6 August 2024 , Plenary
Nomination of the First Minister under Standing Order 8
Eluned Morgan.
16 July 2024 , Plenary
& 6. The Digital Government (Welsh Bodies) Regulations 2024 and The Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2024
Thank you, Llywydd, and it was very remiss of me not to thank LJC for their scrutiny of these regulations, and I'm very happy to provide the assurances that the Chair has asked for today. I ask Members to support these regulations.
16 July 2024 , Plenary
& 6. The Digital Government (Welsh Bodies) Regulations 2024 and The Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2024
Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. I move the motions. The Tertiary Education and Research (Wales) Act 2022 provides for the establishment of the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research and the simultaneous dissolution of the Higher Education Funding Council for…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you very much, Joyce. I wholeheartedly agree with your comments and would like to take this opportunity to place on record my heartfelt thanks to all the staff, teachers, pupils, and organisations like Keep Wales Tidy, that represent Wales's commitment…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
The Eco-Schools programme runs in 75 countries with almost 50,000 schools engaged, making it the largest environmental education programme in the world. In Wales, approximately 90 per cent of schools have engaged with the Eco-Schools programme, with 60 per…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you very much, Hefin. I'm very sorry to hear about the difficulties that the young person you referred to is having. I'm sure you recognise that mental health is a top priority for me and for the Government. That's why, despite our financial…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
In my oral statement to the Senedd on 14 May, I stated good mental health will be the platform on which our education system will be built. The Curriculum for Wales, together with our statutory guidance on a whole-school approach to emotional and mental…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you, Heledd. Well, the guidance is statutory already, so schools and governing bodies do have to have regard to the guidance. The amended statutory guidance states that branded uniform, including the use of logos, should not be a compulsory requirement…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Following the publication of the revised statutory guidance on school uniform and appearance policies, governing bodies were asked to review their existing school uniform policies. I am continuing to raise awareness of the statutory guidance with schools.
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you, Jenny, and it's great to hear about the positive work that you described at Albany school. The sustainable communities for learning programme supports a wide range of projects and is about more than providing new-build schools, and we have…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Our sustainable communities for learning programme is fully aligned with the town-centre position statement and 'town centre first' principles when considering new schools and colleges. The location and links to town and city centres are considered key to…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you very much, Llyr. Just to start by saying that children and young people should not need a diagnosis to receive additional learning provision. We've been very clear with schools and local authorities about that. We've also invested very heavily in…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
The additional learning needs statutory framework secures additional learning provision for ALN learners underpinned by a whole-school approach to mental health and well-being. The Curriculum for Wales is designed to break down barriers for all learners…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you, Mabon. You'll be aware that the decision by Aberystwyth University to withdraw from initial teacher education was following the independent process that is undertaken for us by the Education Workforce Council. That's not something that we do in the…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you, Laura Anne, for that supplementary. As I said in my original answer, the employment of school staff is a matter for local authorities. Employing bodies must ensure that sufficient, suitable staff are employed or engaged to work at the school to…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
The responsibility for the employment of teachers lies with local authorities and governing bodies; Welsh Ministers are not able to intervene. Although local authorities and governing bodies are responsible for school staffing, we continue to monitor the…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you, Cefin. As I said in my first answer to you, Welsh Government funding provided via HEFCW is barely 10 per cent of the total sector funding for Welsh providers. The challenges that they're facing are due to a range of factors, such as overseas…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you, Cefin, and you're absolutely right that the whole approach to immigration of the previous UK Government and the very unwelcoming climate that has been created have had an impact, a major impact, on overseas student recruitment, and that has caused…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you very much, Cefin, for that question. I do want to recognise that I know this is a really challenging time for higher education institutions not just in Wales, but across the UK. While the HEFCW funding allocations are difficult for institutions…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Well, you constantly raise the IFS report, and, as I keep having to explain, the statistics about PISA that were highlighted in the IFS report relate to children and young people who have not been through the new curriculum. We're also doing everything we can…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Well, it does feel a bit like groundhog day, because I have answered a lot of these questions last week when you weren’t here, but I’m very happy to go over this again for your benefit. Minimising teacher workload is a priority for this Government. We’ve got…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you very much, Tom. I know that you weren’t here last week for my statement on curriculum reform update, where I set out some of the measures that we’re going to take to ensure that our ground-breaking Curriculum for Wales achieves for all learners. I…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you very much for that question, Peter. And, as you rightly indicate, settings registered with Care Inspectorate Wales must have regard to the national minimum standards for regulated childcare, and that includes specific standards relating to…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
The safeguarding of young people is of paramount importance to the Welsh Government. Every school must demonstrate effective safeguarding policies, procedures and practice. When commissioning activities from another organisation, or allowing them to use…
10 July 2024 , Plenary
Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education
Thank you, Jenny, and, as I said to Julie Morgan, the figures I've received show that 24 per cent of young music students receive a fee bursary. And there is no question of there not being provision for young people in Wales. This is a question of—. All…
