English: Can I thank the Cabinet Secretary for her statement today and put on record my thanks for the work of Qualifications Wales in producing an excellent report? The report's two simple but important recommendations - namely to count only the first grade awarded toward performance measures and lift the restriction on English and Welsh language resits in November - are ones that the Welsh Conservatives fully support. Whilst I welcome the statement today, I think that what we also need to be asking is why it's taken so long to get to this point. I know that in other parts of the UK, this matter has been addressed for a number of years, and I would be grateful if the Cabinet Secretary can tell us why it's taken so long to address this issue of inappropriate early entry when the problems have been apparent for some years. Perhaps the Cabinet Secretary can explain why this issue hasn't been addressed before now. I appreciate that she has only been in post for 18 months, but maybe there has been a specific reason why this matter has not been addressed before now. We are not talking about small numbers when it comes to pupils sitting GCSEs early. In 2016-17, nearly 19 per cent of all summer GCSE entries in Wales came from year 10s or younger. Of course, that number of early entries, combined with repeating the exam multiple times, generates significant extra costs for the taxpayer. One of the reports estimated it to be more than £3 million during the 2016-17 academic year. Had there been appropriate early-entry options, then that cash could have been spent on more teachers, teaching assistants, textbooks and other parts of the education system. In addition, the report points to an inconsistency in school budgets to fund for early entry, which has led in some cases to schools asking parents to fund resits of exams, which is clearly unfair. Given this, will the Cabinet Secretary tell us what she estimates the savings of more appropriate levels of early entry to be once the changes she's announced today are implemented? And will she also look at the issue of parents being charged for resits by some schools, so that parents don't find themselves in that situation in the future? Entering pupils early for GCSEs has, arguably, been more for the benefit of the schools than for students in the majority of cases in Wales. As the Qualifications Wales report found, school performance measures are often seen as the driving force behind early entry. Schools use GCSE results for their secondary school performance regime, and that's put enormous pressure on teachers to maintain or increase students achieving results between that A* to C threshold. Of course, what's inevitably resulted from this practice is that schools are aiming for the lowest hanging fruit - C grades - rather than reaching for A*s, As and Bs. As a result, more able and talented pupils are missing out on the top grades that they would have achieved had they been entered at the appropriate time, having benefited from sufficient classroom time to develop their learning. I appreciate the Cabinet Secretary will be publishing revised guidance on early entry, but could she tell us how the Welsh Government will ensure that schools are only putting forward students for GCSEs who are properly prepared and have studied the whole curriculum? And can she also tell us when she will be in a position to publish this revised guidance? Now, I accept from today's statement that, in future, the resit result will not count towards the school's performance. However, whilst schools will only take one result into account from early entry, my understanding is that pupils are required to disclose all their GCSE results on their UCAS application forms, not just their best results. Universities are more likely to take a