Translate the text from Welsh to English.



 
Bore da. Mae’n bleser mawr gennyf fod yma gyda chi heddiw.


A bod yn blwmp ac yn blaen: credaf mai diwygio addysg yw ein cenhadaeth genedlaethol.


Mae’r genhadaeth genedlaethol hon, a fydd yn un o themâu allweddol fy nghyfnod fel Ysgrifennydd Addysg, yn cynnwys dysgwyr o bob oedran, proffesiwn addysgu unedig sy’n ymrwymedig i ragoriaeth a phrifysgolion a cholegau o’r radd flaenaf sy’n meithrin y berthynas fwyaf cadarn â chyflogwyr, partneriaid rhyngwladol a chymunedau yng Nghymru.


Nid oes neb yn bwysicach i’r genhadaeth hon na chi, ein hysgolion arloesi. Hoffwn ddiolch i chi am fod yma heddiw ac am eich ymrwymiad i wella addysg i blant a phobl ifanc ein gwlad. Mae ein canlyniadau yn yr haf yn dangos bod llawer wedi’i gyflawni, ond gwyddom, mi wn, fod llawer mwy i’w wneud os ydym am gyflawni ein huchelgais o gael system addysg o’r radd flaenaf.


Cwricwlwm eang, cytbwys, cynhwysol a heriol newydd i Gymru, wedi’i adeiladu ar sylfeini cadarn, sydd wrth wraidd yr hyn yr hoffwn ei gyflawni dros ein plant a’n pobl ifanc. Felly rwyf yn falch iawn o fod yma heddiw i sôn am yr uchelgais honno a’m hymrwymiad innau i’r agenda diwygio addysg.


Mae hwn yn gyfnod cyffrous. Mae diwygio’r cwricwlwm yn cynnig cyfle gwych i’r sector addysg yng Nghymru ond mae hefyd yn her sylweddol i bawb sy’n ymwneud â’r gwaith hwn – yn enwedig i chi, yr ysgolion arloesi.


Mae eich ymrwymiad a’ch ymwneud gweithredol yn hanfodol er mwyn inni greu cwricwlwm sy’n ennyn diddordeb ac sy’n atyniadol i’n dysgwyr ond y gellir ei gymhwyso yn yr ystafell ddosbarth hefyd.


Felly hoffwn ddiolch ichi am dderbyn yr her a chytuno i fod ar flaen o gad yn hyn o beth.


Fel y gwyddoch, nododd Cwricwlwm i Gymru: cwricwlwm am oes ymateb Llywodraeth Cymru i Dyfodol Llwyddiannus a chafodd gefnogaeth drawsbleidiol pan gafodd ei gyhoeddi.


Mae’n disgrifio sut y caiff y cwricwlwm newydd ei ddatblygu gyda chi \- gweithwyr proffesiynol addysg ledled Cymru, gyda’r nod o fod ar gael erbyn mis Medi 2018 a’i ddefnyddio i gefnogi dysgu ac addysgu o 2021\.


Rwyf yn cefnogi’r weledigaeth honno a gwn, gyda’ch cymorth chi, y byddwn yn llunio cwricwlwm sydd o’r radd flaenaf ac sy’n gallu diwallu anghenion ein plant a’n pobl ifanc am flynyddoedd lawer i ddod.


Fel rhan o’r weledigaeth hon, rwyf yn argyhoeddedig bod yn rhaid inni wrando ar weithwyr proffesiynol ac yn enwedig chi, yr ysgolion arloesi, ar bob cam o’r broses. Rwyf am adael i athrawon fwrw ati i addysgu a gadael i arweinwyr arwain. Rwyf hefyd am wrando ar rieni a phlant fel y bydd eu huchelgeisiau hwythau yn llywio ein hagenda. Maent yn mynnu cael y gorau o’n system addysg, a hynny’n gwbl briodol. Dyna pam mae’n rhaid inni ganolbwyntio’n ddi\-syfl ar sicrhau bod y sylfeini’n gywir, ar godi safonau a sicrhau ein bod yn uchelgeisiol ac yn hyderus wrth ddiwygio.


