Translate the text from English to Welsh.



 
In February I announced my intention to establish a new School Standards Unit within my department. The Unit was established in May and one of its first tasks has been to develop the national banding system for schools as part of the improvement agenda that I set out in my February address.


As we approach the end of term I want to update colleagues on progress in developing the system, to set out what the system will achieve and outline the key actions planned for the autumn term.


The introduction of a banding system is one of a suite of policy actions designed to give us a clearer focus on our performance and progress. The system will group secondary and primary schools into bands reflecting their outcomes and progress, taking account of the challenge they face from socio\-economic circumstances. Special schools will not be banded.


The banding system will use national data sets to provide a consistent approach to grouping schools according to where they are on their improvement journey. It will give the School Standards Unit a starting point for discussion with consortia and local authorities about priorities for support and challenge. In turn, it will give consortia and local authorities a starting point for discussion with schools; it will provide a basis upon which to direct our resources to where they are needed most to ensure we secure the improvements necessary in our school system.


Banding is NOT about labelling schools, naming and shaming or creating a divisive league table. It is about grouping our schools according to a range of factors to establish priorities for differentiated support and identifying those from whom the sector can learn.


The national school banding system is a tool to help us be effective in driving improvement across the board.  The most important aspect of banding will be the support, challenge and sharing of best practice that follow.  The development of a framework and statutory guidance to support this will be key to delivering long term, sustainable improvements.


The School Standards Unit has worked closely with the sector. As a result of this work we currently have a pilot banding system for secondary schools which uses a mix of data to reflect most recent outcomes, progress over time, contextual results and value added data.  The School Standards Unit is testing this model in the first round of consortium stocktakes this term.


Following feedback from all local authorities this term, the model for secondary schools will be refined and finalised in time for the start of the new academic year. Work has begun on the primary school banding model which will be based on the same principles as the secondary model using national data sets, recent outcomes, progress and context.


It is important that schools, those involved in supporting them on their improvement journey, and parents understand which band their school is in, what it means in terms of support and challenge and priorities for improvement.  That is why I have arranged for the sector to receive notification today about the progress we have made and the planned next steps in implementation of the school banding system.


Early in the autumn term each secondary school will receive details of the band into which they have been placed, the data on which the banding has been based and detailed guidance to help them interpret and understand the banding. We will also share the banding information with local authorities and support the implementation of the system with a suite of communication materials and activities to ensure as complete an understanding of the system and its purpose as possible.


For secondary schools, this initial banding will use data up to the 2010 external examination results. This is to ensure that schools, governing bodies and local authorities have banding information alongside other key performance information to inform discussion on relative performance and target setting early in the autumn term. Once we have data for the 2011 examinations the banding will be updated and the revised information sent to schools.


As work progresses with development of the model for primary schools I will keep colleagues updated and communicate a timeline for release of information.







Translation:


 
Ym mis Chwefror, cyhoeddais fy mod yn bwriadu sefydlu Uned Safonau Ysgolion newydd yn fy adran.  Sefydlwyd yr Uned ym mis Mai ac un o’i thasgau cyntaf oedd datblygu’r system fandio genedlaethol ar gyfer ysgolion fel rhan o’r agenda ar gyfer gwella y soniais amdani yn fy araith ym mis Chwefror.   

A ninnau ar fin cyrraedd diwedd y tymor, rwyf am roi’r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i gydweithwyr am y gwaith ar ddatblygu’r system, nodi’r hyn fydd y system yn ei wneud, ac amlinellu’r prif gamau sydd wedi’u cynllunio ar gyfer tymor yr hydref. 

Un o gyfres o gamau polisi yw’r system fandio, a luniwyd i roi ffocws cliriach i ni ar ein perfformiad a’n cynnydd. Bydd y system fandio genedlaethol yn gosod ysgolion uwchradd a chynradd mewn bandiau sy’n seiliedig ar eu canlyniadau a’u cynnydd, a chan gymryd i ystyriaeth yr her y maen nhw’n ei hwynebu o ran yr amgylchiadau economaidd\-gymdeithasol.  Ni chaiff ysgolion arbennig eu bandio.

