Item 3 today is a statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education: our national mission—delivering on Wales’s education priorities. I call on the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle. 

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. It's a privilege for me to have been asked by the First Minister to serve as Cabinet Secretary for Education, a role that comes with unique opportunities to make a difference in the lives of people across Wales, especially children and young people. I am clear that I do not underestimate the profound responsibilities that come with this role, and I am in no way complacent about the scale of the challenge.

We have embarked on a significant package of reforms to transform the lives and opportunities of young people, but, at the same time, we must still focus on helping learners and staff to overcome the impact of the pandemic. There is excellence in every part of our system, but I am absolutely clear that we need to aim higher. In particular, we need to raise levels of attainment and close the gap for the poorest children in Wales. And the amazing staff in our schools, colleges and universities want a system that is more joined up and fit to help them face the future challenges of education.

I hope Members will know me well enough to know that my starting point will always be the best interests of our learners, and in particular our children and young people. I will lead an education system that puts them first. When I accepted this job, the First Minister was clear that he wanted a system that was focused on delivering sustained improvement in educational attainment so that every learner could fulfil their potential. Today, I want to set out some of the steps I will take to meet this challenge. I know we can’t do everything overnight, so it is important that, as the Cabinet Secretary, I am clear about the priorities for the immediate future.

My first message is that good mental health will be the platform on which our education system will be built. In my previous role as Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Well-being, I was pleased to work with my predecessor, Jeremy Miles, to introduce the whole-school approach to mental health, which I will continue to champion in my new role. It is fundamental to tackling the issues we have with attainment and attendance. It will continue to be a top priority for the Welsh Government. While I know the importance of good mental health and well-being for learners and staff, I also know that no single issue can be looked at in isolation. Reform and improvement must be aimed at creating a whole system that works for all learners. My job will be to make the whole system work together.

I want to be clear that I remain completely committed to the progress of Curriculum for Wales. I have seen first hand the outstanding work already happening in our schools through embracing the opportunities of the new curriculum. But, I have also heard clearly that schools want more support to make sure everyone is equipped to get it right. I will prioritise support on curriculum design, progression and assessment. I will work with teachers to ensure the right support reaches their classrooms and that they have the knowledge, resources and confidence to ensure that every learner and every part of Wales feels the benefit of the curriculum.

Last week, I gave evidence to the Children, Young People and Education Committee and participated in a Petitions Committee debate, both on additional learning needs reform, a vitally important but complex strand of work. It is vital we all work together to implement a system of ALN support that delivers for learners and which both parents and school staff can navigate. As I set out last week, a focus on ALN reform has been among my first priorities. I want to ensure firm legislative foundations are in place, and I want to strengthen implementation by improving the consistency of the approach being taken.

Collaboration, challenge and partnership working are key to driving forward improvement. I want the whole system working together to improve standards and to raise attainment, and to be ambitious for every single learner. Alongside overall improvements in attainment, it is vital that we close the attainment gap faced by our most disadvantaged learners. I will never accept that children from poorer backgrounds should settle for worse outcomes than their peers or learners elsewhere. I am committed to enhancing our understanding of the attainment gap and identifying where interventions can be best targeted to have maximum impact. I remain committed to the school improvement partnership programme, which is taking forward the findings of the strategic review of education partners in Wales. We are working with all of our partners to take the next step towards a self-improving system, focused on improving learning outcomes in Wales through a more collaborative and partnership-based approach. To be successful, we need to accelerate progress in some key areas: firstly, a strong professional learning offer that supports teachers and is focused on improving the quality of teaching and learning; secondly, a strengthening of school leadership to ensure every school sets the right culture for learners and staff; and maximising impact by getting the basics right, with a continued focus on improving literacy, numeracy and digital skills, including through the mathematics and numeracy plan. I expect every part of the system to be working towards the common goal of improving attainment, particularly within the poorest communities.