Mae’r digwyddiad hwn yn gam pwysig yn y broses. Bydd dwyn yr holl ysgolion arloesi ynghyd yn un rhwydwaith yn golygu y bydd modd rhannu a chyfuno eich gwybodaeth, eich arbenigedd a’ch profiad fel bod y rhwydwaith unedig i Ysgolion Arloesi mor effeithiol ag y bo modd.


Er mwyn sicrhau’r canlyniadau gorau i’n dysgwyr, bydd angen ichi gydweithio, a chael eich llywio gan waith eich gilydd, rhannu arfer da a defnyddio ‘Cwricwlwm i Gymru – Cwricwlwm am Oes’ i’ch tywys.


Bydd gofyn ichi ddefnyddio’r gwaith ymchwil mwyaf diweddar a’r dulliau addysgol gorau o bedwar ban byd. Fel athrawon ac arweinwyr, dylech fod yn fyfyrwyr gydol oes. Dysgu oddi wrth eich gilydd, gwella’n barhaus, ac astudio arfer gorau, boed hynny yn yr ystafell ddosbarth nesaf, yn y gymuned neu ar y cyfandir.


Bydd ‘cydlafurio’ a ‘cydweithredu’ yn sicrhau y caiff y cyfoeth o arfer da yr ydych yn ei ddal ac yn ei gasglu ei rannu a rhaid cofio’r geiriau hynny bob amser wrth inni anelu at ein nod cyffredin.


Bydd fy swyddogion, wrth gwrs, yn eich cynorthwyo yn hyn o beth drwy drefnu mwy o ddigwyddiadau i ysgolion arloesi, a defnyddio arbenigedd perthnasol a chymorth proffesiynol arall pan fyddwn, gyda’n gilydd, yn nodi bod angen hynny.


A byddwn yn parhau i ariannu’r trefniant i’ch rhyddhau o ddyletswyddau ysgol fel y gallwch barhau i ganolbwyntio ar y gwaith hollbwysig hwn. Yn gyfnewid am hynny wrth gwrs disgwyliaf ichi gyflawni’r ymrwymiad a wnaed gennych.


Rydym wedi gweld dechrau da eisoes. Mae llawer o waith sylfaenol wedi’i wneud ac mae sylfeini’r cwricwlwm newydd wedi’u gosod.


Ac, wrth gwrs, mae’r Arloeswyr Digidol wedi bod yn bwrw ymlaen â’r Fframwaith Cymhwysedd Digidol, yr oedd yn bleser gennyf ei lansio’n ffurfiol yn gynharach heddiw yn Ysgol Bro Edern, un o’r ysgolion Arloesi Digidol.


Nodwyd yr angen am Fframwaith Cymhwysedd Digidol fel mater o frys yn adroddiad y Grwp Llywio TGCh annibynnol yn 2013 a chan yr Athro Graham Donaldson yn Dyfodol Llwyddiannus.


Dyna pam y rhoddwyd blaenoriaeth i’r gwaith o ddatblygu’r Fframwaith.


Gan mai hon yw’r elfen gyntaf o’r cwricwlwm newydd sydd ar gael, hoffwn longyfarch pawb a fu ynghlwm wrth y gwaith, nid yn unig am ddatblygu cynnyrch o safon ond am wneud hynny o fewn amserlen dynn iawn. Diolch yn fawr.


Gallwch ymfalchïo yn y ffaith ichi helpu i sefydlu Fframwaith a fydd yn rhoi Cymru ar y blaen o ran integreiddio sgiliau digidol ar draws y cwricwlwm.


Mae cymhwysedd digidol yn sgil hanfodol yn y byd sydd ohoni. Bydd yn un o dri chyfrifoldeb trawsgwricwlaidd, ochr yn ochr â llythrennedd a rhifedd.


Mae’r Fframwaith yn canolbwyntio ar ddatblygu sgiliau digidol sy’n ddefnyddiol mewn bywyd bob dydd ac y gellir eu trosglwyddo i fyd gwaith.


