Thank you, Minister, for the statement this afternoon. Certainly, you’ll get our full support in terms of the aspiration in securing high standards and aspirations for all. And certainly, one of the things that we have seen, and you’ve already mentioned this, is that we do have to acknowledge the problems that do arise from COVID, and the impact that that is having since the launch in 2017. One of the things that concerns me, as we haven’t had an independent inquiry into COVID here in Wales specifically, is, clearly, in Scotland they’re looking at the impact of COVID on education, and children and young people have been a big part of that, and I do think that we don’t fully understand the full picture here in Wales. Some work has been done, but not to the same extent.

I think we’re still seeing the impact of COVID in many of our schools now. General practitioners, for example, speak of the concerns that they have in terms of children and young people who aren’t attending school, and the impact that that has, for all sorts of reasons. It can be because of mental health problems that were exacerbated during COVID, and then they don’t feel comfortable in going back to school. Perhaps they haven’t received support in terms of additional learning needs, and have missed out there. There might be a whole host of reasons, and they do have grave concerns, specifically in terms of the most vulnerable people in our communities, and the impact that not going to school will have.

You will also be aware of the inquiry carried out by the Children, Young People, and Education Committee in terms of pupil absence, and I do think that it’s one thing, what we can do within schools to support pupils in school, but, as the children’s commissioner has mentioned, we do have to recognise that attendance levels aren’t back to where they were pre COVID, and that it’s still a concern that many see school as being optional, and also we’re seeing that the cost-of-living crisis is a barrier for some in actually getting to school. We’ve had so much evidence from people saying that they can’t afford the bus fare, and that there are a whole host of reasons why our most vulnerable pupils and learners are missing out on going to school in the first place. So, whilst recognising the excellent work that is happening in our schools, I think the major question that we still haven’t answered yet is: how do we ensure that those attendance levels are raised and that we do get the pupils in school to take advantage of these proposals? Certainly, in terms of some elements here in closing the gap, what I would ask is: we do have plans in place, but how are we going to deliver against those plans if there are still so many barriers preventing learners from being in school?

If I could ask some specific questions on the 16 to 25 cohort in the road map, you mention the opportunities for them to learn Welsh language skills, or to use the Welsh language, but there isn’t much reference, from what I see, in terms of developing specific Welsh language apprenticeships, and we know how important enabling that particular cohort to use the Welsh language in the workplace is. So, perhaps you could provide us with more information on that. You also mentioned leadership, and in your statement you said that this was a positive time in terms of education. But we also know of the huge challenges that exist within the sector. We know that teachers and classroom assistants have been on strike recently, they have been fighting for fair pay, but they are also talking about workload. We see that the numbers of applicants for initial teacher training courses are down. So, how are we going to ensure—? The emphasis in your statement is on ensuring that high standards and aspirations for all are in place, which includes learners but also staff. So, how are we going to resolve that issue? Because there is still a feeling of dispute in many schools because of workload. Whilst I warmly welcome the new curriculum, I am concerned about the workload and all of the additional challenges that our teachers face.

I would also like to ask you in terms of the Welsh in education Bill. Now, you mentioned that Welsh is clearly an important part of this. But, in terms of the Welsh in education strategic plans, how important will the Bill be in terms of delivering this specifically? The main thing that I take from this, I think—. There is nothing to oppose in what you have said, but the main issue is: how are we going to ensure that equality of opportunity for everyone? It's not clear for me as yet—given all of the challenges that we face in terms of child poverty levels, which are increasing, and in terms of absence levels being so high amongst some in schools—how we are going to deliver this. I fear that this is just words on paper, and many of our vulnerable pupils will miss out on the education that they need to develop into confident adults.