Of course, no amount of reform or improvement in our schools can be achieved without the dedicated and talented school workforce. I am committed to listening and working in partnership with the workforce, as we move forward with this programme of work. Our conversations will not always be easy, but I know that we share the same goal: delivering the best possible outcomes for children and young people. And the Welsh language continues to be a priority for this Government, and we will continue to work closely with partners to ensure that all young people achieve Welsh language skills required for life and work.

The consultation on reform of the school year recently closed, with one of the largest-ever responses to a Welsh Government consultation. It is important these responses are fully considered, and I will update the Senedd on the next steps in due course.

But I want to be clear that post-16 education is also a priority for me, and it is vital that we raise participation levels across further and higher education, including vocational education and training. The new Commission for Tertiary Education and Research will be a vital partner in achieving our ambitions for a more connected and co-ordinated tertiary sector, with high-quality education and world-leading research at its heart. I will focus on improving routes into vocational education and training, including ensuring parity of esteem, creating a clear 14-19 pathway for learners and raising participation across all areas.

I also want to recognise the pressures our colleges and universities are currently facing. Many of these pressures are not unique to Wales and represent a wider set of challenges. I want us to work together, including hearing the voices of students, in responding to these challenges. It has often been said in recent years that education in Wales is on a journey. I commit to always doing my best to steer education in the right direction and get us on track. Diolch.

Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for her statement today? But, I'm afraid to say that was a business-as-usual statement for an education system that is crying out for change. Wales's education priorities are clear: they want to make sure that, when their children go through our education system, they get a world-class education. We know all too well that PISA scores aren't anywhere near as high as they should be, and whilst we're seeing success stories elsewhere in the United Kingdom in educational attainment, after 25 years of this Welsh Labour Government, we sit at the bottom of the league tables in every single subject, and things seem to only be getting worse, Cabinet Secretary.

We heard that the latest set of reforms would change everything: 'We just need to give things time to bed in, and we'll see those improvements.' But we've heard that time and time and time again from Welsh Labour Ministers, and things only seem to be going in the wrong direction. For example, back in 2009, the then education Minister, Leighton Andrews, said that the PISA results for that year were, and I quote,

'a wake-up call to an education system in Wales that had become complacent'.

Well, fast forward 15 years, and the results today are even worse. So, if the system was complacent then, what is it today?

There are significant problems with the latest set of changes adopted by this Welsh Labour Government. The Government has taken a decision to adopt a skills-based approach over a knowledge-based approach in our curriculum, and it seems that the UK Labour Party are intent on taking the same road. The problem with it, however, is that whilst the focus on a knowledge-based approach has paid dividends for pupils in England, the landmark Institute for Fiscal Studies report on education in Wales makes clear, and I quote, that

'declines have happened in essentially every country that has adopted such skills-based curricula'.

But yet that seems to be the model that the Welsh Government are intent on pursuing for our children. Dirprwy Lywydd, it isn't good enough. But, looking again at that IFS report, it makes clear that the differences in educational outcomes are not as a result of funding or even of poverty levels. The reason educational outcomes are worse here in Wales than anywhere else in the UK are, and I quote,

'differences in policy and approach.'

In short, where the Welsh Labour Government tinkers with the education system, it almost inevitably leads to worse outcomes for our young people. So, how will the Cabinet Secretary ensure that she's the exception and not the rule when it comes to this Welsh Labour Government and its failure to deliver on Wales's education priorities? 

It would be remiss of me if I didn't touch on ALN reform in the education sector. As you stated in your statement, Cabinet Secretary, you attended the CYPE committee last week to discuss it, as well as responding to a Petitions Committee debate on the topic, and you admitted that there was much to do in terms of getting those reforms right, and that many aspects hadn't worked as intended so far. But what worried me during that committee appearance was that much was made of the fact that the changes that you felt needed to happen wouldn't be able to be undertaken until the right data was made available. The problem was that the work of identifying exactly what data was required didn't appear to have started yet, let alone compiling and then assessing it, so it suggests that this may not be a quick process, and as you know, six months, a year, two years, can be an eternity in a child's life and can have a profound impact on their life chances. Your statement today, and your response to that committee, leave me concerned that you aren't looking at the need to fix the clear issues with ALN reform with the urgency that it so clearly deserves.