Mae wedi’i ddylunio ar gyfer holl blant Cymru. Mae’n cwmpasu datblygu sgiliau o’r camau cyntaf, gan gynnwys ‘Ar Drywydd Dysgu’ a hefyd yn herio ein pobl ifanc fwy abl a thalentog.


Gwn y bydd yr Arloeswyr Digidol sydd wedi datblygu’r Fframwaith Cymhwysedd Digidol yn rhannu mwy am hyn gyda chi yn nes ymlaen heddiw, ynghyd â’r Athro Tom Crick.


Hoffwn ddiolch i Tom sydd wedi bod yn ddylanwad mawr o ran symud yr agenda hon yn ei blaen ac sydd wedi rhoi cymorth ac arbenigedd drwy gydol y broses.


Fe gytunwch, mae’n siwr gennyf, fod y Fframwaith yn gynnyrch trawiadol. Ond hoffwn bwysleisio nad diwedd stori’r Fframwaith Cymhwysedd Digidol mohoni.


Bydd angen i Rwydwaith yr Ysgolion Arloesi, a phartneriaid megis y Consortia Rhanbarthol, barhau i gydweithio i nodi’r canlynol:


* pa gymorth sydd ei angen ar ymarferwyr
* ble y dylid targedu cymorth; a
* pha ddeunyddiau ac adnoddau sydd eu hangen i helpu pob ymarferydd ac athro i ddefnyddio’r Fframwaith yn effeithiol


yn ogystal â gweithio i integreiddio’r Fframwaith â Meysydd Dysgu a Phrofiad wrth iddynt gael eu datblygu.


Bydd hon yn broses barhaus, a fydd yn ymateb i anghenion y proffesiwn, gyda Chynnig Dysgu Proffesiynol cychwynnol i helpu ymarferwyr i weithredu’r Fframwaith Cymhwysedd Digidol, a fydd ar waith o’r adeg hon y flwyddyn nesaf.


Gwyddom fod sgiliau digidol yn hanfodol i’n holl bobl ifanc. Bydd angen iddynt gystadlu yn economi wybodaeth y dyfodol – gan weithio gyda thechnoleg a thrwy dechnoleg nad yw hyd yn oed wedi cael ei dyfeisio eto.


Ni all neb ragweld sut beth fydd y dechnoleg honno ymhen 10 mlynedd na’r ffordd y bydd yn rhyngweithio â’r byd.


Ond gwyddom y bydd y Fframwaith Cymhwysedd Digidol yn helpu ein plant a’n pobl ifanc i ddysgu’r sgiliau sydd eu hangen arnynt i fynd ati i lunio’r dyfodol yn hyderus yn hytrach na bod yn ddefnyddwyr goddefol.


Mae’n elfen bwysig mewn pecyn o fesurau rydym yn eu rhoi ar waith i wella dysgu digidol. Yn y misoedd sydd i ddod byddaf yn ymhelaethu ar y ffordd y gallwn weithio gyda’n gilydd i roi mwy o brofiad o sgiliau i’n plant a’n pobl ifanc, megis codio o oedran cynnar:


* rhagwelaf y bydd disgyblion yn cael gwell mynediad at weithdai codio a chlybiau codio ledled Cymru
* rhagwelaf fwy o ymgysylltu â busnesau a chyflogwyr o ran darparu dysgu digidol; a
* rhagwelaf lefelau newydd o gymorth i chi a’ch cydweithwyr fel y gallwch chwarae rhan lawn yn yr agwedd gyffrous hon ar ein system addysg.


Un o elfennau cyntaf y cymorth hwn yw adnodd hunanasesu, wedi’i ddatblygu gydag ysgolion arloesi, er mwyn helpu athrawon i nodi eu blaenoriaethau o ran cymorth. Byddwch yn gallu cael gafael arno pan fyddwch yn mewngofnodi i Hwb nesaf.


Bydd Hwb hefyd yn cynnal nifer o adnoddau sy’n gysylltiedig â meysydd penodol o’r Fframwaith Cymhwysedd Digidol.


