 more stable arrangements over the longer term. As the national framework is withdrawn I also intend to remove the framework for further and higher education. These changes reflect changes in other sectors and in wider life. The updated guidance will be published later this week to be in place from next Monday. Of course as we all know, COVID-19 has Ilo'r brif na mwyaf o'r hwn i ddech emphasize ac rwy'n dod a dweud o'r syniad gynnal ar gyfer y virus, ac roedd gennym o'r gweld yn gwneud o'r gwy fluidiaeth i ddefnyddio'ch gyfwelaeth ar gyfer gyfo'i rhywbeth yn cael ei meddwl. Rwy'n rhan o'r pandemig, rydyn ni wedi'i yn ei wneud o'r rhan o'r cyfnod gyda'r rhan o'r ymgyrch. Ielio'n gofyn nhw'n amser o'r pandemig oedd yn ymgyrchu'r prysgrifio chi'n cyfnod o'r examyniadau, o'r cyfnod o'r pryddydd ac mae'n deud oherwydd o'n cyfnod o'r hyn. I want to reassure you that this year's exams have been designed to be as fair as possible and to take into account the disruption that you've faced due to the pandemic. There is lots of support available to help you prepare and there will be support to guide you after you've sat your assessments, especially if you're not sure what to do next. For those learners whose motivation has been impacted by the pandemic and maybe feel overwhelmed or disengaged with education, remember that you are not alone. Your school, your local Further Education College or Careers Wales, as well as the support you get from families and friends, they're there to help you get to the next stage of your life, whatever is that you choose to do. I'd like to outline some further measures that we are taking today to support learners. Firstly, we want to enable learners to take their exams well and safely. The Minister for Health and I have agreed an exception for those who have recently tested positive but who feel well enough to sit their exam. Those who are due to sit an exam can start testing on day 3 and 4 of their isolation period. If both tests are negative, if they feel well enough, they may sit their exam from day 4 after the initial positive test. WJC have designed the exam timetable to schedule exams 10 days apart so that an individual learner who tests positive for COVID-19 will only miss one component of their qualification. WJC will be publishing guidance imminently, including on special considerations. It's critical that we work together to enable young people to know their choices and to feel confident. Our young person's guarantee is also in place to ensure every learner leaving education has the offer of further study, training or work so that no one is left behind. As a Government, we continue to take measures to support our most disadvantaged learners. Our renew and reform plan, supported by £278 million in the last financial year alone, has weighted funding towards the most vulnerable and disadvantaged learners, including bespoke support for individuals. Exam appeals usually include a charge. This year, we will be making funding available so that disadvantaged learners will not be charged for any appeals. We've also been working with higher education institutions to help them reach out and support our most disadvantaged learners. We are making a change to legislation to enable the Welsh Government to share free school meal data with UCAS, including providing better data for universities on Welsh learners who are or have previously been eligible for free school meals. This is to help widen access to university for our most disadvantaged young people and enable this to happen for clearing and confirmation this year and then every year in future. Schools, colleges and others who support learners through the application and exams process have been able to inform universities through a supporting statement of where a learner has, for example, been eligible for financial support from their college and there remains an opportunity to inform universities about ongoing COVID disruption. Building on the existing support for learners in transition years, the Welsh Government has asked local authorities and further education colleges to come together to ensure that the young people who they know are most in need are receiving bespoke personalised support to enable them to transition to the next steps. We can be immensely proud of your efforts as learners and as staff over the last year and as a Government we will continue to do all that we can to support you. A very big poor bloke. Good luck to you all. I'll take the first question from Kimlyn Davis at BBC Wales. Diolch. Yn mynd i'n diolch ar gyfer