student who took the exam once and achieved a C than the one who took the exam three times before managing to achieve a C, and that could result in fewer Welsh students attending more competitive Russell Group universities in the future. Therefore, will the Cabinet Secretary confirm that she will monitor university entry amongst early entrants and multiple entrants to measure the impact of this specific issue? I think a concern that we have to note from this report too is the effect that preparing for early entry has had on teaching time. The worry is the impact on current lower year groups, who are finding their teachers have less time to prepare for lessons or to mark homework. This means that even before it comes to GCSEs, students in some cases aren't being adequately prepared to move on to this next stage. Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm that she will review the impact of early entry on lower year groups? And perhaps she could tell us whether this impact will actually be reflected in the revised guidance she intends to issue in due course. In her statement today, she also makes clear that the performance measures will take effect for summer 2019 reporting. But will the Cabinet Secretary agree to provide the Chamber with regular updates on their impact on early entry? Therefore, in closing, acting Deputy Presiding Officer, can I thank the Cabinet Secretary once again for her statement this afternoon and once again put on record the Welsh Conservatives' support for the recommendations made by Qualifications Wales?
Welsh: A gaf i ddiolch i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet am ei datganiad heddiw a chofnodi fy niolch am waith Cymwysterau Cymru wrth lunio adroddiad rhagorol? Mae'r ddau argymhelliad syml ond pwysig sydd yn yr adroddiad - sef cyfrif y radd gyntaf a ddyfarnwyd yn unig tuag at fesurau perfformiad a chodi'r cyfyngiad ar ailsefyll Saesneg iaith a Chymraeg iaith ym mis Tachwedd - yn rhai y mae'r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig yn eu cefnogi'n llwyr. Er fy mod yn croesawu'r datganiad heddiw, credaf mai'r hyn y mae angen i ni fod yn ei ofyn hefyd yw pam ei bod wedi cymryd cymaint o amser i gyrraedd y pwynt hwn. Gwn, mewn rhannau eraill o'r DU, eu bod wedi mynd i'r afael â'r mater hwn ers nifer o flynyddoedd, a byddwn yn ddiolchgar pe bai Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn gallu dweud wrthym pam ei bod wedi cymryd cymaint o amser i fynd i'r afael â'r mater hwn o gofrestru'n gynnar yn amhriodol pan fo'r problemau wedi bod yn amlwg ers rhai blynyddoedd. Efallai y gall Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet esbonio pam na roddwyd sylw i'r mater hwn cyn hyn. Rwy'n gwerthfawrogi mai dim ond ers 18 mis y mae hi wedi bod yn ei swydd, ond efallai bod rheswm penodol pam na roddwyd sylw i'r mater hwn cyn hyn. Nid ydym yn sôn am niferoedd bach o ddisgyblion sy'n sefyll TGAU yn gynnar. Yn 2016-17, roedd bron i 19 y cant o holl ymgeiswyr TGAU yr haf yng Nghymru ym mlwyddyn 10 neu iau. Wrth gwrs, mae'r nifer hwnnw o gofrestriadau cynnar, ynghyd ag ailadrodd yr arholiad sawl gwaith, yn creu costau ychwanegol sylweddol i'r trethdalwr. Amcangyfrifodd un o'r adroddiadau bod y gost yn fwy na £3 miliwn yn ystod blwyddyn academaidd 2016-17. Pe byddai yna ddewisiadau cofrestru'n gynnar priodol, gellid bod wedi gwario'r arian hwnnw ar fwy o athrawon, cynorthwywyr dysgu, a gwerslyfrau ac ar rannau eraill o'r system addysg. Hefyd, mae'r adroddiad yn nodi anghysondeb mewn cyllidebau ysgolion wrth ariannu cofrestru'n gynnar, sydd wedi arwain mewn rhai achosion at ysgolion yn gofyn i rieni ariannu ailsefyll arholiadau, sy'n amlwg yn annheg. O gofio hyn, a wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ddweud wrthym beth y mae hi'n ei amcangyfrif y bydd yr