Mae adnoddau newydd, sy’n cefnogi agweddau eraill ar y cwricwlwm, wedi cael eu hychwanegu i Hwb ers dechrau’r tymor. Mae hyn yn cynnwys tri modiwl newydd ar ddiogelu a gyhoeddwyd yr wythnos hon, mewn partneriaeth â’r NSPCC.


Bydd yr adnoddau hyn yn helpu athrawon i gadw dysgwyr yn ddiogel.


Fel rhan o’n hymdrech i wella’r hyn a gynigir gan Hwb o hyd, rydym hefyd wedi gwella’r adnoddau adrodd ac asesu i gefnogi asesu ar gyfer dysg a bydd nodwedd Ystafelloedd Dosbarth newydd Hwb yn galluogi dysgwyr i gydweithredu mewn amgylchedd ar\-lein diogel.


Bydd Hwb, wrth gwrs, yn parhau i fod yn adnodd cymorth pwysig i bob athro – gofynnaf ichi annog pawb yn eich ysgolion a’ch rhwydweithiau i’w ddefnyddio a’n helpu i’w wella o hyd.


Wrth i fwy a mwy o ysgolion ddefnyddio gwasanaethau megis Hwb a Hwb\+ a chymwysiadau cwmwl, mae’n hollbwysig bod ysgolion yn cael mynediad cyflym, diogel a dibynadwy i’r rhyngrwyd.


Mae mynediad i’r rhyngrwyd yn ei gwneud yn bosibl i athrawon roi gwersi dynamig a diddorol, i ddisgyblion wneud gwaith ymchwil a chyflwyno gwaith ar\-lein ac i rieni olrhain cynnydd eu plentyn.


Mae’n bleser gennyf gyhoeddi, o ganlyniad i’r buddsoddiad sylweddol gan Lywodraeth Cymru o dan Raglen Grant Dysgu yn y Gymru Ddigidol, fod dros 1400 o ysgolion yng Nghymru bellach wedi cysylltu ar gyflymder o 10 megabit yr eiliad o leiaf i ysgolion cynradd a 100 megabit yr eiliad o leiaf i ysgolion uwchradd,


sef y mwyafrif llethol o ysgolion yng Nghymru. Fodd bynnag, ni allai nifer fach o ysgolion fanteisio ar y buddsoddiad cychwynnol hwn oherwydd y costau peirianneg sifil sylweddol a oedd yn angenrheidiol.


Dyna pam y cytunais â’r Prif Weinidog y dylai mynediad at wasanaethau cyflym iawn i bob ysgol gael ei flaenoriaethu yn y rhaglen genedlaethol.


Gan weithio gyda rhaglen Cyflymu Cymru byddwn yn sicrhau bod pob ysgol yng Nghymru yn cael mynediad i’r gwasanaethau ar y rhyngrwyd sydd eu hangen arnynt i roi’r addysg orau bosibl. Na phoener, byddaf yn pwyso er mwyn sicrhau bod y datblygiad hwn yn mynd rhagddo mor fuan â phosibl.


Gan edrych yn ehangach na’r byd digidol, ac ar fore llawn cyhoeddiadau, mae’n bleser gennyf gyhoeddi lansiad y Pasbort Dysgu Proffesiynol datblygedig i’r gweithlu addysg.


Mae ar gael ar wefan Cyngor y Gweithlu Addysg ac mae’n nodwedd allweddol o’n dull gweithredu Dysgu a Chymorth Proffesiynol. Mae’n un o’r conglfeini o ran cefnogi a datblygu ein system hunanwella.


Am y tro cyntaf gall ymarferwyr yng Nghymru gofnodi eu dysgu proffesiynol mewn un portffolio ar\-lein diogel sy’n dal ei holl ddysgu proffesiynol ac yn cefnogi eu twf proffesiynol.


