English: I'm also pleased to contribute to this afternoon's important debate - important because what could be more important than discussing education? What could be more important than the future of our young people? The results that we've been talking about this afternoon are not the be-all and end-all of education, but they are a key indicator of where we are as a country in terms of educating our young people, and a measure along the way to where we would like to be. Other Members have mentioned many of the things I was going to mention, so I won't go over old ground. Paul Davies has mentioned Pembrokeshire and the results there; in Monmouthshire, I'd like to congratulate the pupils across Monmouthshire, who worked so hard, and their teachers, who worked hard, and gained good results. I know that the Minister, from your previous answer, was in King Henry VIII Comprehensive in Abergavenny, I think, on the day of the results, so you could see first-hand the delight. We all cast our minds back to when we were in that position, opening our results, and it's a time in your life that is never to be repeated later, but I'm pleased that the Minister was in my constituency for that day. I do have to say - and this was mentioned by Siân Gwenllian earlier - in terms of the Government amendment, I was disappointed by that amendment. It does highlight some interesting statistics, but it does make things seem as though everything is rosy in the garden, and I don't think it really does reflect the real desire that's out there in schools amongst the pupils, teachers and further afield to reform and to progress and to raise standards. And there's always going to be scope to raise standards, no matter how good the Government might say things are, or how good things might be perceived to be. At the end of the day, particularly as we approach leaving the European Union, Wales and the UK are going to have to compete, increasingly, on the world stage and we'll have to keep up with other countries that are seeing their educational standards rise, and we must make sure that we keep pace with that. I would echo the earlier words of Paul Davies that, yes, some schools have done very well, but what about those schools that haven't done so well? It's important that good practice is spread from the good schools to the less-well-off schools, and it'd be good to see a restatement, a reappraisal, of the strategy of the Welsh Government on how the Minister sees that panning out and how good practice can be spread, because there's always work that can be done there. Funding has been mentioned and we know that the recent UK Government's spending round will see an extra amount of money - £1.24 billion - coming to Wales as a result of extra investment in schools in England. I think it was Jenny Rathbone who mentioned where's this money going to come from and let's have a debate about how we divide the cake in Wales. Well, okay, it might not be everything, but it is a very good sum of money that's going to come to Wales, so we do need to have a debate about how that money is spent. And, let's make sure that that money goes to the front line of public services and doesn't get sidetracked or siphoned off into other areas. It must go to the education front line. Of course, money is not the whole answer - the Minister has made this point in the past - and I think too often we can give the impression that if we throw money at something, then that's going to solve it. But, of course, money is only half the answer, and indeed the NASUWT, as my colleague Paul Davies mentioned, has put that funding gap per pupil at £645. I know that's been disputed in some quarters, but that's the NASUWT's verdict and whatever that funding gap is then it's important that we seek to close that funding gap. We welcome the fact that there's been an improvement in GCSE and A-level results since 2018. I was going to mention the year 2007, but it caused so much anxiety earlier. Suzy Davies explained why 2007 has been used, in that it's the last date at which there is an ability to compare the data sets. So, that's why that date was set. But, if you go back, yes, to last year, then there's been an improvement. If you go back further, then the results are less clear cut. So, I think we need to remember that behind these statistics that have been quoted this afternoon, it's more than about statistics; there are people, young people, human beings behind the statistics. The future is behind those statistics. Because when you're putting money into education and you're planning your education strategy, then what you're actually doing is you're building the future of this country. And we all want to see in this Chamber - . I think we're all united in the view that we want to see an improvement in the standards today so that, in the future, Wales can do even better on the world stage and we can all get on with the job of building a brighter future for our young people and a brighter future for Wales.
