Meetings
NDM7440 Plaid Cymru debate - The Future of Education
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Meeting: 21/10/2020 - Plenary - Fifth Senedd (Item 8)
Plaid Cymru debate - The future of education
NDM7440 Sian
Gwenllian (Arfon)
To propose that the Senedd:
Calls on the Welsh Government to:
a) provide timely reassurance to pupils and
teachers by making an immediate statement that examinations will not be held in
Wales in summer 2021 and will instead be replaced by teacher assessment;
b) ensure young people have the skills they
need for the future and are given a fair opportunity to demonstrate attainment
of those skills through a reformed Welsh system of assessment and
qualifications aligned to the new curriculum of Wales by scrapping outdated
GCSE and A-Level examinations;
c) ensure that every pupil leaves the
education system as bilingual citizens, by:
i) taking further steps to ensure the new
curriculum facilitates fluency in Welsh as a norm by increasing Welsh medium
education in every sector and learning phase; and
ii) committing to introducing a Deddf
Addysg Gymraeg;
d) ensure every pupil has an understanding
of Wales’s diverse heritage and identity by making the history of Wales,
including black and people of colour history as an integral part of the history
of Wales, a mandatory element in the Curriculum and Assessment Bill;
e) uphold the rights of all pupils in the
Pontypridd area and elsewhere to a Welsh-medium education in their own
community and within a reasonable distance to their homes by promoting widely
the precedents arising from the administrative court’s judgement in Driver v.
RCT County Borough Council in relation to the proper undertaking of Welsh
language impact assessments in school reorganisation proposals;
f) prioritise the mental health and
wellbeing of our students by ensuring the mental health and wellbeing areas of
learning and expertise are given due attention in the Curriculum and Assessment
Bill, and monitor medium and long-term trends in mental health provision in
schools;
g) urgently, support further education students
learning from home by ensuring they have access to adequate broadband provision
and equipment, and urgently assess the need to safely reopen public workspaces
for students who cannot work at home;
h) prevent apprentices from slipping into
poverty by guaranteeing full wage protections during workplace closures, and
provide additional support/guidance if they are made redundant;
i) uphold the legal rights of students by
ensuring they are treated equally to the rest of the public with regards to
COVID-19 restrictions, including a guarantee that students can return home
before the Christmas period with appropriate testing safeguards in place.
Curriculum
and Assessment (Wales) Bill
Amendment
1 Darren
Millar (Clwyd West)
Delete
sub-points (a) and (b) and replace with:
'take
all steps to ensure that pupils in Wales have the opportunity to sit general
and vocational exams this school year, including if the school year is
extended;
set
a date by which a decision must be made on whether exams will go ahead, with
such dates allowing for a credible and robust system of externally moderated
centre assessment grades to be implemented instead;'
Amendment
2 Darren
Millar (Clwyd West)
Delete
sub-point (c) (i) and replace with:
'introducing
a Welsh language continuum code to assist practitioners to deliver the aim of
improving fluency through the curriculum;'
Amendment
3 Darren
Millar (Clwyd West)
Insert
as new sub-point (c) (ii) and renumber accordingly:
'abiding
by the judgment in Driver v. RCT County Borough Council;
Amendment
4 Darren
Millar (Clwyd West)
Insert
as new sub-point after point (c) and renumber accordingly:
'ensure
young people have the skills they need for the future and are given a fair
opportunity to demonstrate attainment of those skills through an improved
system of assessment and general qualifications aligned to the new curriculum
of Wales and via access to courses leading to recognised vocational
qualifications;'
Amendment
5 Darren
Millar (Clwyd West)
Delete
sub-point (e) and renumber accordingly.
Amendment
6 Darren
Millar (Clwyd West)
Insert
as new sub-point after sub-point (g) and renumber accordingly:
'better
reflect the recommendations of the Mind Over Matter report and the observations
of the Children’s Commissioner in delivery of the curriculum, and monitor
outcomes;'
Amendment
7 Darren
Millar (Clwyd West)
Delete
sub-point (h) and renumber accordingly.
Amendment
8 Darren
Millar (Clwyd West)
Add
as new points at end of motion:
Recognises
the disruption caused to pupils’ education by the Welsh Government's response
to COVID-19.
Recognises
the commitment and flexibility of all staff delivering education during the
COVID-19 pandemic.
Amendment
9 Darren
Millar (Clwyd West)
Insert
as new sub-point at end of motion:
'make
an urgent statement on the support provided to apprentices and trainees.'
In accordance with Standing Order 12.23
(iii) amendment 10 tabled to the motion has not been selected.
Minutes:
The
item started at 16.45
Voting
on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.