Bydd y Pasbort Dysgu Proffesiynol yn sylfaen i lwybrau gyrfa ymarferwyr ac yn eu helpu i gofnodi’r cyfleoedd dysgu proffesiynol mwyaf priodol, myfyrio arnynt a’u nodi fel eu bod yn parhau i ddatblygu eu hymarfer. Mae hefyd yn cefnogi dysgu proffesiynol ‘rhwng cymheiriaid’.


Ond dim ond os bydd pawb yn ei ddefnyddio y bydd yn gwneud gwahaniaeth i ddysgu proffesiynol a dylanwadu ar ymarfer myfyriol. Felly ewch ati i’w ddefnyddio, da chi, a helpwch ni i’w ddatblygu a’i lunio er mwyn adlewyrchu’ch anghenion dros amser.


Rwyf am sicrhau bod yr ychydig flynyddoedd nesaf yn cael eu defnyddio i’ch helpu chi a phob ymarferydd i fod yn barod i ddefnyddio’r cwricwlwm newydd.


Mae’r Pasbort Dysgu Proffesiynol wedi’i gynllunio i helpu ymarferwyr i ddatblygu. Rydym eisoes yn gwybod mai ansawdd addysgu yw’r ffactor pwysicaf o ran codi safonau, ac ail agos yw arweinyddiaeth effeithiol.


Felly mae’n hanfodol bod athrawon, a’r rhai sy’n cefnogi ac yn arwain addysgu, yn meddu ar y sgiliau i roi’r addysg orau bosibl i ddysgwyr.


Bydd llawer ohonoch wedi mynychu’r gweithdai ar Safonau Addysgu Proffesiynol gyda Mick Waters felly byddwch yn ymwybodol o ddatblygiadau newydd pwysig.


Mae’r safonau newydd hyn yn casglu’r sgiliau a’r ymddygiadau sydd eu hangen ar ein hathrawon er mwyn iddynt ymateb i heriau cwricwlwm newydd a chynnal statws addysgu fel proffesiwn gwerthfawr.


Bydd angen i’n safonau newydd lwyddo mewn sawl ffordd:


* bydd angen iddynt fod yn borthgeidwad i’r proffesiwn er mwyn inni ddenu’r athrawon gorau posibl i Gymru a helpu i greu proffesiwn egnïol sy’n perfformio’n dda;
* bydd angen iddynt ysbrydoli a thanio brwdfrydedd drwy roi ffocws ar ddysgu a thwf proffesiynol gydol gyrfa, gan gynnwys datblygu arweinwyr ar bob lefel; a
* bydd angen iddynt danio uchelgais athrawon – dros eu proffesiwn ac, yn hollbwysig, dros eu holl ddysgwyr.


Ni all rhywbeth mor hanfodol gael ei ddatblygu ar wahân – dyna pam rydym yn cynnwys llawer ohonoch yn y gwaith hwn.


Mae’n nodwedd o’r ffordd rydym yn gweithio yng Nghymru ein bod yn gwrando ar y proffesiwn ac yn adeiladu ar y profiad cyfoethog sy’n bodoli yn ein hysgolion a bydd hynny’n gynyddol wir.


Dros y misoedd sydd i ddod bydd Ysgolion Arloesi a darparwyr Addysg Gychwynnol i Athrawon sydd wedi gwirfoddoli yn treialu’r safonau newydd er mwyn darganfod beth sy’n gweithio a byddwn yn defnyddio’r adborth hwn i lywio datblygiadau ymhellach.


Rwyf yn ymwybodol i rai ohonoch gychwyn yn gynnar y bore yma er mwyn dod ynghyd a chynllunio sut y bydd hyn yn digwydd! Y bwriad yw y byddwn yn barod i ymgynghori’n ehangach cyn cyflwyno’r safonau newydd o fis Medi 2017\.


Byddaf yn dilyn hynt y gwaith hwn gyda diddordeb ac edrychaf ymlaen at glywed sut mae’n datblygu.