Finally, I just want to say that I think this statement today is emblematic of this Welsh Labour Government more widely. Whilst we heard warm words on educational attainment, mental health, ALN, the curriculum, post-16 education and so on, what we didn't hear was a single target, time frame, number, to judge any of those warm words against. How can we be expected to take this Cabinet Secretary's word at face value that things are going to improve when learners and teaching staff across Wales have heard exactly the same thing for 25 years? The evidence sadly suggests that education policy under this Welsh Labour Government is heading in the wrong direction. Wales's education priorities are clear. We don't want warm words; we want a plan, a plan to turn around the damage done to our Welsh education system by successive Welsh Labour Governments, so when can we expect one?

Can I thank Tom Giffard for his comments and questions, and say to him very clearly that I too want a world-class education system in the same way as everybody else in Wales does? I'm a parent, I can see the importance of having a high-quality education, and we want the best for all our children and young people.

I haven't been in any way complacent on the PISA results. I have said that they were disappointing. It is important to recognise that our PISA results were improving ahead of the pandemic, and I think it's also very important, given that you're putting so much weight on the IFS report, to be clear that the young people tested in those PISA tests had not been through our new curriculum. However, I am taking the messages in the IFS report seriously, even if I don't agree with all of their assessment.

You seem to be suggesting that we should pause all our reforms. I think that is a ridiculous proposition because we are now teaching Curriculum for Wales in all our schools. It still hasn't been fully rolled out. I have been very clear in what I said to the committee last week, and what I've said today, that I think we have more work to do in supporting schools who are finding it more challenging to deliver the new curriculum. Some schools are flying with it, but others have said to me, 'We need more support with that.' So, I am looking to deliver that support.

It is just not the case that we are valuing skills over a knowledge-based curriculum. That is a misunderstanding of the curriculum. Our new curriculum absolutely has a focus on knowledge, but, very importantly, on the discerning use of knowledge. We want our learners not just to have that knowledge, but to be able to take it and use it in different situations in their lives.

In terms of ALN reform, I have to say that I don't really think you were listening to what I said in the committee last week, although I'm glad that you did hear me and quote back to me today my point about a year being a long time in the life of a child, because I said that to emphasise how urgently I am committed to addressing this problem. I highlighted the challenges we've got with data. I know from my time as a health Minister that data is really important to drive good policy. We are developing a work stream to make sure that we have all the data that we need. But at no point did I say that we wouldn't be taking forward improvements without the data.

I explained to the committee that I have got a twin-track approach on this now. It involves a more consistent delivery of ALN across Wales, working with local authorities and schools, who are already working really hard to deliver this complex reform. But I also indicated that I recognise, based on what the president of the tribunal had said, that we had some work to do in making sure that the law was easily understandable for our partners. So, I made it clear that I would be taking forward that work immediately, to make sure that we get immediate improvements, while also looking at some legal clarification.

Just in terms of your final points on targets. The statement today is about priorities. I've been very clear that raising attainment and school standards is a priority for me. We are working on a plan that will be on the lines that I've described, which are around things like improved curriculum design, assessment, progression and a strong focus on literacy and numeracy. And, to underpin that, we are developing a whole information ecosystem that will tell us how our schools are doing. And that will build on what we're already doing with our personalised assessments. I've only been in post seven weeks; I think it's a little bit early for me to be thinking about targets. My priority is to get this right for children and young people, not to look for easy straplines.

