, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Education and Welsh Language: Sustainable Communities for Learning
I can't make any comments in terms of specific decisions with regard to the case that the Member spoke about. I know that she campaigned, and Plaid Cymru local election candidates campaigned on the basis that the school shouldn't go ahead. Now, Plaid is in…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Education and Welsh Language: Sustainable Communities for Learning
I thank the Member for those questions—really important questions. I think it's too soon to know if the new mechanism will demonstrate that there are challenges. I think, in principle, it ought to be much more nimble and ought to be actually less onerous…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Education and Welsh Language: Sustainable Communities for Learning
I thank the Member for that question. We need to provide Welsh-medium schools as well as English-medium schools. There is demand in both areas. And the challenge for us and our aspiration as a Government is to ensure that one doesn't happen at the expense of…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Education and Welsh Language: Sustainable Communities for Learning
I thank Jenny Rathbone for those questions. I did highlight South Point Primary School because it's the first net-zero school in Wales, in the constituency of my Government colleague, Jane Hutt. I think it's probably fair to say—and I hope that they wouldn't…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Education and Welsh Language: Sustainable Communities for Learning
Thank you for those questions. Just in terms of the investment in the Welsh-medium sector, the Member will have heard what I said to James Evans. But one point to add to that, following on from what she said, is that one of the challenges or weaknesses that…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Education and Welsh Language: Sustainable Communities for Learning
I thank the Member for those questions. He's right to point out that the census results were disappointing, but he also will remember that there is a range of data in this area that shows a slightly more complex picture than, perhaps, that one source of data…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Education and Welsh Language: Sustainable Communities for Learning
Dirprwy Lywydd, the programme is truly cross-cutting and has provided a platform to embed the Welsh language as well as other policies, such as active travel, biodiversity, ICT, community and curriculum, delivering and maximising the value from investments…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Education and Welsh Language: Sustainable Communities for Learning
Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. Last year saw the introduction of a new name for our flagship education infrastructure investment programme, namely the sustainable communities for learning programme. In doing so, we are making a clear statement about our…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
We encourage each local authority to do that, and we provide some funding support in order for that to happen as well. I agree with what the Member says—it's really important that we create the environment around a school that facilitates active travel as…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
That's a really important question, and thank you for it. I think the distance threshold, as the Member was referring to in his question, is important. It's a key issue, but that's one of a number of considerations in the area of home-to-school transport…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
We want to enable more children to walk, scoot and cycle to school. We are supporting this through incorporating active travel into the appraisal of new schools and colleges funded through the sustainable communities for learning programme and by funding…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
I thank the Member for the welcome that she's given to the work that's under way and refer her to the answer I've just given to John Griffiths in terms of the steps that we will be taking as a Government. I do think that one of the things that is really…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
I thank John Griffiths for that supplementary question. I do agree with him; it is concerning. We do want to make sure that young people are choosing to study modern foreign languages. He's corresponded with me in the past in particular around the decline in…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Certainly. 'Global Futures' is our strategy for international language learning, and I announced the publication of our revised strategy towards the end of last year. That outlines how we and our 'Global Futures' partners will continue to support…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Yes. The whole point of the regional skills partnerships is to bring in that industry data, isn't it, to the planning that FE colleges are able to make in order to provide. But also, the relationship between FE colleges themselves and the particular sectors…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
I think that's a really important point. That collaboration within Government and much more broadly than that is a really important part of our future in terms of skills provision in Wales. I think that collaboration between further education, higher…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
The economy and education departments work very closely together to ensure that skills needs are met, with a key role for regional skills partnerships. Personal learning accounts is one example in my area, with targeted interventions in areas such as net zero…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Thank you, Altaf Hussain, for that really important question. We need to equip our learners. Whether they choose to lead on to careers in STEM subjects or not, we need to equip all our learners to face a future of rapid technological and economic change, and…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
The Welsh Government has provided almost £1.5 million in grant funding this year to support the delivery of STEM initiatives, with the primary aims of supporting and developing STEM enrichment activities, narrowing the attainment gap and encouraging the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
I've been clear with every council—I'm not going to single out any one particular council—I've been clear with every council that I expect the ambitions that they have outlined in their Welsh in education strategic plans to be fulfilled, and that is obviously…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
I thank the Member for that question. In terms of the closure of the specific school that the Member mentions, that decision was taken earlier last year. The decision has been delayed in terms of it taking effect this year, in order to consider whether it's…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
I thank the Member for the question. Last August, I launched a commission to safeguard the future of Welsh-speaking communities. I also approved all 22 local authority WESPs, which set out how local authorities intend to improve education through the medium…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
I thank the Member for that important question. I had a very detailed conversation with the students that had come to campaign outside the Senedd, and it was important to have that opportunity to hear their concerns directly in terms of cost-of-living…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Well, I thank the Member for raising this important question. I don't know the answer to her question, if I'm entirely honest, but it appears to me that I do need to look into this. It's clearly an important issue, and clearly any barrier to students in Wales…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Education and Welsh Language
Well, local councils have legal requirements in that context of course. So, there is already a system in place to ensure that standards are complied with locally. So, that's already in place, so people do have rights, and those rights should be implemented…