cynlluniaethau i'r cwestiwn yma yn Gymraeg ac yn Cysneg, os gweld eich cymdeithas. Yn datblygu'r cyfrindig o ffaith ei ddweud o'r cyfrindig i'r cyfrindig, mae'n fyddech chi'n gwybod i'r cyfrindig y cyfrindig yn ei gŵr, yn ymdeg gweithio'ch cyfrindig i'r cyfrindig. Yn nhw, cyfrindig yw'r cyfrindig eithaf oherwydd am y regime yma yn ei ddweud o'r cyfrindig, oherwydd o'r cyfrindig yma oedd yn gyfrindig fideo, oherwydd oeddiw'r cyfrindig sy'n cyfrindig i'r cyfrindig. ac mae'r ysgol yn yfynifoeddau, y gymhwyno'n gweithdoedd hynny'n ymgyrch yn ymgyrch yn ymgyrch yn y gweithfodol. Ond mae'n gŵl i'r sgol eich ystod yma yw'n ddim yn ymgyrch yn ymgyrch yn ymgyrch, ac mae'r cael ffordd o gael i'r gweithfodol a'r diolch yn yr ysgol yn ddod ar y cyfnod iawn i'r society. Dyna'r cynhyrch gyda i'r sefydlik y byddai sicrhau mewn gymhygoel gyda'i wneud beth nesaf ac mae'r siwr hwn yn cael cael ei ffrind o hollwchio'n mew, ac yn cael ei g Daddiw i ddefnyddio'r hefyd yn cael ei sefydliadau. Mae siwr hwn yn cael ei wneud ei bobl i fan i ddewgwchio'r ddeunydd yn cael anghydfyrdd ar y gyrfaedd i gyda'u cyhoedd i'r llyfr yn llawer o'r leistrifeth o'r ddyn nhoc hwnnw o'ch decidedllion am hollwchio ar gyfer y maen nhoc. We are encouraging particular arrangements around social distancing, the wearing of face coverings in and out of the exam centre, and other measures which are specific to exam conditions. So, as part of the suite of measures which many schools will be operating over the next few weeks, that will play an important part. Mae'r cwysgwm y gyddaeth yn ysgolion i wedi bod yn rhan o'r fram waith mae'n ysgolion i'n hymry wedi bod yn gweithredi, ers amser ac wedi bod yn gweithredi hynny yn Llywoddiannus, ond fel rhan o'r broses o symud ti agat sefylfa ar draws yn cymdeithas, neu ar draws yn hechonomini, sy'n adliw ar y chyr symud o sefylfa pandemic i sefylfa endemic. O'r symud o'r ffram waith, beth y gofyniad i'w ysgol mae'r gyddaen o'r fodol ddim yn rhan o'r hwnnw, ond mae'n bwysig bod ysgolion dal yn cymryd y cyfle i weithredi o ran o'r rhan o'r cynllaw i'r newydd, beth cyfnogeth a checklist yn cael ei ddarparu i gyfnogi penaethiad i allu wneud y penderfyniadau hynny ar y asesiadau rysg hynny, ac yn dybyn ni ar amgylchiadau unigol ysgolion beth yn bosib i gymryd camau'n cynnwys gwysgwm y gydde pan mae hynny yn adlas i adlwerch chi'r rysg yn lleol, beth cyfnodol yn cael ei wneud o ran amgylchiadau aroliadau o ran pelai cymdeithasol, gwysgwm y gydde i'n mewn y gallan o'r ystafell gwintallu a'r mesurau eraill byddach chi'n dysgol i'r syfafol hwnnw, felly byddw'r mesurau hynny yn cael ei gweithredi unigdestun aroliadau dros wrth nos yn ystafell. You've also said in the past that you'd be keen to strap rules affecting children as soon as possible, so I wonder then if you could explain why it's taken so long for you to reach this point where actually schools have ended up playing catch up, catching up with the rest of society. Well, we have been very clear with our partners in the education system. We work very collaboratively with education authorities, with teaching unions and so on, to ensure that the measures we have in place in schools are appropriate at all times. We've just had an end of term break. We've been very clear throughout this process that the changes that we make in schools are made whenever possible during school times, so that schools can respond to them during the school term themselves. We are in the second week back this week after the break and that's why the announcements are being made in the usual way at the beginning of the term in this way. As I say, the changes reflect the journey that we are on across society, shifting from a pandemic to the endemic stage and it's in that context that it's appropriate to move from the framework into broader guidance for schools and settings. Ni wedi gweithio ar y cyd gyda awdurdodau lleol a gyda endebe drw'r cyfnod i sicrhau bod y canllawiau ar gofynion sy'n ganddwn ni yn adas i'r sefyllfa o bryd i gilydd yn yn ysgolion ni. Mae hefyd wedi bod yn rhan o'r ffordd ni wedi gweithredu i sicrhau bod ni ddim yn datgau newyddiadau mawr yn ystod y trwng y tymor eysgol, ond naid hynny'r gychwyn na'i'n ystod y tymor. Felly, ni'n bythefnos nôl i'r tymor yr oesnos hwn, felly mae'n amseradau i ddatgan y newyddiadau. Diolch, Cymru. Owain Phillips, ITV Wells. Prwy'n dda i chi. Can I ask you on pupil attendance figures, some very low attendance figures at the moment, well below the 95% target that you have? Do you accept that there are some pupils out there who've lost the habit of simply