Mae eich cyfraniad amhrisiadwy fel ymarferwyr, ynghyd â’r sylfaen dystiolaeth gadarn a ddarparwyd gan yr Athro Donaldson yn Dyfodol Llwyddiannus ac arbenigedd a chymorth pobl fel yr Athro Tom Crick a’r Athro John Furlong, consortia rhanbarthol ac Estyn yn gwneud i mi deimlo’n hyderus bod Cymru ar y trywydd cywir i greu cwricwlwm a system addysg a fydd yn gwasanaethu ei dysgwyr yn llwyddiannus am flynyddoedd lawer i ddod.


Byddwch chi, ynghyd â chonsortia rhanbarthol, yn datblygu pecyn o fesurau i helpu ymarferwyr i fabwysiadu a defnyddio cwricwlwm newydd a fydd yn hyblyg ac yn ymatebol i’r heriau sy’n deillio o’r newid cynyddol gyflym ym mhob agwedd ar ein cymdeithas, yng Nghymru a ledled y byd.


Ond mae’n rhaid i athrawon gael eu grymuso i’w gyflwyno, felly bydd mesurau megis mynediad gwell i’r rhyngrwyd cyflym iawn, y Pasbort Dysgu i Ymarferwyr a’r safonau addysgu proffesiynol newydd yn creu’r amgylchedd lle y gall addysgu gwych ffynnu.


Gwyddom oll fod heriau o’n blaenau, ond rhaid eu hwynebu yn hytrach na’u hosgoi. Rydym yn gwneud dewisiadau pwysig ynglyn â’n gallu ar y cyd i lunio system addysg sy’n gyfoes, yn rhagorol ac yn arloesol.


Gyda’n gilydd gallwn ennyn diddordeb dysgwyr, gyda’n gilydd gallwn ehangu gorwelion dysgwyr, gyda’n gilydd gallwn adeiladu gwell dyfodol i blant Cymru.







Translation:


 
Bore da, good morning. I am delighted to be here with you today.


To be blunt: I believe education reform is our national mission.


This national mission, which I will make a key theme of my time as Education Secretary, involves learners of all ages, a united teaching profession committed to excellence, and world\-leading universities and colleges forging the strongest bond with employers, international partners and communities at home.


No one is more important to this mission, than you, our pioneer schools. I thank you for being here today and for your commitment to improving education for the children and young people of our nation. Our summer results show that much has been achieved, however we know, I know, there is much further to go if we are to achieve our ambition to have a world leading education system.


A new broad, balanced, inclusive and challenging curriculum for Wales, built on strong foundations, lies at the very heart of what I want to achieve for our children and young people. So I’m really glad to be here today to talk about that ambition and my commitment to the education reform agenda.


These are exciting times. Curriculum reform offers a great opportunity to the Education sector in Wales but also represents a significant challenge for all those involved – particularly you, the Pioneers.


Your commitment and active involvement are essential if we are to create a curriculum that is engaging and attractive to our learners but which is also applicable in the classroom.


So I thank you for accepting the challenge and for agreeing to be at the vanguard of this change.


As you know, A curriculum for Wales: a curriculum for life set out the Welsh Government’s response to Successful Futures and received cross\-party support when it was published.


It describes how the new curriculum will be developed with you \- education professionals across Wales, with the aim of it being available by September 2018 and used to support learning and teaching from 2021\.


I support that vision and I know, with your help, we will design a curriculum that is both world\-class and able to serve the needs of our children and young people for many years to come.


As part of this vision, I am convinced that we must listen to professionals and especially to you, the Pioneers, at every stage of the process. I want to let teachers get on with teaching and allow leaders to lead. I also want to listen to parents and children so that their ambitions inform our agenda. They, rightly, demand the best from our education system. That is why our relentless focus must be on getting the basics right, raising standards and being ambitious and confident in our reforms.


This event signals an important step in the process. Bringing all pioneers together into one network will mean that your knowledge, expertise and experience can be shared and combined so that the united Pioneer network is as effective as it can possibly be.


To get the best outcome for our learners, you will need to work together, informed by each other’s work, sharing good practice and using ‘A Curriculum for Wales – a Curriculum for Life’ as your steer.


You will be called onto draw on the most up to date research and best educational methods from across the globe. As teachers and leaders, you should be life\-long students. Learning from each other, continuously improving, and studying best practice whether it’s in the next classroom, community or continent.


