Today's debate is a crucial one. Having heard the initial headlines from the statement back in December, I thought that Welsh Government had finally had an epiphany and come to the realisation that it’s time to properly fund and support our education system after years of neglect. Alas, as it turns out, this isn’t the case, and, in fact, things are going to get worse for our schools, our educators and our pupils.

In November last year, we saw the UK Government’s autumn statement put young people at the forefront of their agenda, with an increase of funding for education. I called for this to be matched in Wales the week after the autumn statement was announced. So, initially, I was delighted to hear that, apparently, it would be matched in Wales. However, upon further reading, it became clear, Minister, that, if the £117 million figure in the budget is falling in with the £227 million for local government, the extra £117 million isn’t being ring-fenced specifically for education and therefore cannot be counted to go towards education—it can be spent elsewhere, and not necessarily go where it’s needed desperately, on the front line of education, at a time when school budgets are stretched to the max and there are a lot of extra pressures on education in Wales.

If this wasn’t bad enough, it turns out that the draft budget for 2023-24 for education and Welsh language means a real-terms cut of £6.5 million to the budget. When you go over the detail, it becomes even more concerning, with a 6.3 per cent decrease in support grants for students. According to UK-wide data from the Sutton Trust, 27.8 per cent of students have skipped meals to save on food costs, and 16.4 per cent of students have travelled to campus less to reduce costs, which is likely to significantly impact on their educational attainment. This is even more worrying when coupled with the 24 per cent of students who believe that they are slightly, or much, less likely to finish their degree due to the costs.

We also see a 6.5 per cent decrease in the pupil development grant. The Welsh Government is reducing the only targeted funding available for low-income families. The cut is coming as the additional £100 given this year is being scrapped, despite the world being in a cost-of-living crisis. This is certainly not a budget for hard times.

We see a 3.9 per cent decrease in teacher and development support, even though, in the latest Estyn annual report, there was significant mention that there needs to be an absolute priority on the recruitment and development of staff. The budget has outlined a 2.6 per cent increase in education infrastructure, yet there are valid concerns over the extent to which this will support schools, especially with the roll-out of free school meals. Many councils are due to overspend significantly on the delivery of these reforms—far more than the first instalment of allocated funding. For example, Flintshire’s council is predicted to spend £1.8 million this financial year—more than £500,000 more than their initial allocation—Gwynedd is expected to spend £1.6 million, putting them close to a £500,000 overspend, and Newport council is set to exceed its allocated £1.3 million to ensure their delivery.

All in all, Minister, you have presented us with a budget that doesn’t just neglect Welsh education, it actively harms it, in its having a real-terms cut. This should have been a budget to start repairing the damage that you have made over 23 years in power, which has led to Wales languishing at the bottom of Programme for International Student Assessment ratings in the UK. PISA has been bad news for this Government since we joined in 2006, and we have been the UK’s poor relation in every tranche since. Every Minister, since we have joined, has had a PISA target that they always miss. The budget does nothing to stop the rot and does nothing to ensure that we're attracting the brightest and best teachers to our education system.

Let’s not forget that, in 2011, we've seen almost a 10 per cent drop in teacher numbers as they leave the profession in droves. This budget fails on all metrics, and I urge you today, Minister, to go back to the drawing board and try again, as you've failed Welsh education far too many times now. Wales deserves better. Our learners deserve better. And as Mike Hedges said, we should be investing in our children.