(Title Image: Welsh Government, Crown Copyright)
Curriculum Bill approved
On 9th March, the Senedd approved the Curriculum & Assessments Bill by 32 votes to 11 (with one abstention). The Bill lays out the legislative framework for a new national curriculum which is currently set to be rolled out from September 2022.
Education Minister, Kirsty Williams (Lib Dem, Brecon & Radnor) said: “I call it a national mission as it has involved everyone working together co-constructively – teachers, parents, academics, businesses, national organisations, and my department of course – to raise standards, tackle the attainment gap and to have an education system for our learners that is a source of pride to us all.”
Plaid Cymru voted against the Bill, believing Welsh histories (including Welsh BAME history) should have been on the face of the Bill as a mandatory element instead of being left to guidance.
Provisional grades for GCSEs and A-Levels to be awarded early
GCSE, AS-Level and A-Level students in Wales will be awarded provisional grades in June 2021 so they have an opportunity to appeal before final grades are awarded in August 2021.
This year, grades will be based on teacher and class assessments rather than external exams due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Coursework and mock exams will be used by teachers to give a provisional grade, which – subject to possible appeal – will be submitted to the WJEC for final approval.
Final Welsh budget for 2021-22 approved
The Senedd has passed the final Welsh budget for 2021-22 by 28 votes to 21 with 2 abstentions. Additionally, the local government settlement was approved by 28 votes to 19 with 4 abstentions.
As part of the budget, business rate relief was extended by 12 months until April 2022. A temporary reduction in land value tax was also extended until 30th June 2021.
As it was the final budget of the Fifth Senedd, Finance Minister, Rebecca Evans (Lab, Gower) said: “Despite a decade of austerity, we’re investing further in our NHS, bringing our total investment over this term of Government to £37 billion, with more than £8.4 billion in 2021-22, excluding Covid-19 support. We’re providing local authorities with a total investment over this term to more than £25 billion with a further £16.6 billion of funding in 2021-22, and, again, excluding the additional support as a result of Covid-19.”
Tory MS apologises for “shooting chavs” Facebook post
The Shadow Equalities Minister, Laura Anne Jones MS (Con, South Wales East), has apologised after an 8-year-old Facebook post emerged in which she said she would “like to do a spot of Chav shooting”. She also joked about shooting former UK Leader of the Opposition, Ed Milliband.
“Chav” emerged during the 2000s as a derogatory slang term for the white working class.
She said, “I do not condone the use of violence in any form, and my flippant use of language was unacceptable and inappropriate, which I deeply regret.”
Laura Anne Jones – who succeeded Mohammad Asghar following his death in 2020 and was elected as a Monmouthshire councillor in 2017 – is currently top of the Conservatives’ South Wales East regional list for 2021 and is expected to be elected.
