NDM7440 - Opposition Debate
Tabled on 14/10/2020 | For debate on 21/10/2020To 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through a reformed Welsh system of assessment and qualifications aligned to the new curriculum of Wales by scrapping outdated GCSE and A-Level examinations;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.
Tabled By
Amendments
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.
Tabled By
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;'
Tabled By
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;'
Tabled By
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;'
Tabled By
Insert as new sub-point (c) (ii) and renumber accordingly:
'abiding by the judgment in Driver v. RCT County Borough Council;
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Delete sub-point (e) and renumber accordingly.
Tabled By
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;'
Tabled By
Delete sub-point (h) and renumber accordingly.
Tabled By
Insert as new sub-point at end of motion:
'make an urgent statement on the support provided to apprentices and trainees.'
Tabled By
Add as new point at end of motion:
Calls on Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council to accept the administrative court's judgement in the case of Driver versus the council and to work with parents, teachers, pupils and the local community to find an alternative way forward in relation to proposals for educational reorganisation in the Pontypridd area.