English: Diolch, Llywydd. I'm very pleased to open this debate on the Children, Young People and Education Committee's inquiry on targeted funding to improve educational outcomes and our report, 'On the money?', which we published in June. The aim of our inquiry was to focus on whether Welsh Government's work on using a targeted approach to support disadvantaged pupils to reach their full potential and raise school standards more generally is truly on the money, and what more can be done to get the greatest impact and value for money from a targeted approach. If Wales is to have the first-class, heralded education system we all aspire to, we cannot and should not leave any pupils behind. That is why I'm pleased that the Cabinet Secretary for Education welcomes our report and has accepted 24 of our 31 recommendations and a further three in principle. The Welsh Government has a well-established approach of targeting additional resources at particular groups of pupils who are at risk of not reaching their full potential. Tackling the negative correlation between deprivation, as measured by eligibility for free school meals, and attainment has been a priority for many years. Of course, some pupils from deprived backgrounds do very well and flourish academically, but we know many more do not. Pupils who are eligible for free school meals - eFSM - who often do well often do so against the odds and in spite of, rather than because of, their circumstances. This is why targeted support and intervention to break these structural inequalities, such as the pupil development grant, is so vital. This is why the committee's report expresses general support for the principle of targeted funding. However, at £94 million per year, the PDG takes up a significant chunk of the education budget and it's crucial that we get the best possible value for money. Our report also looked at the Welsh Government's targeted school improvement programme, Schools Challenge Cymru, which between 2014 and 2017 worked with 39 underperforming schools in Wales. Firstly, on the PDG, which is intended to be for every eFSM pupil, including those who are high-achieving but could achieve even more, our inquiry found that the PDG is predominantly being targeted at low-achieving eFSM pupils, and not at more able and talented ones. I am pleased that the Cabinet Secretary has accepted our recommendation on this and has already taken steps to address it.
Welsh: Diolch, Lywydd. Rwy'n falch iawn o agor y ddadl hon ar ymchwiliad y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg i gyllid wedi'i dargedu i wella canlyniadau addysgol a'n hadroddiad, 'Cyrraedd y nod?', a gyhoeddwyd gennym ym mis Mehefin. Nod ein hymchwiliad oedd edrych i weld a yw gwaith Llywodraeth Cymru ar ddefnyddio dull wedi'i dargedu i gynorthwyo disgyblion difreintiedig i gyrraedd eu potensial llawn ac i godi safonau ysgolion yn fwy cyffredinol yn cyrraedd y nod go iawn, a beth arall y gellir ei wneud i sicrhau'r effaith fwyaf a'r gwerth gorau am arian o ddull wedi'i dargedu. Os yw Cymru i gael y system addysg o'r radd flaenaf y mae pawb ohonom yn dyheu amdani, ni allwn ac ni ddylwn adael unrhyw ddisgyblion ar ôl. Dyna pam rwy'n falch fod Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros Addysg yn croesawu ein hadroddiad ac wedi derbyn 24 o 31 o'n hargymhellion a thri arall mewn egwyddor. Mae gan Lywodraeth Cymru ddull sefydledig o dargedu adnoddau ychwanegol at grwpiau penodol o ddisgyblion sydd mewn perygl o fethu cyrraedd eu potensial llawn. Mae mynd i'r afael â'r gydberthynas negyddol rhwng amddifadedd, fel y'i mesurir yn ôl cymhwysedd i gael prydau ysgol am ddim, a chyrhaeddiad wedi bod yn flaenoriaeth ers blynyddoedd lawer. Wrth gwrs, mae rhai disgyblion o gefndiroedd difreintiedig yn gwneud yn dda iawn ac yn ffynnu'n academaidd, ond gwyddom fod yna lawer rhagor nad ydynt yn gwneud hynny. Mae disgyblion sy'n gymwys i gael prydau ysgol am ddim sy'n aml yn gwneud yn dda yn aml yn gwneud hynny yn groes i'r disgwyl ac er gwaethaf, yn hytrach nag oherwydd, eu hamgylchiadau. Dyna pam y mae cymorth ac ymyrraeth wedi'i dargedu i chwalu'r anghydraddoldebau strwythurol hyn, megis y grant datblygu disgyblion, mor hanfodol. Dyna pam y mae adroddiad y pwyllgor yn mynegi cefnogaeth gyffredinol i'r egwyddor o dargedu cyllid. Fodd bynnag, ar £94 miliwn y flwyddyn, mae'r grant datblygu disgyblion yn llyncu rhan sylweddol o'r gyllideb addysg ac mae'n hollbwysig ein bod yn sicrhau'r gwerth gorau posibl am arian. Edrychodd ein hadroddiad hefyd ar raglen gwella ysgolion Llywodraeth Cymru, Her Ysgolion Cymru, rhaglen wedi'i thargedu a weithiodd gyda 39 o ysgolion a oedd yn tangyflawni yng Nghymru rhwng 2014 a 2017. Yn gyntaf, ar y grant datblygu disgyblion, y bwriedir iddo fod ar gyfer pob disgybl sy'n gymwys am brydau ysgol am ddim, gan gynnwys y rhai sy'n cyflawni ar lefel uchel ond a allai gyflawni mwy hyd yn oed, canfu ein hymchwiliad fod y grant datblygu disgyblion yn cael ei dargedu'n bennaf ar gyfer disgyblion sy'n gymwys am brydau ysgol am ddim ac sy'n tangyflawni, ac nid ar gyfer rhai mwy abl a thalentog. Rwy'n falch fod Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet wedi derbyn ein hargymhelliad ar hyn ac eisoes wedi rhoi camau ar waith i ymdrin â'r mater.