Dirprwy Lywydd, there is always more to learn. Over the 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 most effective in overcoming the impact of poverty on educational attainment.

Earlier this month, I announced additional capital funding for community-focused schools to improve the accessibility and community use of schools. We will invest £40 million in the next two years, building on the £20 million made available in 2022-23. We'll continue to provide support for community-focused school managers. I've also announced an increase in funding for family engagement officers from £3.84 million to £6.5 million over the next financial year. By working with families, these roles are having an impact in helping address the barriers learners face, such as poor attendance, attainment or mental health and well-being issues. We've developed and updated our guidance on community-focused schools and we are working closely with our education partners to finalise revised attendance and engagement guidance.

I'm committed to the pupil development grant, which provides around £130 million a year of additional support to schools. We've prepared revised guidance, informed by the work of the Education Endowment Foundation and Estyn, to support schools to better target this funding on what works and improve monitoring and evaluation of impact. This will be published in the summer term.

I recognise the difficulties recruiting teachers into more challenging areas. The Education Policy Institute are undertaking a rapid review of the international evidence in this area and will report to me over the summer. I'm committed to maintaining the £13.6 million support for our school essentials grant. This will continue to ensure learners do not go without uniforms or school equipment and can participate fully in education.

The University of Wales Trinity Saint David will report over the summer on some initial scoping research to understand the use and impact of mixed-attainment teaching in Wales so we can ensure learners facing poverty are not held back in their progression and aspirations.

We've expanded our whole-school approaches, including a toolkit to support schools and settings to develop and embed their own whole-school approach to achieving high standards of oracy and reading. Our whole-school approach to emotional and mental well-being and access to free school meals in primary schools are particularly important for those facing the impacts of poverty.

I want to provide more opportunities for children and young people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds for wider enrichment. We continue to invest in support to access the national music service, language and science, technology, engineering and mathematics tutors, and the expressive arts. Our school holiday enrichment programme provides £4.85 million of investment for fun and educational activities over the summer holidays, targeted at areas most affected by poverty.

Equity must continue through to tertiary education. The core duties we've set out for the commission for tertiary education and research include promoting equality and widening participation for those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

Finally, Dirprwy Lywydd, I want to look ahead to the next 12 months and beyond. To build on the foundations we've now put in place, I want to highlight three priorities. Firstly, we must keep learning from others. We will build on our UK and international networks to identify and share best practice on what works from across the globe. We'll keep developing our relationships with the OECD and EEF, as well as forge new relationships, such as a memorandum of understanding with Flanders.

Secondly, we'll move from research to policy development in priority areas. This includes developing a policy for incentivising teachers into challenging areas, and better understanding of the impact of mixed-attainment teaching in Wales.

Thirdly, we'll need to be able to identify where additional support is needed and to target it effectively, tracking our progress throughout. I published detailed information on our next steps for an information ecosystem in January.