Darllenwch y dudalen hon yn Gymraeg
Estimated reading time: 4–5 minutes
After a month as Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, Anna Brychan MS outlines her priorities for education. The full statement on priorities can also be viewed on Senedd TV.
Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd. Today, I wish to set out this Government’s priorities for education. I am also of course responsible for the Welsh language more broadly, working with all members of the Cabinet, as the Welsh language is part of our work and a mission for all of us. Therefore, I’ll be focusing on our education priorities today, including of course Welsh education, but I will be making a further statement – an oral statement – on the Welsh language before the summer.
A good education is the best start that we can give our children and young people. Education is the key to unlocking our nation’s potential, and that’s why this Government has made education a national priority, to raise standards in our schools and ensure the best conditions for learning and teaching.
The education system is currently failing too many of our children and young people. A lack of talent is not the problem, neither is a lack of commitment. We have children and young people who are full of potential, and we have an able and dedicated workforce. The problem is that the whole system hasn’t always worked together to support and unlock the potential of our learners, nor do we share data and understanding of what is needed to ensure progress in every school, in every area, consistently and powerfully.
We want the education system to function as one connected system, to support our children from the early years right up to the point where they start working. My first priority is to raise standards for every child, in every community. I want to make sure that our education gives our children and young people strong foundations to succeed – at school, at college, in work and in life. In four years’ time, I want to see more young people leave school with the highest possible levels of literacy and numeracy, that fewer children leave school without basic skills, and that more children earn useful qualifications.
There is a need to facilitate the work of schools, local authorities and the learners themselves by stating clearly what our expectations are and giving clear national guidance to our schools. This will form a central part of the literacy and numeracy foundation plan. This is what our partners in the educational system have asked for, that’s what parents and learners need. Through its clear focus on literacy and numeracy, that is also what Estyn prioritises.
We already have data to build on, but we don’t make sufficient use of it. I will outline how we will use the data in our plan in due course. I also want children to develop a love of reading. That is very important. So, we will ensure that we have a library in every primary school during this Senedd term. I have promised all schools that I will contact them again before the end of the summer to elaborate on our plan, and I will certainly do that. That brings me to another important priority.
No education system can succeed unless we support the workforce that makes it possible. We must work collaboratively with our educators on improving education, unlocking the incredible creativity and potential that is in our workforce, investing in them, trusting them, supporting them and offering accessible professional learning opportunities.
We have begun to tackle the crisis in recruitment. Prospective secondary teachers in subjects where there is a shortage of teachers will receive up to £20,000 while in initial teacher education. This is just the beginning. Too many educators leave the profession too early. We need to improve learning conditions and keep them in the classroom, including giving clear national guidance on the challenges that they face.
Schools are a microcosm of our society. I’ve seen first-hand the challenges they face around mental health issues, children with additional learning needs, technology, and the continuing side effects of COVID. Our leaders, classroom teachers and support staff tackle these complex social issues on a daily basis. They do it with great care and little fanfare. This Chamber may not yet reflect the remarkable diversity of our society, but it isn’t so in our schools. There, the excitement, the possibilities, the creativity and the challenges of society can clearly be seen.
Just one example: there is growing evidence of the impact of smartphones and social media on our children. Our schools are a place to learn, and teachers are there to teach. I welcome the UK Government’s statement on banning social media for under-16s. This is not a devolved issue, of course, and the details around implementation will be important. Therefore, we will be looking forward to more in-depth discussions with the UK Government, and following closely what is happening in this policy area in other places, such as Australia, which introduced this ban earlier.
Our 100-day plan is clear. We will act with urgency. I have heard the calls for greater clarity on the use of mobile phones in our schools. Today, I am confirming that we will be limiting the use of mobile phones in our schools. In September, we’ll begin a consultation on statutory guidance in this area, listening to our teachers and parents and taking action. I want to be particularly clear on this: as Cabinet Minister, I fully support and strongly encourage headteachers to introduce clear and robust restrictions on mobile phone use during the school day, up to and including a full restriction across the school site.
It is vital that we have an inclusive education system, and so we will ensure that the support for children with additional learning needs is clearer for families and for our whole system. We have committed to developing a sustainable model for ALN education following years of significant pressure.
The Welsh language is a core part of that inclusive education system. The Welsh language belongs to us all, and I want to ensure a fair opportunity for every child in Wales to learn and enjoy the Welsh language by implementing the full potential of the Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025. As well as strengthening provision in bilingual and English-medium schools, we want to lay the foundations to ensure that 50 per cent of our children receive Welsh-medium education by 2050 – the most ambitious target by any Government in terms of the growth of the Welsh language. We will expand Welsh language provision during the early years on the one hand, and in further and higher education on the other, removing barriers to Welsh-medium education and ensuring a continuous and uninterrupted language education pathway.
Poverty affects the potential of our children and young people. Our children are our future, and their ability to learn should not be impacted by the cost of living. That’s why our manifesto also included a commitment to extend free school meals to pupils in secondary schools on universal credit. I’ll share more details about this soon.
The education system must function as one connected national system. Learners don’t experience education in silos, and Governments shouldn’t formulate policy in that way either. We will adopt a much more collaborative approach between schools, colleges, universities, training providers and employers, because when the system works together, outcomes improve and learners are better supported.
That is particularly important in the transition from statutory education to tertiary education or employment. With regard to the Welsh language, we know that too many young people lose contact with the language at this time, as the opportunities to keep in touch are significantly reduced. For too many young people, the system feels complex and fragmented. That means that potential is lost, that they too often find themselves in a situation where they’re not in work, education or training. Our role is to create clearer pathways to provide better advice and guidance and to better support our learners to continue to study, train and work in Welsh as well as in English, and also to learn from experience and global evidence.
We cannot either separate education from the Welsh economy. If we want to see a stronger Wales, a stronger economy, better paying jobs, we need a stronger skills system. That’s why we’ve embarked on an all-Wales skills audit to understand future skills needs and ensure that our policy decisions are aligned with the demands of the future economy and the demands of our employers. In the autumn, we will be hosting a skills summit with representation from the worlds of education, skills, training and business, our research centres, colleges and universities to create one vision, one direction, one system that works better for learners and the economy.
Our universities are central to our plans for a more prosperous Wales. Research of global importance takes place in our universities, often without being adequately recognised. A better connection and interconnectedness with the economy is needed. Yes, there are serious challenges facing our universities, but we are equally serious about working with the sector to create a more sustainable higher education system that works for Wales and for our learners. In the coming weeks, we will announce how we will implement our commitment to review the funding for our universities to ensure that the benefit of Welsh Government investment remains in Wales. Too much young talent is being lost. I want to encourage more people to stay in Wales, to study in Wales and build their future here, because they see that our universities, our economy and our nation have a lot to offer them.
This Government has made education a priority because the future of Wales depends on us doing that. Our economic ambitions depend on the education system, our public services depend on it. Without a strong education system, we won’t be able to unlock the full potential of Wales.
We do need to be honest: it will be difficult and challenging at times, we know that, and tough decisions will need to be made from time to time. But our vision is clear, and we ask our partners in the education sector to work with us to achieve it.
This Government will focus relentlessly on raising standards, supporting the workforce, strengthening skills and building an education system that works for all learners, in Welsh and English – in our two national languages – and above all else, for Wales. Thank you very much.