It's quite difficult to disagree with your statement today. I appreciate that you are new, but you have been, previously, Chair of the Senedd's Children, Young People and Education Committee in the fifth Senedd and you've been part of the Cabinet, so I do think it's fair that we ask for more timescales and so on. I would appreciate it if you could commit today to when we will see that level of detail because, obviously, this isn't a post-election, new initiative for Welsh Government, and it's crucial that we do see progress, because after all what I didn't, I'm sorry, hear from your statement was the level of urgency required.

The First Minister, in response to Rhun ap Iorwerth earlier, said that he didn't want to spoil your statement or any announcements. I'm afraid that I was expecting more, and I'm sure higher education institutions would have been expecting more, given what we've seen. The fact that some universities might close, the fact that some courses aren't running that are crucial in terms of our skills, these are urgent questions and I'd like to see urgent action from you. Warm words and listening are not enough at this point, I'm afraid.

There's a recruitment and retention crisis. You mentioned strong professional learning, but what I would like to know is: how are we going to attract teachers, because we know that those bursaries that have been in place haven't always been taken up, that money has been made available to meet some of the budgetary pressures? So, with 75 per cent of teachers having contemplated leaving the profession according to the NASUWT survey in 2022-23, and 78 per cent of them stating that they do not recommend teaching as a career to friends and family, how are we going to turn things around? The workforce are crucial, yet we're failing to recruit and retain teachers.

Violence, both verbal and physical, in schools is increasing. Education and support is often described as a postcode lottery, and this is particularly true in terms of Welsh education and additional learning needs support. And when we look in terms of school absences increasing, the attainment gap widening, a decrease in the number of 16 to 18-year-olds participating in education and subsequently a decrease in the number of young people living in Wales applying to university, I'm afraid we can't wait.

On the new curriculum, the one thing that you mentioned whilst you were giving evidence last week was about creating a scaffold around schools. Well, you'll be aware that much of the support has been provided by regional consortia in recent years, but this approach has been proposed to end, following the ongoing review of school improvement services. I'd like to know if you can confirm today what the Welsh Government approach is to the review, and what scaffolding will be available to schools if the consortium model disappears. And specifically, what lessons in terms of the new curriculum are being learnt from Scotland, so that we understand that those curriculum reforms that we were excited about are actually being delivered, to have that impact for our pupils? Because I hear from parents and teachers that they are still uncertain, and what that might mean then in terms of the impact on education. We can't experiment on those children. We need to get it right the first time around. And we know that teachers are asking for more time, more training, and yet we're at a point where schools are failing to recruit teachers for some of these subjects, so it is really concerning.

You heard, earlier, Rhun ap Iorwerth ask in terms of the Migration Advisory Committee's review, and that it had found today that there is no widespread evidence that the post-study visa is being abused. So, can I ask, therefore, how are you going to be working with the universities in these challenging circumstances?

I've got a number of questions, I'm afraid, Cabinet Secretary, and I think one of the things—. If you will allow me, after reflecting on all of your responses today, I will be writing to you as education spokesperson, and perhaps rather than try and cover everything today, I would appreciate an opportunity to discuss with you about some of the urgent things that need to be prioritised, and how we ensure that it's not just listening, but actually taking action on all these issues.

Thank you very much, Heledd, and of course I recognise that this isn't a post-election statement and that I did chair the committee, which I finished three years ago, but I did feel it was important, coming new into post, that I had time to take stock of what's happening, to listen to as many teachers, school staff, children and young people and others as I can. But it is absolutely about taking action as well.

In terms of timescales, I plan to set out a more detailed plan on raising attainment and school standards during this term, so hopefully before the summer, anyway, you'll be able to have more information on that.

You've raised the recruitment and retention problems with me previously, last week in questions. I do recognise the challenges. I hope that you also recognise that we're working really hard as a Government to promote teaching as an exciting, engaging profession to work in. I think the Curriculum for Wales will help with that. It's next-level teaching and learning, as far as I can see, and I think it would be really appealing for staff to have that agency, working with our new curriculum. But, in addition, we have invested money in the various bursaries that we have. That’s always challenging when we’re struggling with finances, but we’ve continued to do that.

