English: In many ways, it is that baseline of funding that our schools receive via the local education authorities that, by working together, we will need to support them, going forward, because the learning loss that was identified by the inspector in September is being compounded, despite the best efforts of everyone involved, by this prolonged period of schools not being open for face-to-face teaching for the majority of pupils. We will continue to work right the way across the education field to understand what is the most effective way of supporting children. We believe that that is by supporting individual headteachers to make plans for their school. They know their cohort of children best, they and their governing bodies know what their children need, and it is our job to provide them with the funds necessary to adapt to the circumstances that they find themselves in. I'm glad that Siân Gwenllian has raised the question of pressure on the workforce. The inspector rightly points out the highly pressurised situation that school leaders and senior management teams have found themselves working in. We have, indeed, provided grant funding to Education Support to undertake a bespoke package of support for the whole of the workforce in Wales during this academic year. Support that is available includes well-being events, peer-to-peer support for headteachers and the appointment of a well-being adviser to provide additional advice and guidance to staff. Additional funding has now been agreed to provide an expanded project. This will allow additional strands of support for headteachers especially to be included, in recognition of the significant pressures that they are under. I know that regional consortia have also been hosting a number of support events, often with anonymity, so that headteachers could come forward without fear of stigma, or without fear of being identified, so that they could get support. I know that, for instance, having conversations with Central South Consortium this morning, many headteachers have subsequently, as a result of the support of that programme, identified themselves as being participants and have said that it has greatly helped them in their ability to manage in this unprecedented situation. We've also considered, and have taken action to alleviate, pressure points where we can. For instance, we've tried, wherever possible, to reduce data requests or the removal of requirements that really don't add value at this moment. Sometimes that can be a challenge; people in this Chamber demand data all of the time. But, of course, that data has to be sourced from somewhere, and that usually falls upon an individual school. So, it is about getting that balance between making sure we know what's going on, while at the same time stripping away demands on the workforce at this moment that really aren't adding value. We will continue to work with the National Academy for Educational Leadership, which, via its associate programme, has also been providing support to school leaders at this particular time. I know that many of them have found that particularly helpful in addressing the stresses and strains. With regard to the future of inspections, clearly we have to be mindful of the public health scenario that we face at the moment. We don't want any more people going into schools than absolutely necessarily have to be there, and we have to reflect on the pressures that the school system is facing at the moment. Estyn have proven themselves to be particularly adept at transforming the way that they have worked, supporting those schools that are in a categorisation, working with local education authorities to understand and to develop best practice, and we would expect that to continue. But, clearly, any move to formal inspections again will have to be taken at the appropriate time. Clearly, at this point, unless there is a substantial change in the way in which the schools are operating, then it would not be appropriate to return to the formal model of inspection at this particular moment.
