English: 'nothing that you say here in this Chamber today can make me feel personally any worse about these results.' So, I'm assuming that you're allowing yourself a small sigh of relief today, but are still very, very conscious of the fact that this is no reprieve. I recognise, as do your officials, that there has been an improvement, and I also want to thank the teachers and students for their efforts in doing that. But do your officials recognise also that these have not been significant improvements? My contest is not with the teachers and the young people who have taken part in these tests. It's with you as a Government and the hopes that you've raised, based on the last three years of reform, that continue to be dashed. So, yes, while we acknowledge the modest but not significant improvements, they still leave Wales the poorest performing nation in the UK. Our results, in effect, are slightly less bad than they were. It reinforces quite how high the mountain is that we have to climb to reach our UK fellows, let alone some of those in other countries. We are still missing that target of 500, confirmed just a fortnight ago by the First Minister. We are still below the average in some of the areas that are being examined, although, as we know, the OECD average itself has fallen, and being average is not what we should be achieving anyway. Catching up with the pack, which is going backwards, is not really winning the race. We need to be doing more than keeping pace. We need to be stepping it up. So, my first question on the statement, and I'm sure that there will be loads, is: you said three years ago that you would look at other countries to see what they do well and to get their good ideas. Even at that point, we were a little bit worried about Scotland because of its obvious influence on the reforms that you were bringing in. Obviously, they've had a good result on reading this time around. Despite that, their scores have remained depressed since the Donaldson era, and even the reading score today doesn't take them back to before that. So, can you tell us what it is that you are still learning from the Scottish experience and their woes, and what you will also be learning from the English experience? Obviously, their scores, as we heard from Mark Reckless earlier, are considerably better and are improving. Can you just give us a little bit of information about where you think the improvements have actually come from? In 2016 you quite rightly acknowledged - and you've mentioned it today - that our more able and talented children were underperforming. I think that all of us would be uncomfortable if that played any part at all in the position we had in the attainment gap. Specifically, have the changes affected the top half - the seventy-fifth percentile, if I can call it that - as compared to the ninetieth percentile? You mentioned the Seren programme, and I'd like to hear a little bit more about that. But the reason I'm asking this question is this: while our A* GCSE standards this year were very high - and the First Minister mentioned that earlier - our A* to C grades are down this year across these subjects. This is the same cohort of young people who sat the PISA tests the year before they sat these GCSEs. As you acknowledged, these GCSEs are now more aligned with the skills that PISA is designed to tease out, and your reforms have been in place in informing those exams for some time now. So, why are marginally better PISA results reflected in a drop in A* to C GCSE attainment? We spoke in this Chamber some weeks ago now about the drop in achievement at the moment across years 7 to 9. It was in the context, if you remember, of the removal of the requirement of school governors to set targets for the purpose of pupil improvement on school leaders in English or Welsh and maths and science. This year's year 7s will be the next cohort of PISA test children. So, do you now worry that the current trajectory for those year 7 to 9s means that adults and children involved in that current education system haven't really grasped the delivery of these reforms? And do you regret now that the removal of these targets for overall pupil achievement in those key subjects may indeed present us with a picture in a few years' time that we'll all be pretty unhappy with? Earlier, listening to your response to Mark Reckless on