, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language: Reducing Workload
I thank Rhianon Passmore for that question, and she's right to say that we need to look at all the participants in our education landscape, if you like, to see whether the balance of expectation is in the right place, and we've been engaging, as I mentioned…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language: Reducing Workload
Thank you, Heledd Fychan, for those important questions. Could I echo what she said at the outset in terms of how grateful we are to our teachers and teaching assistants for the work that they do? It's very important that we celebrate the work that they do…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language: Reducing Workload
Thank you, Llywydd dros dro. So, for this year, we’ve invested a further £12 million and, indeed, £10 million of that’s gone directly to schools in order for them to be able to increase capacity for introducing what are very complex reforms. And she will also…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language: Reducing Workload
I thank the Member for her questions. It's a somewhat quixotic approach to ask us to be funding schools from other commitments that have cross-party support in this Chamber in relation to expanding the size of the Chamber. I'll remind the Member that one of…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language: Reducing Workload
A new online booking system for supply cover will be introduced from September. The system aims to streamline the supply booking process, allowing schools to source supply cover directly, to view available staff in their areas and create their own talent…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language: Reducing Workload
Thank you, Llywydd dros dro. In my statement last September I was clear that tackling workload for school staff is a priority. I explained how a number of issues had been identified and considered by working collaboratively with education stakeholders through…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Implementation of education reforms—Ministerial scrutiny session
Diolch yn fawr iawn.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Implementation of education reforms—Ministerial scrutiny session
As I say, they're there, really, to be the person within the health board who ensures that the health-related elements are all being delivered in the way that they need to be. So, if that isn't working, then the local authority's first port of call is to the…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Implementation of education reforms—Ministerial scrutiny session
There are challenges. Part of that is around workforce, so we're doing an assessment of workforce capabilities at the moment. Also, as you will know, part of the Welsh in education strategic planning process is to identify the need for ALN practitioners…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Implementation of education reforms—Ministerial scrutiny session
If that situation arises, I think that, as with other areas of healthcare delivery, there is the 'Putting Things Right' mechanism through the NHS, which enables there to be a response at the local level where that's possible. So, that is the first port of…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Implementation of education reforms—Ministerial scrutiny session
I do, yes. I touched a little bit in passing earlier on this. I think because each authority—. Well, authorities have different approaches to these, don’t they? When they’re working with a health board, which covers more than one local authority area, I can…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Implementation of education reforms—Ministerial scrutiny session
ALN implementation is occurring on a phased basis, so it’s not until the next academic year that young people in post-16 education will start to be covered by the system. At the moment, there is nobody in the post-16 space that is being covered by the new set…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Implementation of education reforms—Ministerial scrutiny session
Certainly.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Implementation of education reforms—Ministerial scrutiny session
The short answer to your question is 'no', that isn't the reason why I've provided that funding. It's short-term funding for the reason that I anticipate—that in the short term we will see some test cases that will establish the parameters of how the…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Implementation of education reforms—Ministerial scrutiny session
Well, there is an increase in complex needs, and I think it's being felt obviously in education, but also across health and social services as well, and also, actually, into the post-16 system, so I think it's impacting all parts of the system. I think it's a…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Implementation of education reforms—Ministerial scrutiny session
Well, obviously I've heard that set of concerns loud and clear, if you like. So, just to be clear, I absolutely recognise the point that you're making and it is really important that schools ensure there is sufficient support around ALNCOs in doing the work…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Implementation of education reforms—Ministerial scrutiny session
No, it's not consistent. It's not intended to be consistent. I'm just making the point that it's changing the landscape for some of these decisions at a school level in relation to individual learners.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Implementation of education reforms—Ministerial scrutiny session
Well, the needs of deaf children are treated no less seriously than the needs of any other child in the system, but that is not to say that every single deaf child, I think, will have an IDP. I mean, the whole point of it is a personalised approach to each…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Implementation of education reforms—Ministerial scrutiny session
I think I mentioned in the written evidence that this is a concern that I recognise. There is a variability in approach between local authorities as well, which, since most health boards encompass more than one local authority, can, obviously, pose its own…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Implementation of education reforms—Ministerial scrutiny session
Well, I think any Minister who is going to sit here and say they are absolutely confident about hundreds of decisions being made by third parties every single day would be foolish, really. But what I can say is that the expectations are very, very clear. The…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Implementation of education reforms—Ministerial scrutiny session
Yes, and I think Estyn are telling us at this stage that there is good practice around what we call differentiated learning. That's point that you're making, that there's positive practice in the system around that.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Implementation of education reforms—Ministerial scrutiny session
So, Estyn are doing a piece of work for us at the moment to look ALN reform implementation, and they're looking at this question as part of that, so we will have a more granular response, if you like, from Estyn, I think later this year. But my understanding…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Implementation of education reforms—Ministerial scrutiny session
Just to make the obvious point, before I answer your question, the ALN legislation was—it's 10 years since we first conceived of what that might look like, and, obviously, the landscape has changed quite a lot since then, so just to issue that, perhaps…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Implementation of education reforms—Ministerial scrutiny session
Firstly, there shouldn't be stigma. I completely agree with the point you're making. There are many, many routes through life, and universities are right for some people and an apprenticeship is right for others; there are other routes available that are…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Implementation of education reforms—Ministerial scrutiny session
The whole point of what I'm saying to you is that I want us to get the right outcomes and I'm not sure that proliferating guidance on different aspects is, necessarily, the right way, when we have a more holistic plan for it. But it is a curriculum that's…