Welsh: Mewn sawl ffordd, y llinell sylfaen honno o gyllid y mae ein hysgolion ni'n ei chael drwy'r awdurdodau addysg lleol y bydd angen i ni, drwy gydweithio, eu cefnogi nhw, wrth symud ymlaen, oherwydd mae'r colli dysgu a oedd wedi'i nodi gan yr arolygydd ym mis Medi yn cael ei dwysáu, er gwaethaf ymdrechion gorau pawb dan sylw, gan cyfnod hir hwn o ysgolion yn peidio â bod yn agored ar gyfer addysg wyneb yn wyneb i fwyafrif y disgyblion. Byddwn ni'n parhau i weithio ledled y maes addysg i ddeall beth yw'r ffordd fwyaf effeithiol o gefnogi plant. Rydym ni o'r farn mai drwy gefnogi penaethiaid unigol i wneud cynlluniau ar gyfer eu hysgol y mae hynny. Y nhw'n sy'n adnabod eu carfan o blant orau, ac maen nhw a'u cyrff llywodraethu yn gwybod yr hyn sydd ei angen ar eu plant, a'n gwaith ni yw rhoi'r arian angenrheidiol iddyn nhw addasu i'r amgylchiadau y mae'n nhw'n eu cael eu hunain ynddyn nhw. Rwy'n falch bod Siân Gwenllian wedi codi'r cwestiwn o bwysau ar y gweithlu. Mae'r arolygydd yn nodi'n briodol y sefyllfa y mae arweinwyr ysgolion ac uwch dimau rheoli wedi cael eu hunain yn gweithio ynddi, sydd wedi'u rhoi o dan bwysau mawr. Yn wir, rydym ni wedi darparu cyllid grant i Gymorth Addysg i ymgymryd â phecyn cymorth pwrpasol ar gyfer y gweithlu cyfan yng Nghymru yn ystod y flwyddyn academaidd hon. Mae'r cymorth sydd ar gael yn cynnwys digwyddiadau llesiant, cymorth rhwng cymheiriaid i benaethiaid a phenodi cynghorydd llesiant i roi cyngor ac arweiniad ychwanegol i staff. Mae cyllid ychwanegol i ddarparu prosiect estynedig eisoes wedi'i gytuno. Bydd hyn yn caniatáu i elfennau ychwanegol o gymorth i benaethiaid yn arbennig, gael eu cynnwys, i gydnabod y pwysau sylweddol sydd arnyn nhw. Rwy'n ymwybodol bod consortia rhanbarthol hefyd wedi bod yn cynnal nifer o ddigwyddiadau cymorth, yn aml yn anhysbys, er mwyn i benaethiaid allu camu ymlaen heb ofni stigma, neu heb ofni cael eu hadnabod, er mwyn iddyn nhw allu cael cymorth. Rwy'n gwybod, er enghraifft, ar ôl cael sgyrsiau gyda Chonsortiwm Canolbarth y De y bore yma, fod llawer o benaethiaid wedi nodi eu bod yn gyfranogwyr o ganlyniad i gefnogaeth y rhaglen honno, ac wedi dweud ei bod wedi eu helpu'n fawr yn eu gallu i ymdopi yn y sefyllfa ddigynsail hon. Rydym ni hefyd wedi ystyried, ac wedi cymryd camau i liniaru gwasgbwyntiau lle y gallwn ni. Er enghraifft, rydym ni wedi ceisio, lle bynnag y bo modd, leihau ceisiadau am ddata neu ddileu gofynion nad ydyn nhw'n ychwanegu gwerth ar hyn o bryd. Weithiau gall hynny fod yn her; mae pobl yn y Siambr hon yn mynnu data drwy'r amser. Ond, wrth gwrs, mae'n rhaid dod o hyd i'r data hwnnw yn rhywle, ac mae hynny fel arfer yn disgyn ar ysgol unigol. Felly, mae'n ymwneud â sicrhau'r cydbwysedd hwnnw rhwng sicrhau ein bod ni'n gwybod beth sy'n digwydd, a hefyd dileu galwadau ar y gweithlu ar hyn o bryd nad ydyn nhw'n ychwanegu gwerth. Byddwn ni'n parhau i weithio gyda'r Academi Genedlaethol ar gyfer Arweinyddiaeth Addysgol, sydd, drwy ei rhaglen gyswllt, hefyd wedi bod yn rhoi cymorth i arweinwyr ysgolion ar yr adeg benodol hon. Rwy'n gwybod bod llawer ohonyn nhw wedi gweld hynny'n arbennig o ddefnyddiol wrth fynd i'r afael â straen a phwysau. O ran dyfodol arolygiadau, mae'n amlwg bod yn rhaid i ni fod yn ymwybodol o'r sefyllfa iechyd y cyhoedd sy'n ein hwynebu ni ar hyn o bryd. Nid ydym ni eisiau i fwy o bobl fynd i ysgolion nag sydd wir angen iddyn nhw fod yno, ac mae'n rhaid i ni fyfyrio ar y pwysau y mae'r system ysgolion yn ei hwynebu ar hyn o bryd. Mae Estyn wedi profi eu bod yn arbennig o fedrus wrth drawsnewid y ffordd y maen nhw wedi gweithio, gan gefnogi'r ysgolion hynny sydd mewn categori, gan weithio gydag awdurdodau addysg lleol i ddeall a datblygu arfer gorau, a byddem ni'n disgwyl i hynny barhau. Ond, yn amlwg, bydd yn rhaid gwneud unrhyw symudiad tuag at arolygiadau ffurfiol eto ar yr adeg briodol. Yn amlwg, ar hyn o bryd, oni bai bod newid sylweddol yn y ffordd y mae'r ysgolion yn gweithredu, yna ni fyddai'n briodol dychwelyd at y model arolygu ffurfiol ar hyn o bryd.