Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:23 pm on 14 May 2024.
The Member raises a genuinely serious issue, and I do recognise it. I'm sure that Members in their regions and constituencies will recognise the additional challenges that our schools are facing. There are a significant number of societal challenges that you see within schools at primary and secondary. Some of that is from the pandemic, some of that comes from other sources, too, but you see them in all of our schools. It's an additional challenge for staff in schools and, indeed, for the learning environment. That's why, when the education Secretary sets out reforms, you'll see a focus on the things that we need to do to help improve outcomes for all of our learners and how health and well-being underpin all of that.
There is, though—. I think the Member mentioned attendance. We're making some progress on attendance. We're now over 90 per cent. The challenge, though, is that, actually, for some of our learners, likely to be our least advantaged learners, we still haven't made the same progress. There's more to do on this, and this is work that the Government needs to do alongside local authorities. It isn't an area to wave a big stick; it is an area where we need to work alongside them, because every local authority will understand the pressures they face. Regardless of the political leadership, members in every ward will have the same challenges and want to see action taken. So, for those children and young people where the school isn't the right environment for them, they can be properly supported to have the best possible educational outcomes to make sure they have a proper platform for life outside of school. So, that's the work we'll be doing alongside them.