7. What action is the Welsh Government taking to ensure the sharing of good practice across schools in Islwyn? OQ61333

In Islwyn there are some excellent examples of schools sharing best practice to improve learning and educational attainment. Following the recent review of school improvement arrangements, we're developing a new approach that will give more agency to school leaders to drive this improvement for the benefit of all our learners.

Thank you, First Minister. Tomorrow evening, the South Wales Schools and Education Awards are being held, and the comprehensive I attended and my father taught at for 25 years, Newbridge School, is nominated for secondary school of the year, following on from an impressive recent Estyn report, which noted the caring nature of the ALN team as a notable strength. And Libanus Primary School in Blackwood is nominated for primary school of the year and STEM project of the year, a project that saw pupils explore sustainability and the impact on the environment around them.

First Minister, I have visited Islwyn schools and can testify first-hand the excellence that is taking place within these school communities and the importance of skilled, motivated and valued staff, such as Hannah Hodges from Abercarn Primary School and Emille Thornton and Lynne Richards from Libanus Primary School, who are all nominated for teaching awards. Good luck to them. So, First Minister, will you join me in placing on record your appreciation for all of our teaching staff and education staff, and also to the publishers of the South Wales Argus, Newsquest, for organising and promoting these educational awards, which celebrate and mean something to teachers and staff across the schools of south Wales?

To conclude, last week you stated, First Minister, that more teachers will be recruited for state schools in Wales if the Labour Party wins the UK General Election and Keir Starmer becomes the next Prime Minister, thanks to the Labour Party's manifesto commitment to tax private school fees. How will our Welsh Labour Government work with a future UK Labour Government to back educationalists and pedagogy on the ground, invest in teaching and learning, and ensure that every child in Wales accesses high-quality, high-standard education, not just for the few, but for all?

Thank you. I do congratulate the South Wales Argus for highlighting excellence in education and, in particular, all those schools and staff nominated. I hope they enjoy not just the evening, but I hope they continue to find it a genuinely rewarding profession and vocation. 

I think, in terms of where and what we want to do, I have been a long-standing supporter of addressing the wholly unjustifiable tax advantages enjoyed by private education. It is long past time to resolve that, and to ensure that that money is invested in state education, where over 90 per cent of our children go. Actually, what we will do in Wales is not just use additional money for teachers, but it's the proposals that have been set out by the Cabinet Secretary for Education. It's building on the first 1,000 days in a child's life, to support parents and children to do the very best job in those crucial early years. It's then about making sure that our groundbreaking curriculum reforms are properly implemented, and it's about the three areas of focus that Lynne Neagle has on attendance, on attainment and in making a success of our additional learning needs reforms. And I'm pleased that you mentioned the ALN team at Newbridge School, because it's an area where we've invested another £20 million in the last few months, to make sure those reforms are able to be successful, the programme that we want to have is in place, with the staff you need to be in place, to make a difference for parents and their children together.

So, attainment, attendance, additional learning needs and a successful implementation of our curriculum reforms I believe will make a significant difference now and for the future, and I wish everyone well at the awards this week.