 Well thank you and good morning and I'm really pleased to be here today because for me this is coming home. I literally grew up in my home so it's lovely to be home. So thank you for that warm welcome. I was very proud in September to publish our new National Mission Education Action Plan. Proud because it wasn't a document that had been cooked up in a government back office. Instead it was the result of careful consideration with teachers, international experts and many others. And together we own that plan. The overall objective of the mission is simple. It's clear and ambitious. Together we will raise standards, reduce the attainment gap and deliver an education system that is a source of national pride and of public confidence. So we are on that journey. We know where we're going and we share that mission. We believe in the importance and the power of education to change lives to make a difference and to represent who we are as a nation. And to deliver on these promises we in Wales, us in this room and in classrooms up and down the country we have a unique opportunity to shape the very essence of our education system. Now by introducing a transformational new curriculum together we have set ourselves a big task and I make no apology for that. Our new curriculum will represent what we want, what we expect, the citizens of the future to become, what they will know and what they will have gained from their teachers. But the process of working together to shape that curriculum also represents what we want from the Welsh education system. A profession that collaborates, that is open to new ideas and that is always learning and seeks to raise standards for all of our children. Now I've been very fortunate, very lucky over the last year to meet ministers and educationists from North America across Europe and further afield. They all know that the way in which we're undertaking these reforms, the Welsh way, is founded on collaboration, creativity and confidence. And they are watching on with great interest and they're very keen to learn from our approach. In shaping the curriculum together we all of us have invested in a shared national mission to inspire healthy, enterprising, confident young people equipped with the knowledge and the skills that they will need now and into their futures. For some I know that the path that we have taken has been a test of endurance but the title of this conference is turning the corner and that is exactly what I feel we are doing. Since my very first day in the job I've been committed to listening to all views especially from people who work on the front line. As my officials will know I always want to indeed I need to hear all advice and views not just those that are willing to provide me with glib and simple answers. Now trust me on that as a Liberal Democrat who is reforming tuition fees I'm not a minister that is afraid to take difficult decisions and on the curriculum I have listened and paid full respect to all views and concerns. As I've said I'm not afraid to make tough decisions if they're the right decisions By rolling out the curriculum with care and collaboration we are now providing the right amount of preparation time for schools and teachers and I hope that this will bring about more confidence in how we approach the next few years. The new curriculum is a once in a generation opportunity and together we must get it right. Now there can often be a danger when setting something as transformational as this emotion that we lose momentum but with the approach that we have taken in Wales an approach of genuine cooperation I know that we will get it right but we cannot, we must not take our foot off the gas and we must continue at pace. So it is so encouraging to see the excellent work that is being done by consortia and individual scores For example, Priory Church in Wales Primary School in Brecon have run a programme called Mantle of the Expert for pioneer and non-pioneer schools alike This innovative programme involves using drama and creativity and learning and teaching development Similarly Cracauer High School or a pioneer school who are developing work with their cluster of feeder primaries on performing arts and its impact on practitioners and learners and just before people think I spend all my time in Brecon and Radnyshire schools it was really encouraging to hear about Cracauer High School in Swansea Now they are not a pioneer primary but what they do do is support other schools with business and entrepreneurship with the support of the local authority of Arrow and Swansea University and I have to say, I have just come straight from a year 8 maths lesson at Ochre school one of our curriculum pioneers and it was amazing amazing to see those year 8 students doing mental arithmetic in relation to tax and tax thresholds and higher rates of tax they had some very interesting views on higher rates of tax it was amazing to see them doing it and I'm very keen to get other assembly members into schools such as that for them to see the reality of what the new curriculum offers for our young people so there is plenty, plenty of good work that is currently underway and I know that there are many many more examples it's this joined up working that will make all the difference when it comes to actually truly realising our shared vision now of course on this journey we're not always going to agree on everything I'm not so naive to think that that's the case and it's only to be expected I understand the concerns that some of you have raised with regards to early entry I really do but again, I will stay true to my principle that I'll always be willing to make the tough, difficult decisions if they are what I believe to be the right thing to do GCSEs are designed to be set after two years of teaching not one I want young people to be able to access a broad and balanced curriculum and I believe that there are far too many pupils who are not being allowed to reach their full potential over recent years too often we are seeing pupils achieving a C grade on early entry and are subsequently not re-entered and that is simply settling rather than challenging it is holding our young people back and that I feel is a lack of confidence it's a lack of confidence in our students and it's a lack of confidence in ourselves Qualifications Wales's findings were clear they found that the widespread use of early entry poses a significant risk to learners and to the integrity of our public examination system I have acted on their independent findings which recommend that we should take a first entry cancer approach but I've also listened to schools' concerns when a not-to-similar move was announced across the border in England schools were forced halfway through the year to respond to these changes in a matter of days as I said, we do things differently in Wales and we have listened we work with a professional and I recognise that schools need time to plan their teaching, learning and their approach to GCSEs therefore the changes to performance measures will take effect from the summer 2019 reporting now the freeing up of November first entry for English and Welsh language is a matter for the regulator but I expect that to be available to schools in the next academic year let me be absolutely clear especially to those in the profession who have been telling their