Just to say that I am acutely aware of the pressures that schools are facing, that they’ve got a huge range of societal problems coming into the classroom, that there are challenges with behaviour. You’ve referred to violence; I met with the schools partnership council this morning and we had a really good discussion about behaviour. I’m going to be doing some more work with them on that to make sure that we give them every support they need on that, not just through things like our new behaviour toolkit, but more generally to look at what we can do to make sure that we support them. And we’ve talked before about things like education support, which is providing support for their well-being.

In terms of ALN, you heard me acknowledge last week—I think I was pretty candid with the committee—the challenges that we’re facing, and you’ve heard me say to Tom today that I’m really committed to accelerating that work really quickly and that I’m very happy to provide further updates. Officials are currently working up with me a plan on taking forward those two areas of work, and I can provide a further update in due course.

In terms of the new curriculum, I did talk in the committee about scaffolding. I’m planning to make an oral statement to the Senedd in July, which is the annual report on the new curriculum, and I’ll set out more detail then. But what has been made clear to me from the conversations I’ve been having and officials have been having is that schools would like more national professional learning for curriculum design, building on the success of the curriculum design pilot programme. So, we’re refining this and expanding access to high-quality professional learning, which will be available from the autumn. They would like simplified detail on what progression looks like to help schools understand expectations at different points. They would like some examples of curriculum content, what topics and context could be developed across the curriculum. This is about bringing the curriculum to life for schools.

We’re looking at templates to support schools and teacher planning, both for designing curricula and also assessing the progress learners are making, and better support for schools to build a shared understanding of learners’ progress, to raise the bar of evaluations of progress across schools and enable a more consistent level of challenge across schools’ curricula. But I do have to be clear that some schools are flying with the curriculum, and we don’t want to inhibit the schools that are doing really, really well with it; this is about supporting the ones who need a bit of extra support with what they’re doing.

You referred to the MAC review: I did meet with the Migration Advisory Committee a few weeks ago to talk about their plans, their review of the graduate route, which I was really worried about. I was very clear to them that further restrictions like that would be hugely damaging to higher education in Wales. I am really pleased that they have recommended not making further changes to that, and I will be making representations to the UK Government to urge them to listen to the review. This is also a policy that they’ve taken forward in haste, and that isn’t a good way to make policy. I know how deeply concerned in the discussions I’ve had with universities they are about the impact of the falling numbers of overseas students, so we absolutely have to prioritise this.

And just to conclude by saying I’m very happy either for you to write me or if you want to sit down and have a discussion to allow more time to do that. I’m very happy to do that.

I welcome very much the statement you've made this afternoon, Minister. There are two issues I would like to raise with you this afternoon. First of all is additional learning needs. You will remember that I was the Minister who was responsible for taking through the legislation to reform additional learning needs in Wales. I think it was about five or six years ago now we faced each other across the committee table. It's fair to say that I'm pretty disappointed with the way it's been delivered since then, and I would value the opportunity to discuss with you, Minister, why it's taken so long to get some of these things right and to ensure that pupils and learners with additional learning needs have their needs met in the way that the legislation foresees.

The second matter is about Blaenau Gwent. You'll be aware that headteachers from across the borough along with counties elsewhere in Wales have written to all parents talking about the impact of austerity on schools and the impact that falling budgets is having both on schools' ability to deliver the curriculum, but also the richness of the school experience for pupils in the borough and elsewhere. I'd be grateful if, Minister, we could meet to discuss how the Welsh Government can work with local authorities to ensure that all our children have the rich educational experience that everybody has a right to expect and how we can ensure that every child is able to meet the whole of their potential.

