, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 9
I'll come back to the workforce later on in the session, but—
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Bill - evidence session 9
Thank you very much, Chair, and thank you for your evidence to the committee. Now, from what you've said in response to a previous question, I assume that you are supportive of the aim of creating a million Welsh speakers. I'm sure you're happy with the…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest
Thank you, Chair. As usual, I declare that as designated Member I was involved in the development of this draft Bill, which was part of the co-operation agreement between Plaid Cymru and the Government.
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Education funding
I finish with this, Dirprwy Lywydd. Could I just say this to the Government? if you can’t deliver education of a high quality to our children, then step aside to let a party with the vision and commitment to do so in your place. It’s about time for us to have…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Education funding
I think what’s been made clear over the course of this debate is that Labour in Wales have presided over a decline in school standards made worse by a failure to get to grips with a recruitment and retention crisis in teaching and the lack of a fair funding…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Education funding
So, let me finish, Dirprwy Lywydd, by saying this: we can’t support the amendment of the Government, because it doesn’t provide any certainty to us in terms of how things are going to improve in terms of funding education in Wales.
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Education funding
I'll just finish off with the Cabinet Secretary's point. We've had a list of commitments—to be welcomed, of course, but it's too little too late for a generation of young people. Twenty-five years we’ve been having poor results in Wales.
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Plaid Cymru Debate: Education funding
You said that poverty leads to mental health problems and lower attendance levels, and this restricts young people’s ambition, and that’s very important.
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Plaid Cymru Debate: Education funding
Let me just focus on two in particular. The PISA results speak for themselves, but also GCSE results. Heledd mentioned that England is 30 points better off in disadvantaged areas than Wales. That is staggering when you think about that. It leads me to the…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Education funding
Across the board.
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Plaid Cymru Debate: Education funding
Sorry—yes, of course.
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Plaid Cymru Debate: Education funding
Tom, you mentioned in your analysis that the report by NAHT was shocking but not surprising, and I think we would all allude to that. You were talking about a reduction in teaching staff and also subject areas taught. The one line that resonates with me—back…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Education funding
Heledd Fychan mentioned absences. That affects the educational attainment of children. And one interesting thing that you said was that schools live with financial deficits. That is the new normal in our education system—having to live with those. That's…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Education funding
Vaughan, you started by referring to austerity and the tight budgetary constraints that you've had to face over the last 14 years. And that is right, but of course England, Scotland and Northern Ireland also had that austerity to face as well, but their…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Education funding
Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd, and I thank everyone who has contributed to this very important debate today. I am very grateful to the Conservatives for their support. But I just want to respond to some of the points that have been raised before I bring…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Education funding
Throughout this debate, we will hear more from my colleagues on how the funding crisis is impacting schools and how poverty is having an impact on pupils' attainment levels, in addition to how Government failures in education have longer term impacts on our…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Education funding
Let's turn now to literacy. Is it that surprising that we've seen such low levels of attainment here in Wales? Well, it turns out that the Welsh Government has been giving mixed messaging on the teaching guidance for reading skills. In recent weeks, the…
, Plenary
Plaid Cymru Debate: Education funding
Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd. I start with a quotation, and it goes like this: 'The educational landscape in Wales is currently facing a harrowing funding crisis, casting shadows over the quality and accessibility of education for its youth…
, Plenary
Debate on petition P-06-1474, 'Stop Natural Resources Wales closing Bwlch Nant yr Arian, Coed y Brenin & Ynyslas visitor centres'
Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd. As a Member of the Senedd who represents these three centres in Mid and West Wales, I want to very much welcome this petition. I'm very pleased to see that more than 13,000 people have signed the petition, which shows the…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education: Welsh-medium education through late immersion
Now, very ironically, I do remember that emulating Canada's models back in the 1970s and 1980s—that's what Wales did in order to develop this idea of Welsh-medium education, so it's interesting to see that Québec is, by now, looking at our models and wants to…
, Plenary
Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education: Welsh-medium education through late immersion
I thank you, as the Cabinet Secretary, for the statement. Late immersion, as we all know, is a very important element of ensuring that we do reach the goal of a million Welsh speakers, and is part of the 'Cymraeg 2050' strategy. I also welcome the statement…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
Thank you very much. Time and again, you as a Government have encouraged people to use their cars less and to use public transport in order to meet climate change and net-zero targets. But I'm increasingly concerned that these are empty words, because what's…
, Plenary
Questions to the First Minister
2. Will the First Minister outline the Welsh Government's public transport priorities for Mid and West Wales? OQ61676
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Short Debate: A fair chance—Ensuring blind and partially sighted people can live the life they choose
While marvelling at the Paralympic Games this summer, I was reminded of my latest foray into the sporting arena—a hotly contested game between my office and Llanelli's visually impaired bowls club, down at the Selwyn Samuel Centre in Llanelli. Now, to…
, Plenary
Short Debate: A fair chance—Ensuring blind and partially sighted people can live the life they choose
Thank you, Julie, for bringing forward this important debate, and thank you for the opportunity to contribute.
