, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you very much, Joyce. I wholeheartedly agree with your comments and would like to take this opportunity to place on record my heartfelt thanks to all the staff, teachers, pupils, and organisations like Keep Wales Tidy, that represent Wales's commitment…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
The Eco-Schools programme runs in 75 countries with almost 50,000 schools engaged, making it the largest environmental education programme in the world. In Wales, approximately 90 per cent of schools have engaged with the Eco-Schools programme, with 60 per…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you very much, Hefin. I'm very sorry to hear about the difficulties that the young person you referred to is having. I'm sure you recognise that mental health is a top priority for me and for the Government. That's why, despite our financial…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
In my oral statement to the Senedd on 14 May, I stated good mental health will be the platform on which our education system will be built. The Curriculum for Wales, together with our statutory guidance on a whole-school approach to emotional and mental…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you, Heledd. Well, the guidance is statutory already, so schools and governing bodies do have to have regard to the guidance. The amended statutory guidance states that branded uniform, including the use of logos, should not be a compulsory requirement…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Following the publication of the revised statutory guidance on school uniform and appearance policies, governing bodies were asked to review their existing school uniform policies. I am continuing to raise awareness of the statutory guidance with schools.
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you, Jenny, and it's great to hear about the positive work that you described at Albany school. The sustainable communities for learning programme supports a wide range of projects and is about more than providing new-build schools, and we have…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Our sustainable communities for learning programme is fully aligned with the town-centre position statement and 'town centre first' principles when considering new schools and colleges. The location and links to town and city centres are considered key to…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you very much, Llyr. Just to start by saying that children and young people should not need a diagnosis to receive additional learning provision. We've been very clear with schools and local authorities about that. We've also invested very heavily in…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
The additional learning needs statutory framework secures additional learning provision for ALN learners underpinned by a whole-school approach to mental health and well-being. The Curriculum for Wales is designed to break down barriers for all learners…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you, Mabon. You'll be aware that the decision by Aberystwyth University to withdraw from initial teacher education was following the independent process that is undertaken for us by the Education Workforce Council. That's not something that we do in the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you, Laura Anne, for that supplementary. As I said in my original answer, the employment of school staff is a matter for local authorities. Employing bodies must ensure that sufficient, suitable staff are employed or engaged to work at the school to…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
The responsibility for the employment of teachers lies with local authorities and governing bodies; Welsh Ministers are not able to intervene. Although local authorities and governing bodies are responsible for school staffing, we continue to monitor the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you, Cefin. As I said in my first answer to you, Welsh Government funding provided via HEFCW is barely 10 per cent of the total sector funding for Welsh providers. The challenges that they're facing are due to a range of factors, such as overseas…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you, Cefin, and you're absolutely right that the whole approach to immigration of the previous UK Government and the very unwelcoming climate that has been created have had an impact, a major impact, on overseas student recruitment, and that has caused…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you very much, Cefin, for that question. I do want to recognise that I know this is a really challenging time for higher education institutions not just in Wales, but across the UK. While the HEFCW funding allocations are difficult for institutions…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Well, you constantly raise the IFS report, and, as I keep having to explain, the statistics about PISA that were highlighted in the IFS report relate to children and young people who have not been through the new curriculum. We're also doing everything we can…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Well, it does feel a bit like groundhog day, because I have answered a lot of these questions last week when you weren’t here, but I’m very happy to go over this again for your benefit. Minimising teacher workload is a priority for this Government. We’ve got…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you very much, Tom. I know that you weren’t here last week for my statement on curriculum reform update, where I set out some of the measures that we’re going to take to ensure that our ground-breaking Curriculum for Wales achieves for all learners. I…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you very much for that question, Peter. And, as you rightly indicate, settings registered with Care Inspectorate Wales must have regard to the national minimum standards for regulated childcare, and that includes specific standards relating to…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
The safeguarding of young people is of paramount importance to the Welsh Government. Every school must demonstrate effective safeguarding policies, procedures and practice. When commissioning activities from another organisation, or allowing them to use…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you, Jenny, and, as I said to Julie Morgan, the figures I've received show that 24 per cent of young music students receive a fee bursary. And there is no question of there not being provision for young people in Wales. This is a question of—. All…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you very much, Rhianon, and obviously I'm aware of your strong commitment in this area and I’m very happy to meet you before the end of term to discuss this. As I’ve said to Julie Morgan, there is a process ongoing and the royal college will be making…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you very much, Gareth, and, yes, indeed, that was one of the issues that I discussed with the principal. If we’re talking about a national conservatoire, then it does need to be a national service, and the college is very mindful of that, and although…
, Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you very much for the supplementary, Julie. I know that the proposals to close the junior department at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama will have caused apprehension for all those involved. It is important to remember that the college is an…