Can I thank Alun Davies for his questions? Indeed, I remember you taking the legislation through. I think it is important that we remember it is a complex reform, it's a nought to 25 system that provides a unified plan for children and young people, rather than the system of special educational needs where we had those three tiers of support. For that reason, we have undertaken it in a phased way, moving different groups of learners from SEN to the new ALN system, and I think that is the right thing to do. It's important to get it right, and as you heard me say today, there are some challenges in terms of consistent implementation of the legislation that are a priority for me to resolve.

In terms of the issues you've raised about headteachers in Blaenau Gwent, obviously, the cause of that is austerity, as you've rightly pointed out. I just wanted to say that I really recognise the pressures that schools are under and how difficult things are at the moment. Our budget in the Welsh Government is worth £700 million less than it was at the time of the last spending review. We had a very difficult budget round where the decision was made to prioritise health and social care, along with schools through local government. So, we did uplift the funding for local government for schools. Also, the money that we put into the local authority education grant was £379 million, so we have done our utmost, even within the really difficult financial situation we're in, to protect that funding. But I don't want to give any impression that I don't recognise how challenging it is for schools, and we're continuing to work with schools and local authorities. Of course, they all work together as well through the budget fora. But I'm very happy to have a further discussion with you about that.

Child poverty exists in every part of Wales, causing serious and lifelong harm to our nation's future. We know poverty has a huge impact on learning. Children in poverty are more likely to underachieve, miss out on extracurricular activities and experience bullying at school. It was disappointing to hear no reference to reducing the costs of the school day in your list of priorities, because, Cabinet Secretary, there are no-cost changes that could really make a difference. For example, although the Welsh Government has issued statutory guidance for school governing bodies on uniforms that covers issues of affordability, the only requirement is to have regard for the needs of children from disadvantaged backgrounds. According to Children in Wales, 79 per cent of those who responded to their latest survey said they still have to wear a school badge or logo, despite the guidance—79 per cent—and they say that banning logos would put £75 on average back in the pockets of families. Banning non-uniform days would address poverty-related bullying and absences. So, Cabinet Secretary, will you therefore considering implementing these two simple steps, and what further new measures are you considering to alleviate the impact of the cost of the school day on the growing attainment gap? Diolch.

Thank you very much, Sioned, for those very important points. Obviously, I had a limited amount of time in the statement, and I've tried to cover what ground I can, but I recognise how vital those links are between poverty and children's experience in school, and the cost of the school day is incredibly important. I'm sure you would acknowledge that, through the work that we've done together with yourselves, providing free school meals for all primary school children, which has been very effectively rolled out, is putting money into the pockets of hard-pressed families. We've got our school essentials grant, and that's apart from all the academic ways in which we're trying to tackle that attainment gap.

Thank you for raising the school uniform guidance. This is an issue that I feel very strongly about and always have. I know that Children in Wales are doing really important work on this and that they're working with families around the impact of poverty. I hadn't seen that figure about the badges; I do think that is really important. I will follow that up with Children in Wales and look at what more we can do in that space. You'll be aware that schools told us that they thought a uniform was important, it's about belonging, which is completely understandable. But I do think it's really important that all schools really think about the impact of the uniform on household budgets. And if other children are anything like my son—. I was keeping the school uniform shop in business, because he lost things practically every week—

You can afford to replace those things. 

Yes, absolutely. I do recognise that. What I'm saying to you is that I am taking this very seriously; I will take it away and have a look at what more we can do. Obviously, my predecessor reviewed the guidance, but I hear your concerns about the extent to which that is being implemented. I personally think it's really important; I don't want any children to be feeling the effect of stigma in the classroom.

Congratulations, Minister. As the former Minister for public health, I know that you know that obesity is a major challenge, and the strategies you used for raising the uptake of families entitled to the healthy eating vouchers mean that I'm absolutely confident that you will make your mark on this portfolio.

You absolutely understand that obesity is a major challenge, in particular the sobering fact that six in 10 children arrive at school, aged five, overweight, and half of those are obese. On our important investment in universal primary free school meals, I believe that the uptake is about 70 per cent. What conversations will you have with headteachers to try and embed getting children to grow, taste and cook the food that is going to help them grow and thrive into the curriculum?

