Jane Davidson - Minister for Health and Social Services: There's no obligation on a school to make a pregnant girl leave. We have to look at ways to make sure everybody gets the education they're entitled to after you have a baby as well as before the birth.

I am working with Jane Hutt on producing Wales-wide guidance for local education authorities and schools with regards to education provision for teenage mums.

Helen Mary Jones AM: As far as local authorities are concerned, they are keen for girls to stay on as long as possible. All of us have the legal right to full time education, and those girls who are not getting it should be challenging their local authorities. You are entitled to get the same education as everyone else.

2. Why do pregnant teachers have the choice to stay on in school when they are pregnant, and yet pupils don't?

Jane: Teachers are entitled to a fixed amount of maternity leave. Normally the school negotiates with the teacher and there's no requirement for them to leave.

Helen: If you're a teacher, you're allowed to work up until a month before the baby is born. Pregnant teenagers should have the same right to stay on at school as a woman in the workplace - but the actual legal right is to work up until five minutes before the baby is born if you want to.

3. Why are some pregnant girls offered home tutors and some not?

Jane: This is because individual local authorities are taking responsibilities and are dealing with them differently depending on circumstances.

Helen: The policy in Rhondda Cynon Taff, which they think is best, is to provide special teaching units such as Books and Babies. This has certain advantages. It gets you out of the house and gets you to mix with other people. In rural areas, home tuition would be more common. A mixture of both would be ideal.

4. We feel there should be more financial help given to under-16s with babies who may want to live independently? What are your views?

Jane: The government has a clear view that there should be a disincentive to young women and young men having babies, and I agree with that. I think it's better to have an education and a proper chance to grow up before having the extra responsibilities of a baby.

Helen: We have to think what's best for mother and child. As under-16s you could be very vulnerable and exploited by people, so there's need for a lot of support. Probably the benefits should be a lot more flexible nowadays. If you are under-16, you don't get benefits. It's the government in London who decide benefits, not the Welsh Assembly.

5. We feel we should have a choice whether to attend school five days a week. At the moment we only have two days a week. What do you think?

Jane: I'm worried that teenage mums aren't getting the education they're entitled to. From this year we've given a new requirement to the local councils to say that if someone isn't in school, then after three weeks the council has to make sure they have an education programme. It's really important, because it gives your child a good start in life.

Helen: You have the right to a full-time education and the fact that you're not getting it should be challenged. Jane Davidson should be telling all local authorities in Wales 'You have got to find a way of giving everyone access to a full-time education'. Not everyone will want it, but you should have the right.

6. Why do mainstream schools have funding for computers, books and other equipment, when we at Books and Babies have none?

Jane: Cymorth funding is related to the way we encourage good parenting. Cymorth provide funding for projects like Books and Babies. It's a matter of local negotiation. We want to decrease the number of teenage pregnancies in Wales because we have one of the highest numbers in Western Europe. But when you do have babies we want to make sure that you can have access to education for yourself and your baby.

Helen: If projects like Books and Babies were funded on a per capita basis (according to how many students they have) then they would get nowhere near enough money to run the project. We'd like to create departments of children's and young people's services that will cover both education and social services - so there will be just one pot of money. That will make it easier for special projects to obtain funding.

7. Why do we only have the choice of doing two exams when people at mainstream schools have the choice of many more? Do you think this is a form of discrimination?

Jane: That's not the case across the whole of Wales. You need to look to your own local authority to see what is provided. Schools should be given the message that pregnant teenagers should be encouraged to stay in school as long as possible.

Helen: It is discrimination and prejudice and should be put right. Arguably, you need a better education now you have somebody else to support. If we don't make sure you have the best education possible so that you can look after your baby, then in the long term somebody is going to have to pick up the bill for that. It doesn't make sense in the longer term not to give you the same opportunities as everyone else.

8. Whilst attending mainstream education we feel we did not have a lot of sex education. Some teachers would be embarrassed.

Is there anything that is being done to improve the way that sex education is being taught?

Jane: Part of our strategy is to discourage young girls from becoming pregnant and to make sex education better. We introduced new sex education guidance in 2001 and are in the process of testing how well that is being followed in schools. We want to improve the way Personal and Social Education (PSE) is taught in schools.

Helen: The National Assembly has now introduced a new curriculum for sex education which we think is much better. PSE used not to be compulsory, but now it is. This means more resources being put into delivering PSE in schools - more teacher training and time for teacher preparation. Schools need to make sure they have the right kind of teachers to teach sex education - not all teachers are suitable and can do it comfortably.

9. Why is contraception not more readily available in schools?

Jane: I can't answer that because it's not part of education. It could be discussed in schools councils so young people can have an influence.

Helen: We all know that under-16s are not supposed to be having sex, but in reality many of them are. It's difficult for the schools. Legally you couldn't have a condom machine in the school loo - that would be encouraging young people to do something that is unlawful. There should be more school nurses. S/he would be someone you could discuss things with in private, and they could refer you to a family planning clinic. It's more difficult for a teacher who could loose his/her job for encouraging something unlawful.

10. After 16 we no longer can attend Books and Babies even if we want to.

What provisions are being made for girls like us with babies who want to continue their education, for example crèches in colleges?

Jane: I would encourage you all to attend college to get as much education as possible. We are expanding part-time child care so mothers can go to college.

Helen: Money for schools comes from local authorities, but money for colleges comes from a national body called ELWA. I could talk to them and ask if there's a way of getting that money from ELWA so you can go to Books and Babies part-time and to college part-time whilst carrying on using the Books and Babies crèche. You would also need money for travel. There needs to be more flexible thinking, instead of thinking in boxes.