‘Collaboration’ and ‘co\-operation’ will ensure that the wealth of good practice you hold and collect is shared and these must be our watch words in achieving our common goal.


My officials will, of course, support you in this by arranging more Pioneer events, and drawing in relevant expertise and other professional support where together we identify the need.


And we will continue to fund your release from school duties so you can keep your focus on this all\-important work. In return of course I expect you to honour the commitment you have made.


A great start has already been made. A lot of groundwork has been done and foundations for the new curriculum have been laid.


And, of course, the Digital Pioneers have been forging ahead with the Digital Competence Framework, which I was delighted to launch formally earlier today at Ysgol Bro Edern, one of the Digital Pioneer schools.


The urgent need for a Digital Competence Framework was highlighted by the report of the independent ICT Steering Group in 2013 and by Professor Graham Donaldson in Successful Futures.


That’s why the development of the Framework was prioritised.


As the first element of the new curriculum to be made available, I would like to congratulate all those involved, not only for developing a quality product but for doing so within a very tight timescale. Thank you.


You can be proud that you helped establish a Framework that will put Wales in a world\-leading position in terms of integrating digital skills across the curriculum.


Digital competence is a fundamental skill in our modern world. It will form one of three cross\-curricular responsibilities, alongside literacy and numeracy.


The Framework focuses on developing digital skills that are useful in everyday life and transferrable to the world of work.


It is designed for all children in Wales. It covers the development of skills from the earliest stages, encompasses ‘Routes for Learning’ and also provides our more able and talented young people with challenge.


I know that the Pioneers who have developed the Digital Competence Framework will be sharing more on this with you later today, together with Professor Tom Crick.


I’d like to thank Tom who has been such a big influence in moving this agenda forward and has provided support and expertise throughout the process.


I am sure you will agree the Framework is an impressive product. But I would emphasise that this is not the end of the DCF story.


The Pioneer Network, and partners such as the Regional Consortia will need to continue to work together to identify:


* what support practitioners will need;
* where support should be targeted; and
* what materials and resources are needed to help all practitioners and teachers to use the Framework effectively


as well as working to integrate the Framework across the Areas of Learning and Experience as they are developed.


This will be an ongoing process responsive to the needs of the profession, with an initial Professional Learning Offer to support practitioners in implementing the DCF due to be in place from this time next year.


We know digital skills are essential for all our young people. They will need to compete in the knowledge economy of the future – working with and through technology that has not even have been invented yet.


None of us can predict what that technology and how it interacts with the world will be like in 10 years time.


But we do know the Digital Competency Framework will help equip our children and young people with the skills they need to be confident shapers of that future rather than just passive consumers of it.


It is an important element in a package of measures we are putting in place to improve digital learning. In the coming months I will be saying more about how we can work together to give children and young people greater experience of skills such as coding from an early age:


* I envisage better pupil access to coding workshops and coding clubs across Wales;
* I envisage enhanced engagement with business and employers in the provision of digital learning; and
* I envisage new levels of support for you and your colleagues so you can play a full part in this exciting aspect of our education system.


One of the first elements of this support is a self assessment tool, developed with Pioneer schools, to help teachers identify their priorities for support. You will be able to access this when you next log on to Hwb.


Hwb will also host a range of resources linked to specific strands of the Digital Competence Framework.


New resources, supporting other aspects of the curriculum, have been added to Hwb since the beginning of term. This includes three new safeguarding modules published this week, in partnership with the NSPCC.


These resources will support teachers in keeping learners safe.


As part of our effort to continually improve the Hwb offer, we have also improved the reporting and assessment tools to support assessment for learning and the new Hwb Classrooms feature will allow learners to collaborate in a safe online environment.


Hwb, of course, will remain an important support tool for all teachers – I would ask that you encourage everyone in your schools and networks to make use of it and help us to continuously improve it.


With more and more schools making use of services such as Hwb and Hwb\+ and cloud applications, it is vitally important that schools have fast, secure and reliable access to the internet.


