Translate the text from English to Welsh.



 
Tackling the impact of poverty on attainment is at the heart of our national mission in education, and the Pupil Development Grant (PDG) has a key part to play in achieving this. The PDG is aimed at countering the effects of poverty on children and young people and funding allocations are delivered directly to schools and settings.


PDG funding is allocated based on the number of eFSM learners registered in each school in the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC) for the preceding year. PDG allocations for 2023\-24 are based on PLASC data from January 2022, and as a result will not have been affected by the rollout of Universal Primary Free School Meals (UPFSM) which commenced in September 2022\.


Preserving the eligibility for free school meals identifier as we continue with the rollout of UPFSM has been a key policy objective of the programme. It is essential to preserve the quality of the eFSM identifier to accurately inform our policies and to passport entitlements on a fair basis, for example PDG allocations for schools, and School Essentials Grant funding for eligible families. UPFSM forms part of the Co\-operation Agreement between Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru.


In rolling out the universal offer my officials have worked with a range of partners to ensure we can continue to identify those children and families that would traditionally have been eligible for a free school meal through income or benefits\-related criteria. As such it is our aim that the eFSM identifier, and associated data collected through PLASC, will be preserved going forward and can continue to be used to inform PDG funding allocations.


The ‘Get Help with School Costs’ communications campaign was launched in August 2022 to raise awareness of Universal Primary Free School Meals as well as the continuing need to register eligibility for free school meals. The campaign focused on raising awareness of the other benefits parents may be eligible for as a result of registration – for example the School Essentials Grant – to help families with the cost of the school day, and the additional PDG funding for a child’s school. Our omnibus survey conducted in May 2023 showed that in the past six months, the ‘Get Help with School Costs’ campaign supported an increase in parents’ awareness and understanding of free school meals.


By continuing to promote registration at school and setting level, the eFSM indicator should provide a reliable indication of the levels of socio\-economic challenge being faced by a school/setting. We will keep this under review as rollout of the universal offer progresses, including additional verification and validation of school census data. Every year we perform additional validation to check eFSM data, including checking with local authority treasurers as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement. Following the January 2023 PLASC we have taken additional validation steps and worked with local authorities to look specifically at eligibility in reception, year 1 and year 2\. There is no evidence to suggest that the rollout of UPFSM has had a detrimental impact on the quality of the data. We will continue to work closely with partners and remain vigilant in the future to ensure the continued quality of the data post\-rollout.


We are also taking forward research to review the way in which we consider socio\-economic factors amongst learners, their impact on outcomes, and the use of such data to inform the targeting of funding and support. This is in response to the shifting landscape around our existing socio\-economic deprivation proxy as well as the wider reform in curriculum and school improvement. Whilst historically we have used the eFSM data for multiple purposes, we are keen to ensure that the way we use such data considers the varying and different needs within the school system and amongst stakeholders, and balances this with the need for consistency and transparency.







Translation:


 
Mae mynd i'r afael ag effaith tlodi ar gyrhaeddiad yn greiddiol i genhadaeth ein cenedl mewn addysg ac mae'r Grant Datblygu Disgyblion (y Grant) yn allweddol i gyflawni hyn. Nod y Grant yw gwrthsefyll effaith tlodi ar blant a phobl ifanc ac mae dyraniadau cyllid yn cael eu rhoi yn uniongyrchol i ysgolion a lleoliadau.


Mae cyllid y Grant yn cael ei ddyrannu ar sail nifer y dysgwyr sy’n gymwys am brydau ysgol am ddim sydd wedi'u cofrestru ym mhob ysgol, yn ôl Cyfrifiad Ysgolion Blynyddol ar Lefel Disgyblion (CYBLD) y flwyddyn flaenorol. Mae dyraniadau'r Grant ar gyfer 2023\-24 yn seiliedig ar ddata CYBLD mis Ionawr 2022, ac o ganlyniad ni fydd wedi cael ei effeithio gan y cynllun o gyflwyno prydau ysgol am ddim i holl blant ysgolion cynradd a ddechreuodd ym mis Medi 2022\.


Mae cadw'r dynodwr o gymhwystra ar gyfer prydau ysgol am ddim wrth i ni barhau i gyflwyno prydau ysgol am ddim i holl blant ysgolion cynradd wedi bod yn un o amcanion polisi allweddol y rhaglen. Mae'n hanfodol gwarchod ansawdd y dynodwr prydau ysgol am ddim i lywio ein polisïau yn gywir ac i drosglwyddo hawliau yn deg, er enghraifft dyraniadau'r Grant Datblygu Disgyblion i ysgolion a chyllid Grant Hanfodion Ysgol ar gyfer teuluoedd cymwys. Mae’r ymrwymiad i roi prydau ysgol am ddim i holl blant ysgolion cynradd yn rhan o'r Cytundeb Cydweithio rhwng Llywodraeth Cymru a Phlaid Cymru.


