Can I thank the Minister for his statement today? I think much of it is to be welcomed. But I think it would be remiss of me not to say that, at the beginning of your statement, you mention that workforce well-being must be at the forefront of all that we do, and yet, since 2011, we've seen 7,000 more pupils enter the classroom and 4,000 fewer teachers to teach them. And that teacher shortage is even more stark in the Welsh language education sector. And while that's in no way a reflection on the dedication and hard work of the profession that we've seen over that time, by consistently failing to recruit enough teachers in Wales, it's the Welsh Government that continues to let down that workforce. Surely, a way to let the workforce feel valued and motivated is to recruit more teachers, lessen the burden on their workload, which would ensure that teachers remain in the profession and we can attract the best from all corners of the country. Minister, can you outline what steps your department is taking to help with some of those pressures?

Another way we can get teachers and teaching assistants to feel valued is through their pay. So, Minister, can you provide an update on these reviews, particularly the one around teaching assistants' pay and conditions? As a former teaching assistant myself, and with a number of friends still in the profession, I know first-hand that a number of TAs go above and beyond their contracted duties for the benefit of their pupils and their school, and it would be useful for them to get the clarity that they deserve from that review.

The shift towards a system driven by career-long professional learning is one to be welcomed, and I look forward to seeing the new national professional learning entitlement. Could you just confirm that, where you say you'll work at pace with partners to improve the offer, professionals will not be disadvantaged depending on the school or local authority that they will be teaching in, and that this will be a consistent offer of professional development across Wales? Also, how will we know that this is having an impact on the profession? How will success be measured? And how will teachers, teaching assistants and pupils benefit from that? What clear guidelines will you be setting out for those groups, to ensure that we don't have a postcode lottery of access to that professional development?

I also welcome the fact that you've acknowledged the additional burden on educational staff, and the mental health and well-being of the workforce must be at the forefront of our minds when we consider that support for the professions. Therefore, in light of the consultation on an additional INSET day for teachers for the next three years, could you confirm when the profession should expect a final announcement on that? And given the additional burdens placed on educational staff that you mentioned, is one additional INSET day really going to be a substantial help to enable teachers and staff to catch up on the professional development required that you mention?

On NQTs, the national programme is again to be welcomed. But I wonder if the Minister had considered a potential buddy programme with more experienced staff, to help support them, helping them with their professional development and creating clear pathways for their career.

To touch on supply teachers, I welcome the acknowledgement that supply teachers are not supported enough, and I know that the profession would welcome swift action on that. So, could the Minister give an idea of what those reforms will look like, as the industry are looking for a degree of certainty to help keep people within the profession? Finally, on agency staff, they're often some of the worst affected staff members when it comes to work conditions.

I do think we need to set up a clear pathway for teaching assistants to learn and enhance professional development, so that we can get more teaching assistants to become teachers, as, often, it's those teaching assistants that are doing much of the job of a teacher in the first place, with little or no reward for it. Therefore, some action on ensuring that we attract people from all backgrounds into the profession, to ensure that not only teachers, but pupils and the sector as a whole benefit from some of those changes. So, finally, what action are you taking to simplify the pathway for teaching assistants to become teachers in their own right? Thank you.