going to school? Well actually, I'm making a statement in the centre of this afternoon, I'm in relation to attendance generally. As you will know, I commissioned a review at the end of last year, which has been very helpful in guiding our response in relation to attendance. And we are very concerned that particular year groups and particular cohorts of learners have been more likely, in some cases very much more likely than others not to be in school. So I'll be outlining in the chamber this afternoon a set of measures in response to that. It is very clear that learners should be in school and that parents and carers should be encouraging learners back into the classroom where they can learn with their peers safely face to face. That is the best place for them to be. I do recognise, of course, that the challenges and circumstances of the last two years have been very, very challenging for many learners. But as we move from that pandemic to the endemic stage, I want to encourage learners back into the classroom and I'll have some specific measures to announce in the centre later on today. Some parents have been fined in the past for regular non-attendance of their children in school. When will that provision return? Well, as you know, we have not at any point changed the law in relation to the regime around fixed penalty fines. What we have encouraged during the period of the last two years, we've discouraged the issuing of fines given the circumstances that we've all been experiencing and the particularly challenging circumstances that many learners have faced. But one of the things I will be saying in the Senef this afternoon is that we are now asking local education authorities to revert to the pre-COVID guidance in relation to the issuing of fines. Now, it is still the case that they should only be used as a last resort when all attempts to engage with families in the range of ways that we have have been exhausted. And you will also be aware that I've recently committed additional funding to recruit family engagement officers in Wales to increase surability, to have bespoke relationships with families and to engage in particular ways where learners have been persistently absent. But I'll have more to say about that later on in the Chamber today. Abbi Wittig, Wales Online. Thank you, Minister. You've said that fines will only be used now as a very last resort. And I just wondered what measures will be tried before those fines will be imposed, how much those fines will be, and also what kind of support you're going to give to schools to bring those children back. We've heard a lot about huge rise in mental health, behavioural problems. What support will be given to schools? And what is a last resort? What will be tried before their fine? Well, as I mentioned in my answer to Owen, Abbi, just a moment ago, we have always asked for fines to be a question of last resort. It's a very well established set of practices which predate COVID, where very understandably people want to use fines only when everything else has proven unsuccessful. So in accordance with that pre COVID guidance, we would expect all the usual ways of engaging with families to be continued. As I say, we've supplemented the support available to schools to recruit family engagement officers in order to strengthen their ability to do that. We all know how challenging the last two years has been, and so we will always want to make sure that we are working with families, with learners, to encourage their return to school. But in the very small number of cases where that isn't possible and where there isn't an underlying reason for that, we feel now is the right point to make that, to revert, if you like, to the pre COVID practice. Sure, but as we all know, it's more than one in 10 children. That's still not in school. So what is your message to parents and carers who aren't sending their children in? What would you say to them? I want parents and carers to send their children to school. Everything we know and it's certainly been highlighted over the last two years is that children learn best when they are together with their peers, learning with their teachers face to face in that classroom setting. We are very clear about the many adverse effects that children and young people have felt by not being able to be in that environment enough, if you like, because of the necessary actions that governments everywhere have had to take in relation to COVID. So we want to encourage parents and carers and learners to be back in the classroom learning with