the issue of schools not having enough resources, I noticed you were nodding vigorously when he was talking to you, and, obviously, you've mentioned Estonia here today. Whatever you can say to us about the education system and the spending that goes into it, it still remains the case that schools - specifically schools - are not getting enough money, and I'm wondering if you're able to give us some comfort on that today. I wonder what your observations are that, while reading scores have improved, there is still the serious OECD concern over understanding. So, even though the love of reading is still a bit of a challenge in and of itself, this issue of understanding - 'comprehension', as we used to call it in the olden days - is still of considerable concern, I would say, because if you can't understand what you're reading, the ability to actually move into the area of critical thinking is seriously compromised, and of course this is the whole purpose behind what PISA is testing and what our own exams are working towards. That's the direction we're going in, and if there's an issue over comprehension, then we're obviously going to fail. Then, finally - because I appreciate, obviously, that there will be questions coming from others - it's basically this: how can it be that our scores in these areas are still lower than they were in 2006, when Wales decided to participate? Yours aren't the first reforms, Minister, and even with them, we are still further back than when we started: bottom of the UK, targets being missed, thousands of children still behind their cousins across the world when they don't need to be. So, my final question is this: what guarantee will you give us that in 2021 we will be above this average, that we will hit your target of 500 - effectively, when will we be where you want us to be? Thank you.
Welsh: ni all dim a ddywedwch chi yma heddiw yn y Siambr hon wneud i mi deimlo'n waeth yn bersonol ynglŷn â'r canlyniadau hyn. Felly, rwy'n tybio eich bod chi'n rhoi caniatâd i chi eich hun roi ochenaid fach o ryddhad heddiw, ond eich bod chi'n ymwybodol iawn o'r ffaith mai rhyddhad dros dro yw hyn. Rwy'n cydnabod, fel y gwna eich swyddogion, fod gwelliant wedi digwydd, ac rwyf innau'n awyddus i ddiolch i'r athrawon a'r myfyrwyr am eu hymdrechion nhw wrth wneud hynny. Ond a yw eich swyddogion chi'n cydnabod hefyd nad yw'r rhain wedi bod yn welliannau sylweddol? Nid yw fy nadl i gyda'r athrawon a'r bobl ifanc sydd wedi cymryd rhan yn y profion hyn. Mae fy nadl i gyda chi yn y Llywodraeth a'r gobeithion yr ydych chi wedi eu codi, ar sail y tair blynedd diwethaf o ddiwygiadau, sy'n parhau i gael eu siomi. Felly, ie, er ein bod ni'n cydnabod y gwelliannau cymedrol ond heb fod yn sylweddol, maen nhw'n parhau i olygu mai Cymru yw'r wlad sy'n perfformio waethaf yn y DU. Mae'r canlyniadau hyn, i bob pwrpas, heb fod cyn waethed ag yr oedden nhw. Mae'n atgyfnerthu pa mor uchel yw'r mynydd y mae'n rhaid i ni ei ddringo er mwyn cyrraedd gwledydd eraill y DU, heb sôn am rai o'r gwledydd eraill. Rydym yn parhau i fod yn brin o'r targed hwnnw o 500, a gadarnhawyd bythefnos yn unig yn ôl gan y Prif Weinidog. Rydym yn dal i fod yn is na'r cyfartaledd mewn rhai o'r meysydd a gaiff eu harchwilio, er, fel y gwyddom ni, mae cyfartaledd yr OECD wedi gostwng ynddo'i hunan, ac fe ddylem anelu at gyflawni mwy na bod ar y cyfartaledd beth bynnag. Nid yw dal i fyny gyda'r rhelyw, sy'n mynd tuag yn ôl, yn golygu ennill y ras mewn gwirionedd. Mae angen inni fod yn gwneud mwy na mynd ar yr un cyflymder. Mae angen inni fod yn gwneud yn well yn hyn o beth. Felly, fy nghwestiwn cyntaf i ynglŷn â'r datganiad, ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd yna laweroedd ohonyn nhw, yw: fe ddywedoch chi dair blynedd yn ôl y byddech chi'n edrych ar wledydd eraill i weld beth y maen nhw'n ei wneud yn dda a chael eu syniadau da nhw. Hyd yn oed bryd hynny, roeddem yn gofidio ychydig bach am yr Alban oherwydd ei dylanwad amlwg ar y diwygiadau yr oeddech chi'n eu cyflwyno. Yn amlwg, maen nhw wedi cael canlyniad da o ran darllen y tro hwn. Er hynny, mae eu sgoriau nhw wedi parhau i fod yn isel ers cyfnod Donaldson, ac nid yw sgôr darllen heddiw hyd yn oed yn mynd â nhw'n ôl fel roedd hi cyn hynny. Felly, a wnewch chi ddweud wrthym beth yr ydych chi'n ei ddysgu o hyd o brofiad yr Alban a'u gofidiau nhw, a'r hyn y byddwch chi'n ei ddysgu