And secondly, on secondary schools, how will you deal with the really serious shortage of students in STEM subjects and the way in which secondary schools are having to apply a dog-eat-dog competition in trying to obtain maths, science, engineering and technology teachers, when, without these specialisms, it's impossible for the child to get the entitlement that they have? This feels like a really wicked issue and one that I do hope you'll have time to think of a solution to.

Thank you very much, Jenny. I know that you are really passionate about tackling obesity and I think there are lots of opportunities for me to link up the work that I did in my previous role with the Minister for health, who has now taken on the responsibility for that.

The statistics that you've highlighted are really stark. As I said, the roll-out of the universal free school meals has gone really well. I believe the figures are well over 70 per cent now, but I would need to check that. I know that all bar three local authorities have fully implemented it and those other three will have implemented it by September, which is really good news. But it is a massive investment and we do have to get the biggest bang for our buck in terms of health with this. That's one of the reasons that one of the things we're going to be doing is reviewing the healthy food regulations to make sure that children and young people are getting a healthy meal at the same time. So, there's some further work to do there, and officials are working on that. 

Your point on STEM subjects is really well made and, as you're aware, we also have shortages in STEM teachers, which is obviously a critical issue that we need to address. And the bursaries that I mentioned in another answer are also available to people choosing to study STEM subjects. So, we're doing what we can to try and address those shortages.

Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for setting out your priorities. Now, we know that Wales is facing a significant skills gap—an issue that was highlighted in the Welsh Government's own 2022 employer survey, and an issue that's worsening over time. Now, what I was concerned about, as part of that statement, is that there is no single document that sets out the Government's detailed strategy on post-compulsory education and skills—something that actually would be of benefit, not just to education leavers, but also to those who are looking to transition into another sector of the economy at a later stage in life. So, will the Cabinet Secretary outline whether we can expect clearer skills planning from this Government, and what role will the Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Energy and Welsh Language play alongside you in putting that plan together?

Thank you very much, Luke, and I know this is an area that you're passionate about. I'm sure you also wouldn't have expected me to set out all of the detail in the statement. I've been very clear that one of the issues that I'm most concerned about is our participation rates post-16, which do not fare favourably in comparison with the rest of the UK. Having that parity of esteem, building that skills base is vital. Working with employers to make sure that we can match the skills that employers need as well is crucial, and I will be working very closely with Jeremy Miles on this. Obviously, some of this sits in his portfolio. The new commission as well is a really good opportunity to get a more coherent picture on this, and really join up the working and get this right. 

So, Cabinet Secretary, on behalf of Islwyn, may I firstly welcome you to your post, and place on record my appreciation for your visit to Islwyn on one of your earliest engagements as Cabinet Secretary for Education, and also for your listening approach to the significant challenges and priorities ahead? It was wonderful to welcome you to Ysgol Gymraeg Cwm Gwyddon for its official opening in Cwmcarn—a Victorian school that my own child attended. 

Cabinet Secretary, the Welsh Government has led the way on capital investment in our school buildings in a desert of capital investment to Wales, transforming, through twenty-first century schools, the new, for instance, Welsh school in Cwmcarn, thorough the sustainable communities for learning programme, and I also hugely welcome the facilities for learners with additional learning needs included in the Welsh Government's announcement last week of a further £20 million for schools to improve additional learning facilities.

So, post COVID, and still in a time of so-called austerity, can you as Cabinet Secretary outline how this investment will help deliver your overall priorities of sustained improvement in education attainment, and your specific priorities on supporting learners with additional learning needs? And also will you please, if you may, comment to this place on the sudden announcement of the imminent closure at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama of its junior department—the pipeline of excellence, renowned for its equity and access for all, and where a visually impaired student of mine attended and flourished in full?

