Diolch, Llywydd. I do welcome the responses of the Minister to the Chamber, so thank you for making the statement. One of the driving forces entering active politics was seeking to tackle the scourge and impacts of poverty, providing equality of opportunity for all, not based on parental wealth, in education and the arts. There's little doubt that education is one of the most profound tools that we can equip citizens with in order to best safeguard them against experiencing poverty. But it does not, however, negate the need for the wider state to provide adequate welfare safety nets, good-quality social housing policy, or sound economic growth. I welcome the £46 million programme to tackle inequality and absence in schools, and I know that it will be very warmly welcomed in communities across Islwyn. So, thank you very much. Diolch yn fawr ichi.

We all know, though, that one of the core ingredients of success for children during their school years is to be able to attend in the first place. Too many of our poorest students now are facing huge, unprecedented pressures that undoubtedly impact on that ability. The data shows that attendance rates for this academic year sit at 83.9 per cent for those eligible for free school meals, compared with 91.4 for those better-off pupils. It is about transport, poorer health, having no coat, no shoes, period poverty, uniform costs, sports, music, food costs, caring and mental health—all of those impact, as does the extra money needed for school trips, which I know the Welsh Government is attempting in many ways to influence and impact. Poverty is often generationally endemic, Minister, and the challenges faced by us all to ensure equality of opportunity is not an easy one.

If I go straight to my question, then. Minister, children themselves, as well as educators, have highlighted the importance of schools being seen at the heart of their communities—truly community-focused schools. So, what can the Welsh Government do, working with local authorities, to ensure that twenty-first century school facilities are practically available to the wider community so that children feel that sense of genuine belonging to their community and also to their school? Thank you, Llywydd.