their peers face to face with their teachers and lecturers. Diolch yn fawr, Tom Magna, Carersworld. Good afternoon, Minister, and thank you for taking my questions. I'd like to, if I may, draw on your expertise as a former council general for Wales, appreciate as a bit of a quantum shift from today. On the 1st of July 2020 in the Senate, you said, and I quote, the Welsh Government continues to ensure the protection of these rights, that is human rights, throughout the management of the COVID-19 crisis. Now, the Old People's Commissioner for Wales and others have since raised concerns that this was not the case. Do you still believe that the Welsh Government respected human rights, particularly of the elderly, through the actions taken so far? Yes, Tom, I do. The judgments which the government has taken at all points have had at their core an assessment of the impact on the rights of individuals. Throughout the pandemic, there has been the requirement to analyse any potential step which the government is taking from the perspective of the rights of those affected has been central to our judgments. We are a government which is committed to human rights, so we've done our best at all times to reflect that in the very difficult decisions which have had to be taken over the course of the last two years. Thank you for that. You'll be aware of the high court judgment involving hospital and care home working in the pandemic in England, a judgment that decided at least one official policy was unlawful. If it later transpires that the Welsh Government had acted unlawfully in any way, there's no suggestion that it did. In that hypothetical situation, how would that alter your view on respect for human rights? Tom, I'm not sure. I think the point you're making is a specific point in relation to particular court action, as you say, in relation to England. The point I made in response to your earlier question very much remains our priority as a government. We have consistently weighed very carefully in the balance throughout the impact on individuals' rights of the various steps we've been called on to take as a government by the circumstances in which we've all found ourselves, and I'm absolutely clear that that has been a priority for the government throughout at all stages. Thank you. Harry Hansen, that's TV. Thank you. Good afternoon, Minister. I wanted to ask you about a study, a recent study which some of my viewers have brought to my attention. It's a study by Swansea University that found that only 53% of secondary schools in Wales are offering proper education around menstruation. Now, it was made compulsory to be included as part of the syllabus in 2020, so is this statistic quite sharpened to your education minister? Well, actually, one of the key advantages of bringing forward our new curriculum from September of this year is that it enables us to ensure that all our young learners have the education that they need about menstruation, about sexual identity, about health questions, well-being questions, a range of those key learnings, key education that we need in order to live healthy lives and lives where well-being and the well-being of others is at the heart of our considerations. So, I'm looking forward to seeing the curriculum begin to be rolled out in our schools from September of this year, and we're able to make sure that in doing that our children and young people get the education that they need. The study outlines a number of things, concerns that a lot of students are missing classes, missing exams because of that, as well as a lack of training in teachers around it. So, is the Welsh Government going to consider looking into that and maybe offering more training to teachers on this particular issue? Absolutely. That's exactly what we are working on already, Harry. In order to enable us to provide the kind of education that you're referring to, we need to be able to make sure that teachers are trained and have access to professional learning around menstruation, around other aspects of our health and well-being, and accompanying our new curriculum. There is a very substantial programme of investment in professional learning for our teaching workforce, generally for teaching assistants as well. And so, from September, there will be a core entitlement of professional learning and a range of other resources available to teachers and teaching assistants. And so, we will be able to make sure that the curriculum is taught in that way from September onwards. Thank you. Thank you very much. Diolch yn fawr iawn.