Concise Minutes - Children, Young People, and Education Committee

Meeting Venue:

Hybrid - Committee room 1 Senedd and video conference via Zoom
Meeting date: Thursday, 15 January 2026

Meeting time: 09.31 - 12.31
This meeting can be viewed
on Senedd TV at:
http://senedd.tv/en/15708

Hybrid

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Attendance

Category	Names
Members of the Senedd:	Natasha Asghar MS Cefin Campbell MS Russell George MS Vaughan Gething MS Buffy Williams MS (Chair) Carolyn Thomas MS
Witnesses:	James Owen, Medr Giles Cutler, Medr
Committee Staff:	Naomi Stocks (Clerk) Leah Whitty (Second Clerk) Sarah Bartlett (Deputy Clerk) Jennifer Cottle (Legal Adviser) Thomas Morris (Researcher) Michael Dauncey (Researcher) Sian Thomas (Researcher)

<AI1>

1 Introductions, apologies, substitutions and declarations of interest

1.1 The Chair welcomed Members to the meeting of the Children, Young People and Education Committee.

1.2 The Chair noted that Cefin Campbell MS needed to leave the meeting after item 2.

</AI1>

<AI2>

2 Annual Scrutiny of Medr

2.1 The Committee scrutinised Medr on its annual report.

2.2 Medr agreed to provide a note on the following:

- Update on the situation with unplaced learners at Coleg Cambria.

- More information on the reasons why the proportion of learners who want to undertake an apprenticeship is disproportionate to the number of learners who end up doing one.

- Information on how many of the Tata Steel employers who were supported through public skills funding  went on to secure employment or progress to other positive routes on completion of their learning.

</AI2>

<AI3>

3 Papers to note

3.1 The papers were noted.

</AI3>

<AI4>

3.1 Information from Stakeholders

</AI4>

<AI5>

3.2 Welsh Government Draft Budget 2026-27

</AI5>

<AI6>

3.3 Information from Stakeholders

3.3 The Committee agreed to write to the Minister.

</AI6>

<AI7>

3.4 Welsh Government Draft Budget 2026-27

</AI7>

<AI8>

4 Motion under Standing Order 17.42(ix) to resolve to exclude the public from the remainder of this meeting

4.1 The motion was agreed.

</AI8>

<AI9>

5 Annual Scrutiny of Medr - consideration of the evidence

5.1 The Committee considered the evidence it had heard in the previous session.

</AI9>

<AI10>

6 Teacher recruitment and retention - consideration of the draft report

6.1 Members considered and agreed changes to the draft report. Final changes and sign off would be agreed electronically.

</AI10>

<AI11>

7 School improvement and learner attainment - consideration of correspondence

7.1 The Committee considered a piece of correspondence in relation to the work its carrying out on school improvement and learner attainment.

</AI11>

<AI12>

8 Forward work programme - discussion on the Welsh Government scrutiny sessions

8.1 The Committee discussed areas they would like to focus on for the forthcoming scrutiny sessions with the Welsh Government.

</AI12>

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