Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language – in the Senedd at 2:20 pm on 21 September 2022.
Thank you, Minister. On a visit to schools in my region the head told me about her concern about heating and lighting in the classrooms; she was trying to switch off all of the switches in sight. And the Welsh Local Government Association has warned that budgets for schools across Wales face huge challenges as a result of inflation and the increase in energy prices. According to a National Association of Head Teachers review, 37 per cent of heads foresee that these costs will create a deficit in their budgets, and there won’t be an option other than to consider redundancies. That could be disastrous at a time when our children and young people need the best possible support as a result of the pandemic. NAHT Wales has also warned of the damaging impact if local authorities don’t provide the full funding for wage rises for teachers. The Welsh Government has announced that there won’t be additional funding to pay for this. So, will any additional financial support be available for schools to cope with all of these funding crises?