Internet access enables teachers to provide dynamic and engaging lessons, pupils to carry out research and submit work online and parents to keep track their child’s progress.


I am pleased to announce that, as a result of the significant investment made by the Welsh Government under the Learning in Digital Wales Grant Programme, over 1400 schools in Wales are now connected at a minimum of 10 megabits per second for primary schools and at least 100 megabits per second for secondary schools.


This represents the vast majority of schools in Wales. However, a small number of schools could not benefit from this initial investment due to the significant civil engineering costs that were required.


That is why I agreed with the First Minister that access to superfast services for all schools should be prioritised within the national programme.


Working with the Superfast Cymru programme we will ensure that all schools in Wales have access to the internet services they need in order to provide the very best education. Rest assured that I will be pressing to ensure that this development progresses as quickly as possible.


Looking more broadly than the digital world, and on a morning of announcements, I am delighted to announce the launch of the enhanced Professional Learning Passport (PLP) for the education workforce.


The PLP is hosted on the Education Workforce Council’s website and is a key feature of our Professional Learning and Support approach. It is one of the foundation stones in supporting and developing our self\-improving system.


For the first time practitioners in Wales are able to record their professional learning in a single secure online portfolio that captures all of their professional learning and supports their professional growth.


The PLP underpins practitioners’ career pathways and supports them to record, reflect on and identify the most appropriate professional learning opportunities so they continue to develop their practice. It also supports ‘peer to peer’ professional learning.


But it will only make a difference to professional learning and influence reflective practice if everyone uses it. So please engage proactively with it and help us develop and shape it to reflect your needs over time.


I want to ensure the next few years are used to support you and all practitioners to be ready to use the new curriculum.


The PLP is designed to help practitioners to develop. We already know that the quality of teaching is the most important factor in raising standards, closely followed by effective leadership.


It is therefore essential that teachers, and those that support and lead teaching, are equipped with the skills to provide learners with the very best teaching.


Many of you will have attended the Professional Teaching Standards workshops with Mick Waters so are aware of important new developments.


These new standards capture the skills and behaviours that our teachers need to have to meet the challenges of a new curriculum and to maintain teaching’s status as a high value profession.


Our new standards need to deliver on a number of fronts:


* they need to act as a gatekeeper for the profession so that we attract the very best teachers to Wales to help create a vibrant and high performing profession;
* they need to inspire and enthuse by providing a focus for career\-long professional learning and growth, including leadership development at all levels; and
* they need to fire teachers’ ambition – both for their profession and critically for all of their learners.


Something so fundamental cannot be developed in isolation – that is why we are involving many of you in this work.


It is, and will increasingly be, a feature of the way we work in Wales that we listen to the profession and build on the rich experience that exists in our schools.


Over the coming months Pioneer Schools and Initial Teacher Education providers who have volunteered will be trialling the new standards to find out what works and we will use this feedback to inform further development.


I am aware some of you had an early start this morning in order to get together and plan how this will be happening! The intention is to be ready to consult more widely ahead of introducing the new standards from September 2017\.


I will be following this work with interest and look forward to hearing how it progresses.


Your invaluable input as practitioners, together with the robust evidence\-base provided by Professor Donaldson in Successful Futures and the expertise and support from people like Professors Tom Crick and John Furlong, regional consortia and Estyn gives me confidence that Wales is on the right track to creating a curriculum and education system that will successfully serve its learners for many years to come.


You, together with regional consortia will develop a package of measures to help practitioners adopt and use a new curriculum that will be flexible and responsive to the challenges presented by the increasing pace of change across all aspects of our society, in Wales and across the world.


But teachers must be empowered to deliver it, so measures such as improved access to high speed internet, the Practitioner Learning Passport and new professional teaching standards will provide the environment for great teaching to thrive.


We all know there are challenges ahead, but that is to be embraced not avoided. We are making important choices about our collective ability to shape an education system that is modern, excellent and innovative.


Together we can engage learners’ minds, together we can expand learners’ horizons, together we can build a better future for the children of Wales.