Jeremy Miles: Children may receive education through school settings or other means for example elective home education. Most learners receive their education in mainstream school. Local authorities are able to make arrangements for Education Other Than at School for learners who require tailored support away from mainstream settings.
Jeremy Miles: ...last 12 months, we've looked across the UK and internationally to inform policy, drawing on the expertise of organisations like the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Education Endowment Foundation. As I set out last year, we know from research and inspection evidence that schools that couple effective learning and teaching with a focus on family engagement are...
Kirsty Williams: The Welsh Government is planning to invest more than £225 million over the next two years through the education improvement grant for schools to support our schools, regional consortia and local authorities to improve educational outcomes for learners in Wales. This represents a significant investment in school improvement in Wales.
Kirsty Williams: Local authorities are responsible for planning school places. They are responsible for ensuring that there are sufficient schools providing primary and secondary education in their area. Schools are regarded as sufficient if they are sufficient in number, character and equipment to provide all pupils the opportunity of an appropriate education.
Kirsty Williams: Financial education has been embedded in the school curriculum in Wales since 2008. It features in the statutory mathematics programme of study and the national literacy and numeracy framework. We have also asked Estyn to review the quality of schools’ financial education provision to inform development of our new curriculum.
Mark Drakeford: The current curriculum requires financial education for all learners. Estyn is reviewing provision in schools and will publish recommendations in the spring on how financial education can improve. In Financial Capability Week, I should highlight our partnership with the Money Advice Service, which supports money management teaching in schools.
Kirsty Williams: Food and Fun seeks to enrich the school holiday experience of children in schools reporting high rates of free school meal eligibility. 2017 saw 39 schools provide approximately 1,500 children with two free meals a day over 12 days. They benefited from food education, physical activity and other sessions.
Jeremy Miles: School funding in Wales is provided through the revenue support grant. It is for local authorities to determine allocation. Further targeted funding is provided through additional Welsh Government grants. The majority of education funding is available to all schools, including rural schools. The small and rural schools grant of £2.5 million is available this financial year.
Kirsty Williams: The twenty-first century schools and education programme has already delivered schools and colleges across Wales that incorporate valuable community resources, including those in Islwyn High School. In our second wave of investment, we will continue to invest in facilities that benefit the wider community, including wider asset use and co-location of services.
Kirsty Williams: I regularly visit schools, and talk to head teachers and local authorities about school funding. I have listened to the evidence presented to the recent Children, Young People and Education Committee inquiry in to school funding, which demonstrates the complexity of the current system.
Jeremy Miles: Schools undoubtedly have a key role in educating learners to use social media safely and responsibly. Through Hwb's 'Keeping safe online' area, schools have access to dedicated advice for learners on social media issues. Schools can also direct families to 'In the Know', to support them navigate social media safely.
Kirsty Williams: Our national mission for education—to raise standards, reduce the attainment gap and deliver an education system that is a source of national pride and public confidence—will lead to improved educational performance. We have worked with schools and consortia to emphasise the importance of PISA.
Jeremy Miles: The duty to ensure that suitable educational provision is made available for children and young people rests with local authorities. This includes a duty to promote high standards of education, fair access to education and a general duty to ensure there are sufficient schools in their area.
Alun Davies: Yes, I do. I know that that is not an adequate response. It’s one thing to list the problems and the challenges facing schools, but it’s quite another thing to resolve them. This Government has resolved problems and faced challenges and then ensured that we can invest in children’s education for the future, and we have done so. Through the kinds of changes that you’ve listed partially...
Mark Drakeford: Investment of almost £26 million has been approved to date for Islwyn through the twenty-first century schools and education programme. The funding is earmarked for a new 1,050-place comprehensive school for the area.
Mark Drakeford: Band A of the twenty-first century schools and education programme will see investment of over £356 million in schools in South Wales Central over the five-year period ending 2019.
Kirsty Williams: Torfaen County Borough Council have statutory responsibility for improvement in their schools. I expect them to work closely with Education Achievement Service consortium to provide support and challenge to the school. An agreed action plan is in place to address Estyn’s concerns and I understand progress is measured through monthly improvement meetings.
Kirsty Williams: I want all young people to have the opportunity to participate in sport and physical activity. The Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999 provide the minimum requirements for 'team game playing fields' that must be provided for schools for pupils who are eight years old and above.
Mark Drakeford: Local authorities are responsible for funding schools in Wales. Welsh Government has prioritised support for schools through the local government settlement. We also provide significant additional grant funding to take forward our educational reforms and improve outcomes for learners.
Mark Drakeford: Local authorities are responsible for school funding in Wales. Councils set their spending priorities for the services they provide. How much an authority sets aside for school budgets is a matter for the authority. Education funding remains a key priority for this Government, in spite of continued austerity.