Thank you very much, Rhianon. It was a real pleasure to be in your constituency for the opening of that lovely school—really great to see the fruits of that huge investment. And we've invested well over £2 billion in our school buildings in Wales, and that compares very favourably to the choices made over the border. 

As you've highlighted, I announced an extra £20 million for ALN capital funding last week. That will be for local authorities and schools to plan the spending of in partnership with us. When I went to make the announcement at Ysgol Gymraeg Gwaun y Nant in Barry, I was able to see the new unit that they'd established there. Schools will have different needs, really. It might be for special units. It might be for equipment and what have you. So, I think it is very much about responding to local need.

In terms of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama announcement, can I say that I was very grateful to them for keeping me updated? I really do recognise how very difficult the financial pressures are facing higher education institutions in Wales, and recognise the really important work that they do. I know that they have plans to ensure that they do continue really valuable work with children and young people, and I've asked to be kept updated on that. As you're aware, we are committed as a Government to ensuring that children and young people have those musical opportunities—and you've been a massive champion of that work—and our £13 million national music service is making sure that every child has the opportunity to play a musical instrument, sing and make music. And I'm really committed to ensuring that that work continues.

And finally, Adam Price.

My colleague Heledd Fychan mentioned physical and mental and verbal violence in schools. That needed to be a priority, I think, addressing that, before the horrific incident in Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, but it's even more urgent and pressing now. That's why I was frankly surprised, exasperated, disappointed when I, after having had a conversation with the staff in the school, called for a national review of school safety, and the response from the Welsh Government spokesperson was that there were no plans for such a review. The staff, the students and parents of Ysgol Dyffryn Aman—they expect that review, they deserve that review, and that's true of school communities throughout Wales. The physical and mental scars of that incident are serious enough, but it could have been far worse, and unless we conduct that national review, I fear for what might happen in the future. I did write to your predecessor about concerns the school had in relation to policies in this area before the incident, and you may want to look at that correspondence and, indeed, correspondence between some of the school leadership and your officials, before making a final decision. But I urge you, Cabinet Secretary, school communities need this national review of school safety.

Thank you very much, Adam. Can I say again how much I commend the way that Ysgol Dyffryn Aman and the local authority and the local emergency services responded to that incredibly difficult situation? I really do recognise the impact that that will have had on everybody involved, and that that will be a long-term impact, and I've been very clear that, as a Government, we are there to provide any support that they need. They've put in place a really comprehensive package of support anyway, for the school community, but I've been clear that, if they need any more, we will provide that for them.

I think I'm aware of what you're talking about, although I haven't seen the letter that you're referring to, because somebody at the school did raise some concerns with me recently, about some aspects of policy around exclusion. So, I am looking at that. And I've also said that we will learn the lessons from what's happened there. It's really important that—. Obviously, this is subject to a criminal investigation now. It has to be handled sensitively, but I have got no doubt that there will be lessons to learn from it. And when you talk about a national review of policy, I was with our trade union partners and the Association of Directors of Education in Wales and the Welsh Local Government Association this morning; they are all looking at their policies for critical incidents, checking that they're working, making sure that they're up to date. So, that work is actually happening. And I made the commitment this morning to our trade union partners that I am taking this work really seriously, in terms of that support that we put in place, to make sure that schools are safe, supportive places, for school staff and for young people.

You know yourself, Adam, that the issues around school behaviour are really complex. There are societal issues that are coming into the school, and I think it's really important to join up things like the work we're doing on mental health with that work on behaviour. But just to assure you, I am taking this very seriously. We are making sure that all areas are updating their policies and that they're being practised and everything. So, I'm not really sure how that differs, really, from a national review, if it's just the way you're describing it, because that work is happening. Everybody has taken what's happened really, really seriously. A few days after what happened in Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, there was a lockdown in Blaenau Gwent as well, following an incident there. So, you know, this is very uppermost in all our minds, so just to give you that assurance. 

The Llywydd took the Chair.

I thank the Cabinet Secretary. Thank you.