in this area. But this must go beyond a simple update of guidance. I think the events of the last two years have undoubtedly had an impact on all learners to varying degrees, and our approach must be centred on a learner-first ethos that considers the different experiences and circumstances of each of our learners, particularly post pandemic. And I am committed to embedding a children's rights approach to policy making, and it is this key principle that will guide our approach.