Translate the text from Welsh to English.



 
Bydd Llywodraeth Cymru hefyd yn creu cronfa newydd werth £2\.5 miliwn y flwyddyn i helpu ysgolion i weithio gyda'i gilydd ac i gynyddu defnydd o adeiladau ysgolion gan y gymuned. 

 Bydd newidiadau i’r Cod Trefniadaeth Ysgolion sy'n rhoi arweiniad i awdurdodau lleol wrth wneud penderfyniadau am ysgolion. Byddant yn cynnwys: 

 * Rhagdybiaeth na chaiff ysgolion gwledig eu cau;
* Rhaid i achosion i gau ysgolion gwledig fod yn gryf;
* Rhaid i awdurdodau lleol ymgynghori'n fwy trylwyr, ac ystyried mewn modd cydwybodol, bob opsiwn ymarferol arall i gau ysgolion, gan gynnwys creu cysylltiadau ag ysgolion eraill, a elwir yn ffedereiddio.

 Mae cynlluniau eraill yn cynnwys: 

 * Grant newydd gwerth £2\.5 miliwn y flwyddyn ar gyfer ysgolion gwledig ac ysgolion bach i gefnogi cydweithio rhwng ysgolion. Mae hyn yn cynnwys annog mwy o ddefnydd o dechnoleg i fynd i'r afael â phroblemau megis ynysu proffesiynol, darparu cymorth gweinyddol mewn ysgolion lle y mae gan y pennaeth ymrwymiadau addysgu sylweddol, a chynyddu defnydd o adeiladau ysgolion gan y gymuned. Bydd y grant hwn ar gael o fis Ebrill 2017 ymlaen.
* Am y tro cyntaf erioed, byddwn yn datblygu diffiniad o 'ysgol wledig'.
* Bydd cyllid ar gael ar gyfer datblygu ffederasiynau ar draws yr holl ysgolion a gynhelir, a gwybodaeth a chanllawiau gwell ar gyfer y rheini sy'n ystyried cydweithio a ffedereiddio.
* Bydd cynlluniau i ddatblygu arweinwyr ysgolion yn cynnwys cynigion i feithrin gallu arweinwyr profiadol a llwyddiannus mewn ysgolion gwledig, er mwyn darparu arweinyddiaeth effeithiol ar draws grwpiau o ysgolion gwledig.

 Dywedodd Kirsty Williams: 

 
> “Mae ysgolion bach ac ysgolion gwledig yn chwarae rôl bwysig yn ein cenhadaeth genedlaethol i godi safonau ac ehangu cyfleoedd i'n pobl ifanc i gyd. 
> 
>  “Mae disgyblion mewn ysgolion gwledig yn haeddu'r un cyfleoedd â phlant mewn ardaloedd eraill yng Nghymru. Fodd bynnag, maen nhw'n wynebu heriau penodol gan gynnwys niferoedd isel o ddisgyblion, pwysau o ran cyllid ac adnoddau, yn ogystal ag anawsterau mwy o ran recriwtio penaethiaid a staff dysgu. 
> 
>  “Gadewch i mi ddweud yn gwbl glir \- nid mater o gadw pob ysgol ar agor yw hyn. Rydyn ni am godi safonau yn ein hysgolion i gyd, ble bynnag y maen nhw, a sicrhau bod pob ysgol yn cael gwrandawiad teg os yw ei dyfodol yn y fantol. 
> 
>  “Mae'r newidiadau hyn yn cynnwys rhagdybiaeth na chaiff ysgolion gwledig eu cau a chymhellion newydd i ysgolion gwledig greu cysylltiadau a gweithio gyda'i gilydd er lles athrawon a disgyblion. Rwy am weld ysgolion gwledig yn gweithio'n fwy ffurfiol gyda'i gilydd a ledled y wlad, gan ffurfio ffederasiynau ac ystyried y posibilrwydd o rannu adeiladau gyda gwasanaethau eraill, er mwyn sicrhau y bydd adeiladau ysgol yn parhau i fod yn hyfyw.”







Translation:


 
The Welsh Government will also create a new £2\.5m per year fund to help schools work together and increase the community use of buildings. 

 Changes will be introduced to the School Organisation Code that guides local authorities decisions about schools. These will include: 

 * A presumption against the closure of rural schools;
* Cases to close rural schools must be strong;
* Local authorities to carry out more rigorous consultation and conscientiously consider all viable alternatives to closure including linking up with other schools, known as federation.

 Other plans include: 

 * A new £2\.5m per year rural and small schools grant to support schools working together. This includes encouraging greater use of technology to combat the issue of professional isolation, providing administrative support in schools where the head teacher has significant teaching commitments and increasing the community use of school buildings. This grant will be made available from April 2017\.
* For the first time ever, the development of a definition of a rural school.
* Funding for the development of federations across all maintained schools and better information and guidance for those considering collaboration and federation.
* Plans to develop school leaders will include proposals to build capacity of experienced, successful leaders of rural schools to deliver effective leadership across groups of rural schools.

 Kirsty Williams said: 

 
> “Small and rural schools play an important role in our national mission in raising standards and extending opportunities for all our young people. 
> 
>  “Pupils in rural schools deserve the same opportunities as children in other areas of Wales. However, they face particular challenges including small pupil numbers, budget and resource pressures and greater difficulty in recruiting head teachers and teaching staff. 
> 
>  “Let me be clear \- this isn’t simply about keeping all schools open. This is about raising standards in all of our schools, no matter where they are based, and ensuring all schools get a fair hearing when their future is being considered. 
> 
>  “These changes set out a presumption against closing rural schools and new incentives for rural schools to link up and work together for the benefit of both teachers and pupils. I want to see rural schools working more formally together and across the country, forming federations and looking into the possibility of sharing buildings with other services to ensure school buildings remain viable.”