Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language – in the Senedd at 2:40 pm on 21 September 2022.
I think that's part of the answer. Actually, I strongly believe that the new curriculum that we're introducing in Wales, which has at its heart, really, a curriculum tailored to the needs of individual learners and putting each learner in the best possible position to fulfil their own potential, will be a huge step forward for us. We will all speak to schools in our constituencies and regions. My own experience is that where schools have high levels of disadvantage, they're very excited about the opportunity that the curriculum brings, because they can see there's a means of perhaps re-engaging some of those young people who've found it most of a challenge. So, I think, that is very important.
I finished my answer to Delyth Jewell by referencing the work we did in terms of COVID, and I think we will discover—we're already discovering—that the impact of that obviously has not been equally felt, and there's a very significant impact on those who are most disadvantaged, and so the support we've provided has very much been about making sure that the individual learner's needs are met and reflected. So, it hasn't been about a generic catch-up programme; it's been about remotivating, rebuilding confidence, re-engaging at that individual tailored level.