Welsh: Rwyf innau hefyd yn falch o gyfrannu at y ddadl bwysig hon y prynhawn yma - pwysig, oherwydd beth allai fod yn bwysicach na thrafod addysg? Beth allai fod yn bwysicach na dyfodol ein pobl ifanc? Nid y canlyniadau y buom yn siarad amdanynt y prynhawn yma yw'r cyfan sy'n bwysig mewn addysg, ond maent yn ddangosydd allweddol o ble rydym arni fel gwlad o ran addysgu ein pobl ifanc, ac yn fodd o fesur ar hyd y ffordd i ble yr hoffem fod. Mae Aelodau eraill wedi sôn am lawer o'r pethau yr oeddwn am sôn amdanynt, felly nid wyf am eu hailadrodd. Mae Paul Davies wedi sôn am sir Benfro a'r canlyniadau yno; yn sir Fynwy, hoffwn longyfarch y disgyblion ledled sir Fynwy a weithiodd mor galed, a'u hathrawon a weithiodd yn galed a chael canlyniadau da. Gwn fod y Gweinidog, o'ch ateb blaenorol, yn Ysgol Gyfun Brenin Harri VIII yn y Fenni ar ddiwrnod y canlyniadau, rwy'n credu, felly fe allech chi weld y llawenydd drosoch eich hun. Mae pawb ohonom yn cofio pan oeddem yn y sefyllfa honno, yn agor ein canlyniadau, ac mae'n gyfnod yn eich bywyd na ddaw byth yn ôl, ond rwy'n falch fod y Gweinidog yn fy etholaeth ar gyfer y diwrnod hwnnw. Rhaid i mi ddweud - a soniodd Siân Gwenllian am hyn yn gynharach - o ran gwelliant y Llywodraeth, cefais fy siomi gan y gwelliant hwnnw. Mae'n tynnu sylw at ystadegau diddorol, ond mae'n gwneud i bethau ymddangos fel pe bai popeth yn fêl i gyd, ac nid wyf yn credu ei fod yn adlewyrchu'r gwir ddyhead mewn ysgolion ymhlith y disgyblion, athrawon a thu hwnt i ddiwygio a chamu ymlaen a chodi safonau. A bydd lle bob amser i godi safonau, ni waeth pa mor dda yw pethau yn ôl y Llywodraeth, neu pa mor dda yw'r canfyddiad ohonynt. Yn y pen draw, yn enwedig wrth inni nesáu at adael yr Undeb Ewropeaidd, mae Cymru a'r DU yn mynd i orfod cystadlu'n gynyddol ar lwyfan y byd a rhaid inni barhau i fod cystal â gwledydd eraill sy'n gweld eu safonau addysgol yn codi, a rhaid inni sicrhau ein bod yn mynd bob yn gam â hynny. Hoffwn ategu geiriau Paul Davies yn gynharach fod rhai ysgolion wedi gwneud yn dda iawn, ond beth am yr ysgolion nad ydynt wedi gwneud cystal? Mae'n bwysig fod arferion da'n cael eu lledaenu o'r ysgolion da i'r ysgolion llai cefnog, a byddai'n dda gweld ailddatganiad, ailwerthusiad, o strategaeth Llywodraeth Cymru o sut y mae'r Gweinidog yn gweld hynny'n datblygu a sut y gellir lledaenu arferion da, gan fod yna waith y gellir ei wneud ar hynny bob amser. Mae cyllid wedi'i grybwyll a gwyddom y bydd cylch gwariant diweddar Llywodraeth y DU yn darparu swm ychwanegol o arian - £1.24 biliwn - i ddod i Gymru o ganlyniad i fuddsoddiad ychwanegol mewn ysgolion yn Lloegr. Credaf mai Jenny Rathbone a grybwyllodd o ble y daw'r arian hwn a gadewch inni gael dadl ynglŷn â sut y rhannwn y gacen yng Nghymru. Wel, o'r gorau, efallai nad yw'n bopeth, ond mae swm da iawn o arian yn mynd i ddod i Gymru, felly mae angen inni gael dadl ynglŷn â sut y gwerir yr arian hwnnw. A gadewch i ni sicrhau bod yr arian yn mynd i reng flaen y gwasanaethau cyhoeddus ac nad yw'n cael ei ailgyfeirio i feysydd eraill. Rhaid iddo fynd i'r rheng flaen ym maes addysg. Wrth gwrs, nid arian yw'r ateb cyfan - mae'r Gweinidog wedi gwneud y pwynt hwn yn y gorffennol - a chredaf ein bod yn rhy aml yn gallu rhoi'r argraff, os ydym yn taflu arian at rywbeth, fod hynny'n mynd i'w ddatrys. Ond dim ond hanner yr ateb yw arian wrth gwrs, ac yn wir mae NASUWT, fel y soniodd fy nghyd-Aelod Paul Davies, wedi dweud bod y bwlch ariannu'n £645 y disgybl. Rwy'n gwybod bod rhai wedi anghytuno â hynny mewn rhai cylchoedd, ond dyna farn NASUWT a beth bynnag yw'r bwlch cyllido, mae'n bwysig ein bod yn ceisio ei gau. Rydym yn croesawu'r gwelliant a fu yn y canlyniadau TGAU a safon uwch ers 2018. Roeddwn yn mynd i sôn am y flwyddyn 2007, ond achosodd gymaint o bryder yn gynharach. Eglurodd Suzy Davies pam fod 2007 wedi'i defnyddio, sef oherwydd mai dyma'r dyddiad olaf y gellir cymharu'r setiau data. Felly, dyna pam y pennwyd y dyddiad hwnnw. Ond os ewch chi'n ôl i'r llynedd, mae gwelliant wedi bod. Os ewch chi'n ôl ymhellach, mae'r canlyniadau'n llai clir. Felly, y tu ôl i'r ystadegau a ddyfynnwyd y prynhawn yma, credaf fod rhaid i ni gofio ei fod yn ymwneud â mwy nag ystadegau; mae pobl, pobl ifanc, bodau dynol y tu ôl i'r ystadegau. Mae'r dyfodol y tu ôl i'r ystadegau hynny. Oherwydd pan fyddwch yn rhoi arian i addysg ac yn cynllunio eich strategaeth addysg, yr hyn a wnewch mewn gwirionedd yw adeiladu dyfodol y wlad hon. Ac mae pawb ohonom eisiau gweld yn y Siambr hon - . Credaf ein bod i gyd yn unfryd ein bod am weld gwelliant yn y safonau heddiw fel y gall Cymru wneud hyd yn oed yn well ar lwyfan y byd yn y dyfodol, ac fel y gall pob un ohonom fwrw ymlaen â'r gwaith o adeiladu dyfodol mwy disglair i'n pobl ifanc a dyfodol mwy disglair i Gymru.