hefyd o brofiad Lloegr? Yn amlwg, mae eu sgoriau nhw, fel y clywsom gan Mark Reckless yn gynharach, yn llawer gwell ac yn dal i wella. A wnewch chi roi ychydig bach o wybodaeth i ni ynglŷn â tharddle'r gwelliannau hyn yn eich barn chi? Yn 2016, yn gwbl briodol, fe wnaethoch chi gydnabod - ac rydych chi wedi crybwyll hyn heddiw - bod ein plant ni sy'n fwy galluog a thalentog yn tanberfformio. Credaf y byddai pob un ohonom ni'n anfodlon pe bai hynny ag unrhyw ran o gwbl yn ein sefyllfa ni o ran y bwlch cyrhaeddiad. Yn benodol, a yw'r newidiadau wedi effeithio ar yr hanner uchaf - y 75 canradd, os caf gyfeirio ato felly - o'i gymharu â'r 90 canradd? Roeddech chi'n crybwyll rhaglen Seren, ac fe hoffwn i glywed ychydig mwy am hynny. Ond y rheswm yr wyf i'n gofyn y cwestiwn hwn yw: er bod ein safonau ni o ran graddau A* TGAU eleni yn uchel iawn - ac fe soniodd y Prif Weinidog am hynny'n gynharach - mae ein graddau ni o A* i C wedi gostwng eleni ym mhob un o'r pynciau hyn. Dyma'r un garfan o bobl ifanc sydd wedi sefyll y profion PISA yn y flwyddyn cyn iddyn nhw sefyll yr arholiadau TGAU. Fel yr oeddech chi'n cydnabod, mae'r TGAU hyn bellach yn cyd-fynd yn well â'r sgiliau y mae'r profion PISA wedi cael eu llunio i fynd i'r afael â nhw, ac mae eich diwygiadau chi wedi bod ar waith i drwytho'r arholiadau hynny ers peth amser erbyn hyn. Felly, pam mae gwelliant bach o ran canlyniadau PISA yn cyfateb i ostyngiad o ran graddau TGAU A* i C? Fe fuom ni'n siarad yn y Siambr hon rai wythnosau'n ôl bellach am y gostyngiad o ran cyflawniadau ar hyn o bryd drwy flynyddoedd 7 i 9. Os cofiwch chi, roedd hyn yng nghyd-destun dileu'r gofyniad ar lywodraethwyr ysgol i bennu targedau i arweinyddion ysgol at ddibenion gwelliant disgyblion yn y Gymraeg neu'r Saesneg, a mathemateg a gwyddoniaeth. Y plant sydd ym mlwyddyn 7 eleni fydd y garfan nesaf o blant i sefyll prawf PISA. Felly, a ydych chi'n gofidio nawr fod y llwybr presennol ar gyfer y rhai sydd ym mlynyddoedd 7 i 9 yn golygu nad yw'r oedolion na'r plant sy'n rhan o'r system addysg bresennol wedi deall sut y caiff y diwygiadau hyn eu cyflawni? Ac a yw'n edifar gennych chi erbyn hyn y gall dileu'r targedau hyn ar gyfer cyflawniad cyffredinol disgyblion yn y pynciau allweddol hynny gyflwyno darlun inni y gallem i gyd fod yn weddol anfodlon yn ei gylch ymhen ychydig flynyddoedd? Yn gynharach, wrth wrando ar eich ymateb i Mark Reckless ynglŷn â'r ffaith nad oes gan ysgolion ddigon o adnoddau, fe sylwais eich bod chi'n ei borthi ef pan oedd yn siarad â chi, ac, yn amlwg, rydych chi wedi crybwyll Estonia yn y fan hon heddiw. Beth bynnag y gallwch chi ei ddweud wrthym ni am y system addysg a'r gwariant sy'n mynd i mewn iddi, y gwir amdani yw nad yw ysgolion - ysgolion yn benodol - yn cael digon o arian, ac rwy'n gofyn tybed a wnewch chi roi rhywfaint o gysur i ni yn hynny o beth heddiw. Tybed beth yw eich sylwadau chi, er bod y sgoriau darllen wedi gwella, ynglŷn â'r pryder difrifol sydd gan yr OECD o hyd o ran dealltwriaeth. Felly, er bod caru darllen yn dal i fod yn dipyn o her ynddo'i hunan, mae'r mater hwn o ddealltwriaeth - 'darllen a deall', fel yr oeddem ni'n ei alw ers talwm - yn parhau i beri pryder sylweddol, yn fy marn i, oherwydd os na allwch chi ddeall yr hyn yr ydych chi'n ei ddarllen, go brin y gellir trosglwyddo'n ddifrifol i faes meddwl yn feirniadol. Ac wrth gwrs, dyma holl ddiben yr hyn y mae PISA yn ceisio ei brofi a'r hyn y mae ein harholiadau ni ein hunain yn gweithio tuag ato. Dyna'r cyfeiriad yr ydym ni'n mynd iddo, ac os oes yna broblem o ran dealltwriaeth, yna, yn amlwg, byddwn yn methu yn ein hamcanion. Yna, yn olaf - gan fy mod i'n deall, yn amlwg, y bydd cwestiynau gan bobl eraill - rwyf am ofyn, yn y bôn: sut y gall ein sgoriau ni yn y meysydd hyn barhau i fod yn is nag yr oedden nhw yn 2006, pan benderfynodd Cymru gymryd rhan? Nid eich diwygiadau chi yw'r rhai cyntaf, Gweinidog, a hyd yn oed gyda nhw, rydym yn dal i fod ymhellach ar ei hôl hi nag yr oeddem ni pan wnaethom ddechrau: ar waelod y DU, yn methu'r targedau, miloedd o blant yn dal i fod y tu ôl i'w perthnasau ar draws y byd, a hynny'n ddi-angen. Felly, fy nghwestiwn olaf i yw hwn: pa sicrwydd a wnewch chi ei roi y byddwn ni, yn 2021, yn uwch na'r cyfartaledd hwn, ac y byddwn ni'n cyrraedd eich targed chi o 500 - i bob pwrpas, pryd fyddwn ni yn y sefyllfa yr ydych chi'n dymuno inni fod ynddi? Diolch.