students that I have bound early entry this is not a bound on early entry this change solely relates to how we will consider school performance encouraging schools to enter learners when they are ready to gain the best possible result if we are always always committed to putting the interests of learners first and ensuring that they reach their full potential then we can be confident that together we will continue to raise standards and close the attainment gap now I've been on a personal journey over the last 18 months too as you may know as a Liberal Democrat assembly member I negotiated with the First Minister a progressive agreement when becoming the cabinet secretary we agreed a shared priorities across a number of portfolios and I wanted to give you a quick update on some of the progress that we have made in the first year in some of the school priority areas covering both primary and secondary firstly I was clear throughout the assembly elections that I shared parents and teachers concerns about infant class sizes international evidence shows that the effects of a reduction in class sizes are greatest in the youngest age group and for pupils from poorer backgrounds I recently discussed this with the Ontario government they, a world leading education system have invested in reducing class sizes and have seen a very positive impact in their provincial and international assessment scores based on the evidence our investment will target schools with the largest infant class sizes where teaching and learning needs to be improved and where there are high levels of deprivation we have made funding available to local authorities who have been required to submit business cases setting out proposals for how they believe their schools would benefit from this investment but I will be honest I have faced much resistance to this policy in the National Assembly from opposition parties but I have listened to parents listened to teachers and listened to the international evidence the challenges facing rural schools are also regularly raised with me and I see it on a daily basis in my own constituency this includes falling pupil numbers access to resources and difficulties in recruiting in response we have introduced a new rural and small schools grant to promote innovation to support school to school working and to raise standards again local authorities have submitted their plans for expenditure these have been assessed and local authorities have been advised of their allocations with the first tranche of money being paid this month I want to ensure that every school and community receives a fair hearing which is why I have consulted on strengthening the schools organisation code in respect of a presumption against the closure of rural schools now let me be clear this does not mean that rural schools will never close but the case for closure must be strong and must not be taken until all viable alternatives have been properly considered the consultation ended at the end of September and we are in the process of analysing consultation responses a summary of which I hope will be published before the end of this year of course rural schools in particular but not exclusively have sometimes missed out on broadband therefore prioritising schools access to superfast broadband was a key part of the agreement with the First Minister and we have since announced £5 million worth of additional investment to support improvements in this area another feature of the agreement was improved mental health services time and time again I speak to heads and teachers who tell me that they spend an inordinate amount of time chasing social services and health services to ensure that their pupils get the help and support that they need we clearly need a more linked up system the health secretary and I have therefore announced pilots covering the north east the south east and west Wales to operate in secondary, middle and feeder primary schools this will deliver dedicated CAMHS practitioners working with schools to provide the teachers with on-site help and advice ensuring pupils experiencing difficulties receive help as soon as possible if these pilots are a success which I am confident that they will be then this is a model that I would like to expand across the rest of the country finally and you will know this better than anybody it is clear to me that to succeed every school needs inspirational leaders setting direction and leading the way in your own school community I believe the establishment of our new national academy for educational leadership is an important step forward set alongside new professional standards reforming initial teacher education and curriculum reform it is part of our coherent and collaborative approach to leadership development the academy will develop current and future leadership talent for Wales and to ensure all schools can deliver on the new curriculum since announcing the establishment of the shadow academy board last November I have been greatly encouraged by the steady progress that has been made in a short space of time and I expect this momentum to continue so that by the September summer of 2018 the academy will be fully established and the advert for the chief executive went live at the beginning of this month now I started at the beginning of this speech talking about how together we are on a journey perhaps you might describe it as an expedition to conclude I would like to reflect on the Lewis and Clark expedition of the early 19th century Maryweather Lewis, a Welsh American and William Clark led an 1804 expedition through the uncharted parts of America through to the Pacific Northwest Lewis, Clark and the rest of the team began their journey in Missouri a place that again is close to my heart having studied and lived there when I was young, carefree and didn't know what a PISA assessment was right now I can tell you that feels like a very different time this group of explorers often call the core of discovery face nearly every obstacle and hardship imaginable on their trip but we can't even begin to calculate the influence of that expedition they were able to map the newly acquired territory and found a practical route across the western half of the continent claiming it for the United States there is no doubt that the expedition of Lewis and Clark forever changed the course of American history indeed I would argue the course of world history and you are on a journey of similar significance right here, right now you have the opportunity of mapping a future making a claim for a better way to deliver education something that will deliver not just for now and for today's citizens but building something better for tomorrow's Wales there's no fixed map hidden away in a draw in the government office for you to follow on the curriculum expedition and there will be undoubtedly challenges to overcome as we traverse this uncharted territory but you, you are the map makers we are turning the corner together we will map this journey but it is how you commit to leading the way that is crucial to us reaching successfully our destination it is you as individuals, as a collective as leaders that are changing the course of our education story turning the corner towards what I believe will be a bright and confident future for our country for your efforts thank you very much diolch yn fawr