NDM7606 - Opposition Debate
Tabled on 24/02/2021 | For debate on 03/03/2021To propose that the Senedd:
1. Recognises that the lack of investment in school infrastructure over recent decades has resulted in many schools not being fit for purpose.
2. Welcomes recent investment such as the 21st Century Schools Programme, but regrets the fact that this is being used as a vehicle by local education authorities to merge schools.
3. Calls upon the Welsh Government to:
a) put a halt on the creation of super schools which are detrimental to the learning experience of young people;
b) ensure that local education authorities do not use a lack of investment as an excuse to close community schools; and
c) issue guidance to local education authorities to ensure that school pupils do not have to travel more than 15 minutes by car or public transport to attend their nearest school.
Tabled By
Amendments
Delete all and replace with:
To propose that the Senedd:
1. Believes that all children and young people should have the opportunity to learn in the best learning environments.
2. Recognises that local authorities are responsible for planning school places and choosing an appropriate learning model for a particular area.
3. Notes that when making major changes to schools, including school closures, local authorities must comply with the School Organisation Code and take into account a range of factors, the prime concern being the interests of learners.
4. Welcomes that the Welsh Government:
a) has prioritised investment in the schools and colleges estate and continues to do so through its 21st Century Schools and Colleges Programme;
b) will invest in excess of £300 million in our schools and colleges this year; the highest annual spend since the programme commenced;
c) scrutinises investment in the 21st Century Schools and Colleges Programme to ensure that active travel is a key part of the new provision; and
d) is reviewing the Learner Travel (Wales) Measure 2008, which sets the conditions under which local authorities are required to provide home to school travel for learners, to ensure that it remains fit for purpose.
21st Century Schools and Colleges Programme
Learner Travel (Wales) Measure 2008
Tabled By
Delete point 3 and replace with:
Calls on the Welsh Government to:
a) end the underfunding of pupils in Wales;
b) deliver fair funding for local authorities to protect rural schools;
c) bring forward projects in phase B of the 21st Century Schools and Colleges Programme to start rebuilding Wales;
d) ensure that all new schools are designed in a disability-aware way;
e) resist the creation of super schools and ensure no school is closed against community wishes;
f) ensure that local education authorities cannot use a lack of investment as an excuse to close local schools; and
g) conduct a Wales-wide audit of the condition of the existing estate for Welsh medium provision.
