, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
We are committed to continuing to enable teaching assistants to improve their skills and to help them to engage with professional learning. We are working closely with our partners to facilitate clearer learning pathways, including pathways to achieve the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
I thank Jack Sargeant for that supplementary question. He has, of course, raised Ysgol Pen Coch with me previously, and I'm glad that that opportunity created some ability to engage with the school in relation to the provision. I think he's right to say that…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Teachers in her constituency will want to know that she has misread the Government’s draft budget. As I made clear in my opening response, we have in fact increased in previous years and protected in this budget the ALN investment. That is the actual…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
I'm deeply committed to delivering the ALN reforms that aim to enable learners with additional learning needs to have the right support and opportunity to reach their potential. That's why I have significantly increased ALN funding and protected this…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
Diolch yn fawr iawn.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
You'll know that, separately, we've undertaken a review of the middle tier and the roles and responsibilities of partners there, and I'll have more to say about that in the next couple of weeks, I think—certainly imminently. This recognises, really, that the…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
We will look at that, yes. We should look into that, I think.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
Yes. We have, as you will know, the pathway for teaching assistants, and as we will all know as Members when we go to schools, there are a number of schools who have supported teaching assistants to become teachers. My experience—it's obviously anecdotal—is…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
I think that's a fair point. We are trying different approaches, to see if a better model can be developed. One example of that is that in Gwynedd, I think, from memory, they are working on a pilot to offer combined roles to teaching assistants with other…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
I agree with you; I actually couldn't agree more with you, really. We were discussing this in the schools social partnership forum yesterday, actually, this very point. There are a few things here. Just to say, as you, I think, have acknowledged, the…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
I think there are some things we can do, and some things that are happening, actually. Some authorities have taken a slightly more standardised approach, if I can put it like that, to the design of the schools that they build. Some take a very bespoke…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
I think it is probably more predictable, actually, to be honest, because—. Well, there are two elements—two categories—of intervention that we make as a Government. So, broadly speaking, 65 per cent is the intervention rate for most standard projects. But you…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
It's possible. I think it's possible because of construction costs, but also because of labour market questions as well, really. So, I think that may happen for some projects, but I think, equally, it's fair to say some projects might be brought forward…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
Well, I think—. I was making this rough calculation the other day. Someone might tell me I'm wrong, but I think the reduction in the capital budget for this year—. It depends what you're comparing it against, but it's roughly 2 per cent. We…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
I think it's quite complex to draw that conclusion, probably, just because it's quite a fluid programme. So, I'm not sure I could say specifically to you that this has been the overall effect of inflation, and this is the extent to which it's eroded…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
Yes. Generally, yes, because it's £40 million spread across Wales, isn't it? So, it's been more—. It's been able to be done; that's been possible.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
Well—. So, what the impact hasn't been, if I can put it like that, is any individual projects coming to a standstill or anything. That hasn't happened. Essentially, what we've been able to do to try and mitigate, because that's what we're trying to do, to…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
Good morning.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
Yes. So, the overall figure that is allocated in the MEG is £35.6 million, which is made up of £16.9 million from the Welsh in education BEL, £8.9 million from the teacher development BEL, and then £9.8 million from the new, combined grant that we've just…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
Yes, so this is another example of the point I was making earlier about aligning the funding with the statutory duty. So, the new grant—the new 'Cymraeg 2050' grant—will have the Welsh education grant, professional learning, late immersion and the Siarter…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
Well, I mean, I've just described to you four very large parts of the budget that are intended to support learners who have the greatest need in this sense that you're describing, so I think the values that we've brought to bear are very clear. On the two…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
Well, there are a number of examples of that. We've protected PDG. We've protected the school holiday enrichment programme. We've protected education maintenance allowance. We've protected the financial contingency fund. So, all the big building blocks of…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
Sure. Okay. Just to say, on PISA, PISA is useful data but it's not the most useful data that we have, in all candour. This is a pattern that has been established over some time, really. If you look at the—. I published the online personal assessments results…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
No. So, that's the point I was making earlier—obviously too obliquely. So, we're aligning it—. Because the statutory duties are with councils, we're aligning the funding with the statutory duties, so the funding will be going to councils now.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2023-24 - evidence session 2
Well, I'm looking for the right word, really. So, the terms and conditions in those areas will be more prescriptive, probably, than in the other areas. That balance is still being worked out, in truth. And I think that's appropriate, because they're reform…