arbedion o lefelau mwy priodol o gofrestru'n gynnar ar ôl i'r newidiadau a gyhoeddwyd heddiw gael eu gweithredu? A wnaiff hi hefyd ystyried y mater o godi ffi ar rieni am ail-eistedd gan rai ysgolion, fel nad yw rhieni yn canfod eu hunain yn y sefyllfa honno yn y dyfodol? Mae cofrestru disgyblion yn gynnar ar gyfer TGAU, gellir dadlau, wedi bod mwy er budd yr ysgolion na'r myfyrwyr yn y rhan fwyaf o achosion yng Nghymru. Fel y canfu adroddiad Cymwysterau Cymru, ystyrir yn aml mai mesurau perfformiad ysgolion yn aml sy'n sbarduno cofrestru'n gynnar. Mae ysgolion yn defnyddio canlyniadau TGAU ar gyfer eu cyfundrefn perfformiad ysgolion uwchradd, ac mae hynny'n rhoi pwysau enfawr ar athrawon i gynnal neu gynyddu nifer y myfyrwyr sy'n cyflawni canlyniadau rhwng y trothwy A * i C hwnnw. Wrth gwrs, yr hyn sydd wedi deillio o'r arfer hwn, yn anochel, yw bod ysgolion yn anelu at y graddau hawsaf hynny - graddau C - yn hytrach nag anelu at A *, A a B. O ganlyniad, mae disgyblion mwy abl a thalentog yn colli allan ar y graddau uchaf hynny y byddent wedi'u cyflawni pe byddent wedi cael eu cofrestru ar yr adeg briodol, ar ôl elwa ar ddigon o amser yn yr ystafell ddosbarth i ddatblygu eu dysgu. Rwy'n gwerthfawrogi y bydd Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn cyhoeddi canllawiau diwygiedig ar gofrestru'n gynnar, ond a wnaiff hi ddweud wrthym sut y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn sicrhau mai dim ond myfyrwyr sydd wedi'u paratoi'n gywir ac sydd wedi astudio'r cwricwlwm cyfan y mae ysgolion yn eu cofrestru ar gyfer TGAU? Ac a wnaiff hi hefyd ddweud wrthym pryd y bydd mewn sefyllfa i gyhoeddi'r canllawiau diwygiedig hyn? Nawr, rwy'n derbyn o'r datganiad heddiw, na fydd canlyniad ailsefyll yn cyfrif tuag at berfformiad yr ysgol yn y dyfodol. Fodd bynnag, er mai dim ond un canlyniad y bydd ysgolion yn ei ystyried o gofrestru'n gynnar, fy nealltwriaeth i yw ei bod yn ofynnol i ddisgyblion ddatgelu eu holl ganlyniadau TGAU ar eu ffurflenni cais UCAS, nid eu canlyniadau gorau yn unig. Mae prifysgolion yn fwy tebygol o dderbyn myfyriwr a safodd yr arholiad unwaith a chael C na un a safodd yr arholiad dair gwaith cyn llwyddo i gael C, a gallai hynny arwain at lai o fyfyrwyr o Gymru yn mynychu y prifysgolion Grŵp Russell mwy cystadleuol yn y dyfodol. Felly, a wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet gadarnhau y bydd hi'n monitro derbyniadau i brifysgolion ymhlith y rhai sy'n cofrestru'n gynnar a rhai â chofrestriadau amryfal er mwyn mesur effaith y mater penodol hwn? Rwy'n credu mai pryder y mae'n rhaid inni ei nodi o'r adroddiad hwn hefyd yw'r effaith y mae paratoi ar gyfer cofrestru'n gynnar wedi'i chael ar amser dysgu. Y pryder yw'r effaith ar grwpiau blwyddyn is ar hyn o bryd, sy'n canfod bod gan eu hathrawon lai o amser i baratoi ar gyfer gwersi neu i farcio gwaith cartref. Golyga hyn, hyd yn oed cyn dod at TGAU, nad yw myfyrwyr mewn rhai achosion yn cael eu paratoi'n ddigonol i symud ymlaen i'r cam nesaf hwn. A wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet gadarnhau y bydd hi'n adolygu effaith cofrestru'n gynnar ar grwpiau blwyddyn is? Ac efallai y gallai ddweud wrthym a fydd yr effaith hon yn cael ei hadlewyrchu mewn gwirionedd yn y canllawiau diwygiedig y mae'n bwriadu eu cyhoeddi maes o law. Yn ei datganiad heddiw, mae hi hefyd yn nodi'n glir y bydd y mesurau perfformiad yn dod i rym ar gyfer adroddiad haf 2019. Ond a wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet gytuno i roi diweddariadau rheolaidd i'r Siambr ar eu heffaith ar gofrestru'n gynnar? Felly, i gloi, Dirprwy Lywydd dros dro, a gaf i ddiolch i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet unwaith eto am ei datganiad y prynhawn 'ma a chofnodi eto cefnogaeth Ceidwadwyr Cymru i'r argymhellion a wnaed gan Gymwysterau Cymru?