Written question WQ84007

The pandemic has of course had significant impacts on learners and the education system that supports them. As we begin to renew education after the pandemic, there are key issues we will need to address. Learners will need support for the foundations for learning – their mental health and well-being, their relationships and physical health are all critical. There is also a need to support learners to continue making progress in their education following the disruption, developing their skills, knowledge and understanding. Similarly, practitioner well-being needs to be a key component of our approach to renewing education.

The Welsh Government provided over £220 million in financial year 2020-21 to support the education system’s response to COVID-19, including funding to support exam years, extend free school meal provision, provide devices for learners, and recruit staff into the education system.

My Renew and Reform plan, published in June, set out our view of the impacts of the pandemic on learning and a framework for action to address these. The Renew and Reform plan is supported by £189 million in this financial year to address to support education. In a comparison of UK nations in February, the Education Policy Institute (EPI) also found that Wales’ “catch up programmes are far better targeted at their most disadvantaged pupils”. The Renew and Reform plan ensures that we continue to target our interventions effectively to support different groups of learners appropriately. The priority cohorts set out in the plan were identified in discussion with partners and informed by the evidence of where the pandemic has had the greatest impact.

I published an update to the Renew and Reform plan in September, setting out additional funding and our priorities for the coming year. These priorities include building capacity in the system to support all learners including retaining the 1,800 full-time equivalent staff that have been recruited; providing specific support for vulnerable and disadvantaged learners; ensuring our youngest learners have access to quality, play-based learning opportunities; and supporting learners in post-16 and transition years to move on to their next steps in education, work or training. The Welsh Government is continuing to look for opportunities to provide support for education through the Renew and Reform programme as part of discussions on the upcoming budget.

We will evaluate these initiatives against the success criteria set out in the Renew and Reform plan, using a range of different measures, viewpoints and evidence sources to inform this and ensure that our funding is making the appropriate difference.