A
vote was taken on the motion without amendment:
NDM7440 Sian Gwenllian (Arfon)
To propose that the Senedd:
Calls on the Welsh Government to:
a) provide timely reassurance to pupils and
teachers by making an immediate statement that examinations will not be held in
Wales in summer 2021 and will instead be replaced by teacher assessment;
b) ensure young people have the skills they
need for the future and are given a fair opportunity to demonstrate attainment
of those skills through a reformed Welsh system of assessment and
qualifications aligned to the new curriculum of Wales by scrapping outdated
GCSE and A-Level examinations;
c) ensure that every pupil leaves the
education system as bilingual citizens, by:
i) taking further steps to ensure the new
curriculum facilitates fluency in Welsh as a norm by increasing Welsh medium
education in every sector and learning phase; and
ii) committing to introducing a Deddf
Addysg Gymraeg;
d) ensure every pupil has an understanding
of Wales’s diverse heritage and identity by making the history of Wales,
including black and people of colour history as an integral part of the history
of Wales, a mandatory element in the Curriculum and Assessment Bill;
e) uphold the rights of all pupils in the
Pontypridd area and elsewhere to a Welsh-medium education in their own
community and within a reasonable distance to their homes by promoting widely
the precedents arising from the administrative court’s judgement in Driver v.
RCT County Borough Council in relation to the proper undertaking of Welsh
language impact assessments in school reorganisation proposals;
f) prioritise the mental health and
wellbeing of our students by ensuring the mental health and wellbeing areas of
learning and expertise are given due attention in the Curriculum and Assessment
Bill, and monitor medium and long-term trends in mental health provision in
schools;
g) urgently, support further education
students learning from home by ensuring they have access to adequate broadband
provision and equipment, and urgently assess the need to safely reopen public
workspaces for students who cannot work at home;
h) prevent apprentices from slipping into
poverty by guaranteeing full wage protections during workplace closures, and
provide additional support/guidance if they are made redundant;
i) uphold the legal rights of students by
ensuring they are treated equally to the rest of the public with regards to
COVID-19 restrictions, including a guarantee that students can return home
before the Christmas period with appropriate testing safeguards in place.
Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Bill
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
9 |
0 |
40 |
49 |
The motion without amendment not agreed.
The
following amendments were tabled:
Amendment 1 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)
Delete sub-points
(a) and (b) and replace with:
'take all steps to
ensure that pupils in Wales have the opportunity to sit general and vocational
exams this school year, including if the school year is extended;
set a date by which
a decision must be made on whether exams will go ahead, with such dates
allowing for a credible and robust system of externally moderated centre
assessment grades to be implemented instead;'
A vote was taken on
amendment 1:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
14 |
0 |
35 |
49 |
Amendment 1 was not agreed.
Amendment 2 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)
Delete sub-point
(c) (i) and replace with:
'introducing a
Welsh language continuum code to assist practitioners to deliver the aim of
improving fluency through the curriculum;'
A vote was taken on
amendment 2:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
11 |
3 |
35 |
49 |
Amendment 2 was not agreed.
Amendment 3 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)
Insert as new sub-point (c) (ii) and renumber accordingly:
'abiding by the judgment in Driver v. RCT County Borough Council;
A vote was taken on
amendment 3:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
20 |
3 |
26 |
49 |
Amendment 3 was not agreed.
Amendment 4 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)
Insert as new sub-point after point (c) and renumber accordingly:
'ensure young people have the skills they need for the future and are
given a fair opportunity to demonstrate attainment of those skills through an
improved system of assessment and general qualifications aligned to the new
curriculum of Wales and via access to courses leading to recognised vocational
qualifications;'
A vote was taken on
amendment 4:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
11 |
3 |
35 |
49 |
Amendment 4 was not agreed.
Amendment 5 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)
Delete sub-point (e) and renumber accordingly.
A vote was taken on
amendment 5:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
11 |
3 |
35 |
49 |
Amendment 5 was not agreed.
Insert as new sub-point after sub-point (g) and renumber accordingly:
'better reflect the recommendations of the Mind Over Matter report and
the observations of the Children’s Commissioner in delivery of the curriculum,
and monitor outcomes;'
A vote was taken on
amendment 6:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
20 |
3 |
26 |
49 |
Amendment 6 was not agreed.
Amendment 7 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)
Delete sub-point (h) and renumber accordingly.
A vote was taken on
amendment 7:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
12 |
2 |
35 |
49 |
Amendment 7 was not agreed.
Amendment 8 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)
Add as new points at end of motion:
Recognises the disruption caused to pupils’ education by the Welsh
Government's response to COVID-19.
Recognises the commitment and flexibility of all staff delivering
education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A vote was taken on
amendment 8:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
14 |
9 |
26 |
49 |
Amendment 8 was not agreed.
Amendment 9 Darren Millar (Clwyd West)
Insert as new sub-point at end of motion:
'make an urgent statement on the support provided to apprentices and
trainees.'
A vote was taken on
amendment 9:
For |
Abstain |
Against |
Total |
20 |
3 |
26 |
49 |
Amendment 9 was not agreed.
In accordance with Standing
Order 12.23 (iii), amendment 10 was not selected.
As the Senedd did not agree the motion without amendment,
and did not agree the amendments tabled to the motion, the motion is therefore not agreed.