, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language: Update on Taith—The International Learning Exchange Programme for Wales
Receiving messages like this from Taith participants is not unusual. I recently attended a celebration event that brought together pupils from Wales and Lesotho at the end of their exchange project. As well as hearing about the formal learning aspects of the…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language: Update on Taith—The International Learning Exchange Programme for Wales
'This trip has wholeheartedly changed my life. I've evolved and come out of this experience a better man. It's given me a new perspective and has changed my outlook on life. And how lucky I am to have a second chance at life, I've felt true happiness for the…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language: Update on Taith—The International Learning Exchange Programme for Wales
Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. I'm very pleased to be sharing an update today on our Taith programme and the steps we're taking regarding the governance and a refreshed programme strategy. Since I last spoke to you about Taith, almost exactly a year ago, well…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Well, the Member will appreciate that the relationship between the school and the funding stream is one that lies in the hands of the local authority, not of the Welsh Government. I have outlined the funding that we are putting into the system. But she makes…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Funding for schools is provided to local authorities, mainly through the revenue support grant. In addition to that, we continue to make significant investment in the additional learning needs implementation process by investing over £62 million revenue and…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Well, I'm afraid the context in which we now look at policies of this sort is obviously very different, given the impact of inflation and choices made elsewhere about the overall level of investment in public services across the UK. However, in Wales, through…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
An evaluation of the additional enrichment sessions trials was published back in January. It found that children and young people, parents and settings were positive about the opportunities provided, and we are considering the findings in the context of our…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Well, I can assure the Member that it goes beyond discussions, important though they are, and so, this year, we're investing a total of £1.28 million in local authorities in Gwent alone, and around £6.21 million nationally to strengthen adult community…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Well, I thank the Member for making specific reference to Adult Learners' Week. It's such a good shop window, isn't it, to the opportunities that exist for people to return to education at any point in their life, and goes to the heart of my personal hope for…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
We're delivering on our programme for government commitment to review and increase the number of adult learners across Islwyn and all of Wales. Through investment, innovation and working in partnership with providers, we are building capacity to both promote…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
The Member makes reference to a number of examples that I'm not personally aware of, but the way he describes them are distressing and unacceptable, obviously. I'm actually meeting the president of the education tribunal in the coming weeks and will take that…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Discrimination of any kind has no place in Wales. Under the Equality Act 2010, schools and other education providers must not treat disabled pupils less favourably. The Welsh Government is committed to creating an inclusive education system that enables all…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Well, we're making sure that my officials are working with local authorities to make sure the grant is publicised locally throughout the academic year. I think the Member makes a very important point about that. The grant can be accessed until May. We've been…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Well, just to be crystal clear with the Member, the grant has not been cut—it has been increased.
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Well, the school essentials grant is a very important contributor to our efforts on a cross-Government basis to make sure that young people have access to school and that the cost of the school day doesn't discourage attendance, for example, and, when young…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
The pupil development grant has a key part to play in our national mission to tackle the impact of poverty on attainment. Year on year, we have extended the grant to reflect changes in the numbers of learners eligible for free school meals.
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
The Member will know of the work that Sarah Murphy has been doing in relation to the data of children in schools, which is, I think, really elevating the level of debate in this Chamber in relation to that issue in a very compelling way, in my opinion. I…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Well, I think Alun Davies makes very, very powerful points in what he's just said, and we know—and there's been a recent report, as I'm sure he will know by UNESCO as well in relation to the use of smartphones in the classroom, and they've been calling for a…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Yes. Policies on mobile phones in school is a matter for schools and governing bodies themselves. Technology can be a useful tool to aid teaching and learning, and schools will consider this when setting their policies in line with the particular school's…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Thank you to the Member for that additional question. In terms of free school meals, the choice that we've made jointly means that the funding that we have invested has expanded the provision to primary schools. Our policy as a Government is that we look at…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
It's part of the wide-ranging plan that we have as a Government that’s been worth around £3 billion over the past two years to do our best to ensure that there is money in the pockets of those families who are struggling. So, in schools, there are free school…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
With respect, for a question that's been answered twice, that took rather a long time to put. I've been very clear about the work that is happening across Government. The Member may have paid earlier attention to the answers I was giving; there's a lot of…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
I'm not sure most people recognise the language with which the Member is choosing to present this issue. It's obviously a complex issue, and I don't think it helps anybody to paint it in the lurid light that she is doing. It's a serious issue, which requires…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
Can I thank the Children, Young People and Education Committee for the work they did in bringing this issue to the attention of the Senedd, in the work they were doing earlier this year and the end of last year? I think it's been a really important…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
That's a really important point that Carolyn Thomas has just made. Obviously, many of the challenges that we're discussing now are reflective of that broader drop-off in bus usage across the commercial network, which is why we have had to respond in the way…
