P-05-972 To provide a minimum of 4 hours a day of live teaching during COVID closures for all school children – Petitioner to Committee, 23.06.20

Please see my responses in red with regards to the letter from the Minister of Education - 

We are aware that some schools have the capability to deliver live streamed lessons safely to their learners and as such we have worked with stakeholders across the Education sector to agree guidance to reflect this, subject to certain conditions. This is available at https://hwb.gov.wales/distance-learning/developing-approaches-to-support-distancelearning/   - The lack of consistency across all schools in Wales to provide an equal delivery of continued lessons is against equality policy ."some schools " is not all schools and creates a picture of a post code lottery of educational provision both in terms of equality and the right to education as outlined in the human rights act .

  The safeguarding of children remains our priority but schools have the option to use live streaming of lessons if it is considered appropriate. In doing so schools should closely adhere to their safeguarding policies and refer to the Welsh Government’s ‘Live-streaming safeguarding principles and practice for education practitioners’ guidance document’ at https://hwb.gov.wales/zones/online-safety/live-streaming-safeguarding-principles-andpractice-for-education-practitioners/ and any relevant local authority guidance. There is inconsistent messaging and adoption of this guidance from LA's . Private schools are harnessing and have harnessed live lessons since the early pandemic and will do so should the need for "blended learning " continue into the new academic year . We see the lack of this decree being centrally agreed a matter for equality ( please  send the Welsh government report into equality in education for my information , again creating a "post code " lottery for those unable to access private schooling and is also a contravention of human rights   for the children of Wales . WG simply cannot "pass the buck " to the LA's in a matter of such great importance especially when most LA@s are struggling financially with budget deficits .  

  Welsh Government do not prescribe the amount of live streaming of lessons that will be delivered as individual schools have the responsibility for the use of live streaming of lessons according to their capability to do so and local arrangements for interaction with their learners. Any arrangements for the use of live streaming of lessons will remain the responsibility of individual schools in conjunction with their Local Authorities and as such they will need to confirm the agreed position with their Local Authority. This answer from the minister is wholly unacceptable and to push the provision of live lessons out to the LA is a case for lack of equality of education provision for Welsh school children . Welsh government need to decide policy which ensures an equal provision  of standard of education for children who are in state provision in line with private . To not do so is both a human rights issue and abuse of equal rights for children .

It is unacceptable for WG to push this matter onto the already struggling LA's to creat a post code lottery of pot luck of what our childrens education looks like as we move through 2020 . 

I await your response