Bydd y system fandio yn defnyddio setiau data cenedlaethol er mwyn cael cysondeb wrth grwpio ysgolion yn ôl eu cam ar y daith tuag at welliant.  Bydd yn fan cychwyn i’r Uned Safonau Ysgolion drafod gyda chonsortia ac awdurdodau lleol y blaenoriaethau ar gyfer cymorth a her.  Yn ei dro, bydd yn fan cychwyn i gonsortia ac awdurdodau lleol drafod gydag ysgolion; bydd yn sail ar gyfer cyfeirio’n hadnoddau lle mae eu hangen fwyaf i sicrhau ein bod yn cyflawni’r gwelliannau sy’n angenrheidiol yn ein system ysgol. 

NID hanfod bandio yw labelu ysgolion, eu henwi na chodi cywilydd arnyn nhw, na chreu tabl cynghrair cynhennus.  Yn hytrach, diben bandio yw grwpio ysgolion yn ôl amryw o ffactorau i bennu’r blaenoriaethau ar gyfer cael cymorth gwahaniaethol a nodi’r elfennau hynny y gall y sector cyfan ddysgu oddi wrthyn nhw.  

Offer yw’r system fandio genedlaethol i’n helpu ni fod yn fwy effeithiol wrth sbarduno gwelliant ar draws y bwrdd. Agwedd bwysicaf bandio yw’r cymorth, yr her a’r rhannu arferion da fydd yn dilyn. Bydd datblygu fframwaith a chanllawiau statudol i gefnogi hyn yn allweddol er mwyn sicrhau gwelliannau cynaliadwy dros y tymor hir.

Mae’r Uned Safonau Ysgolion wedi gweithio’n agos gyda’r sector.  Yn sgil y gwaith hwn mae gennym ddull peilot o fandio ysgolion uwchradd sy’n defnyddio amrywiaeth o ddata i adlewyrchu’r deilliannau mwyaf diweddar, y cynnydd a wnaed dros amser, y canlyniadau cyd\-destunol a’r gwerth a ychwanegwyd.  Mae’r Uned Safonau Ysgolion yn profi ac yn treialu’r model hwn yn y rownd gyntaf o archwiliadau’r consortiwm y tymor hwn.

Yn dilyn yr adborth a gafwyd gan yr holl awdurdodau lleol y tymor hwn caiff y model ar gyfer ysgolion uwchradd ei fireinio a’i gwblhau erbyn dechrau’r flwyddyn academaidd newydd.  Mae gwaith wedi dechrau ar y model bandio ar gyfer ysgolion cynradd a fydd yn seiliedig ar yr un egwyddorion â’r model uwchradd, sef defnyddio setiau data cenedlaethol, deilliannau diweddar, cynnydd a chyd\-destun.

Mae’n bwysig bod ysgolion, y rhai sy’n ymwneud â’u cefnogi ar y llwybr tuag at welliant, a rhieni yn deall pa fand y rhoddwyd eu hysgol ynddi, a beth mae hynny’n ei olygu o ran cymorth a her ac i’r blaenoriaethau ar gyfer gwella.  Dyna pam yr wyf wedi trefnu i’r sector gael eu hysbysu heddiw am y cynnydd a wnaed gennym a’r camau nesaf sydd ar y gweill o ran gweithredu’r system fandio ysgolion.

Ar ddechrau tymor yr hydref, caiff pob ysgol uwchradd fanylion am y band y rhoddwyd hi ynddo, y data y seiliwyd y bandio arno a chanllawiau manwl i’w helpu i ddehongli a deall y bandio.  Byddwn hefyd yn rhannu’r wybodaeth fandio gydag awdurdodau lleol ac yn cyflwyno cyfres o ddeunyddiau a gweithgareddau cyfathrebu i sicrhau y ceir dealltwriaeth mor gyflawn â  phosib o’r system a’i phwrpas. 

Yn achos ysgolion uwchradd, bydd y bandio cyntaf hwn yn defnyddio data o ganlyniadau arholiadau allanol 2010\.  Diben hyn yw sicrhau bod gan ysgolion, cyrff llywodraethu, ac awdurdodau lleol, ar ddechrau tymor yr hydref, wybodaeth fandio yn ogystal â gwybodaeth allweddol arall am berfformiad i lywio trafodaethau am berfformiad, cymharu a phennu targedau. Pan fydd data arholiadau 2011 gennym, caiff y bandiau eu diweddaru ac anfonir hysbysiad arall at yr ysgolion.

Wrth i ni symud ymlaen gyda’r gwaith ar ddatblygu’r model ar gyfer ysgolion cynradd, byddwn yn rhoi’r wybodaeth ddiweddaraf i gydweithwyr ac yn pennu amserlen ar gyfer rhyddhau gwybodaeth.