Wrth gyflwyno'r cynnig i bawb, mae fy swyddogion wedi cydweithio ag ystod o bartneriaid i sicrhau ein bod yn gallu parhau i nodi'r plant a'r teuluoedd hynny a fyddai yn draddodiadol wedi bod yn gymwys i gael pryd ysgol am ddim ar sail meini prawf incwm neu fudd\-daliadau. O'r herwydd, ein nod yw cadw'r dynodwr prydau ysgol am ddim, a'r data cysylltiedig a gesglir trwy CYBLD, wrth symud ymlaen fel y gellir parhau i'w defnyddio wrth ddyrannu cyllid y Grant.


Lansiwyd yr ymgyrch gyfathrebu 'Hawliwch help gyda chostau ysgol' ym mis Awst 2022 i godi ymwybyddiaeth o brydau ysgol am ddim i holl blant ysgolion cynradd yn ogystal â'r angen i barhau i gofrestru cymhwystra ar gyfer prydau ysgol am ddim. Roedd yr ymgyrch yn canolbwyntio ar godi ymwybyddiaeth o'r budd\-daliadau eraill y gallai rhieni fod yn gymwys i'w cael o ganlyniad i gofrestru \- er enghraifft y Grant Hanfodion Ysgol \- i helpu teuluoedd gyda chost y diwrnod ysgol, a'r cyllid ychwanegol o'r Grant Datblygu Disgyblion ar gyfer ysgol y plentyn. Dangosodd ein harolwg omnibws a gynhaliwyd ym mis Mai 2023 fod yr ymgyrch 'Hawliwch help gyda chostau ysgol' wedi helpu i godi ymwybyddiaeth a gwella dealltwriaeth rhieni o brydau ysgol am ddim yn ystod y chwe mis diwethaf.


Trwy barhau i hyrwyddo cofrestru ar lefel ysgol a lleoliad, dylai'r dangosydd prydau ysgol am ddim gynnig arwydd dibynadwy o faint yr her economaidd\-gymdeithasol sy'n wynebu ysgol/lleoliad. Byddwn yn parhau i adolygu hyn wrth i'r cynnig i bawb fynd rhagddo, gan gynnwys cadarnhau a dilysu data cyfrifiad ysgolion ychwanegol. Bob blwyddyn rydym yn gwneud dilysiad ychwanegol i wirio data prydau ysgol am ddim, gan gynnwys gwirio gyda thrysoryddion awdurdodau lleol fel rhan o'r Setliad Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol. Yn dilyn CYBLD Ionawr 2023 rydym wedi cymryd camau dilysu ychwanegol ac wedi cydweithio ag awdurdodau lleol i edrych yn benodol ar gymhwystra dosbarth derbyn, blwyddyn 1 a blwyddyn 2\. Nid oes tystiolaeth i awgrymu bod cyflwyno prydau ysgol am ddim i holl blant ysgolion cynradd wedi cael effaith niweidiol ar ansawdd y data. Byddwn yn parhau i weithio'n agos gyda phartneriaid ac yn bod yn wyliadwrus yn y dyfodol i sicrhau ansawdd parhaus y data ar ôl cyflwyno'r cynllun.


Rydym hefyd yn bwrw ymlaen ag ymchwil i adolygu'r ffordd yr ydym yn ystyried ffactorau economaidd\-gymdeithasol ymhlith dysgwyr, eu heffaith ar ddeilliannau, a'r defnydd o ddata o'r fath i dargedu cyllid a chymorth. Mae hyn mewn ymateb i'r sefyllfa gyfnewidiol sy’n effeithio ar ein ffyrdd o fesur amddifadedd economaidd\-gymdeithasol ar hyn o bryd yn ogystal â'r diwygiadau ehangach ym maes y cwricwlwm a gwella ysgolion. Er ein bod, yn y gorffennol wedi defnyddio'r data prydau ysgol am ddim at sawl diben, rydym yn awyddus i sicrhau bod y ffordd yr ydym yn defnyddio data o'r fath yn ystyried yr anghenion amrywiol a gwahanol o fewn y system ysgolion ac ymhlith rhanddeiliaid, ac ein bod yn cydbwyso hyn â'r angen am gysondeb a thryloywder.