7. Statement by the Minister for Education and Welsh Language: Sustainable Communities for Learning

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:56 pm on 17 January 2023.

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Photo of Jeremy Miles Jeremy Miles Labour 4:56, 17 January 2023

(Translated)

Thank you for those questions. Just in terms of the investment in the Welsh-medium sector, the Member will have heard what I said to James Evans. But one point to add to that, following on from what she said, is that one of the challenges or weaknesses that we have in the WESPs is that the emphasis is on numbers, which of course is at the heart of the success in terms of what we want to see with regard to the number of Welsh speakers, but the geographical element is important too, as I've mentioned in several contributions in this Siambr. And the geographical element is vital in terms of the vibrancy of the Welsh language in specific communities, so that's an important element in the wider strategy too.

In terms of the prioritisation and the wait for investment, we are in the hands of local authorities in this regard, because they are the ones that propose what they want us to co-fund with them in terms of the timelines and prioritisation, and in terms of the quality of the current buildings. That's done on a basis that is objective, so that everybody understands what the criteria are, but at the end of the day they are the ones that propose the schemes for us and we collaborate with them on the funding of those. But the priority always in this scheme is prioritising those schools that do need most refurbishment or might be, perhaps, in the least attractive condition. So, that's the background to all of this.

This has all been done to create a more flexible system that allows authorities to make swifter decisions in that regard. Rather than setting out a scheme for five years, and that that is static, there's an opportunity now to look at this more often, so there's an opportunity to change priority as appropriate when conditions change. So, there's a period of three years when we agree on the funding profile, a period of six years when we'll be agreeing on investment or support in principle, and then a period of nine years where we have that longer term picture of what the authority is likely to ask for. So, it allows that greater flexibility in terms of the prioritisation that the Member mentioned.

Just to say on the final point, I do think that there's a connection—. One of the things that is at the heart of the sustainable schools challenge is to combine the teaching environment and the building with the curriculum. I want to see staff and pupils involved in the work of designing and building the school. I saw this on a visit to a school in Bridgend a year or so ago, and that partly motivated me for the broader scheme. So, the suggestion that the Member makes in terms of using community assets for curriculum opportunities is one that I would support too.