English: Darren is right to say that there is an inconsistency in approach to Seren. He says that we don't know how many of those pupils have gone on to study at our top universities. There is a reason for that, because it is the students that are sitting their A-levels this summer who are the first complete cohort of Seren support. We do need, I acknowledge, to improve the way in which we track outcomes for Seren, but the Member will be aware of the initial evaluation that has been carried out of the programme that says that incredible progress has been made in a short period of time. It says, for a relatively small amount of money, the programme has been able to lever in, in kind, many, many more resources from partner organisations. We will take on board the recommendations of the initial evaluation of Seren as we develop Seren going forward. I would expect, from this September, a more consistent entry requirement to the Seren programme across the individual networks. But, Darren, we will always have to have some flexibility within that system. Flexibility, for instance, for a teacher recommendation for a child who perhaps underperforms at GCSEs for a very good reason. We shouldn't have a hard-and-fast rule that says, 'If you didn't get those grades at that particular point, that's it, you're out.' So, we will always have to have an element of flexibility, based on teacher recommendation, on individual students, and recognising, if you can, that from a more deprived background, the ability to do better is harder. So, maybe your A has represented a bigger journey for you than perhaps an A* from a pupil who has had all the advantages. So, we have to have some flexibility in the system that recognises the journey individual cohorts from schools have taken. That's the only fair and equitable way to run the programme. But we can have a more consistent approach, and a more consistent approach to what is available within the programme. Only yesterday I was at Y Pant School in Rhondda Cynon Taf, talking to sixth formers who have been part of the Seren programme. They said it has been invaluable to them in helping them recognise that they are good enough, that they can compete with students across the rest of the United Kingdom, that there is nothing wrong to aspire to becoming a doctor and to have that dream, and not to think that they have to be self-deprecating about their talents, that they are good enough. They have found it absolutely invaluable. I spoke to one young man who said that he'd been to a meeting with this individual, this history lecturer, who talked about Oxford and Cambridge, talked about what was needed to make a successful application, and I said, 'What are you going to do?', he said, 'I'm applying. Come the autumn, I will be applying to go and read history in Oxford.' And that's what we want. We want to inspire that sense of knowing that we are good enough, our children are good enough, and we need to give them the confidence and not to feel somewhat embarrassed by standing up and saying, 'I am really able at my subjects.' That's been part of the problem. Too many of our children have not had that confidence to stand up and say, 'I'm really, really good.' Sometimes, our sportspeople and our musicians - they're the heroes in the school. When was the hero in the school the person who excelled at physics or the person who really excelled at computer science and we lauded them too? So, we've got to get better as a nation at being a little less self-deprecating, I think, and standing up when we are excellent and encouraging our children to stand up and say that they are excellent. The Member asked about vocational qualifications. I'm surprised that he's missed this, but we already have a programme in the FE sector. We already have, working in conjunction with ColegauCymru, a new programme within the FE sector to support excellence in our vocational subjects. We will be co-sponsoring with ColegauCymru later on this year a symposium and conference to be able to share that good practice. So, we already have a programme in the FE sector. Actually, we need to accelerate it in our school systems. So, we have to look at encouraging excellence in all aspects of our education system. This is an area that has not had the attention it has deserved, and if we get this right, we will not only succeed for individuals, we will succeed for our nation.
Welsh: Mae Darren yn iawn i ddweud bod anghysondeb o ran dull Seren. Mae'n dweud nad ydym ni'n gwybod faint o'r disgyblion hynny sydd wedi mynd ymlaen i astudio yn ein prifysgolion gorau. Mae rheswm am hynny, oherwydd y myfyrwyr sy'n sefyll eu harholiadau safon uwch yr haf hwn yw'r garfan gyflawn gyntaf o gymorth Seren. Mae angen i ni, rwy'n cydnabod, wella'r ffordd yr ydym yn olrhain deilliannau Seren, ond bydd yr Aelod yn ymwybodol o'r gwerthusiad cychwynnol o'r rhaglen a gynhaliwyd sy'n dweud y gwnaed cynnydd anhygoel mewn cyfnod byr o amser. Mae'n dweud, am swm cymharol fach o arian, bod y rhaglen wedi gallu denu llawer iawn mwy o adnoddau gan sefydliadau partner. Byddwn yn ystyried argymhellion y gwerthusiad cychwynnol o Seren wrth inni ddatblygu Seren wrth symud ymlaen. Byddwn i'n disgwyl, o fis Medi yma, gofyniad mynediad mwy cyson at y rhaglen Seren ar draws y rhwydweithiau unigol. Ond, Darren, bydd yn rhaid i ni bob amser fod â rhywfaint o hyblygrwydd o fewn y system honno. Hyblygrwydd, er enghraifft, ar gyfer argymhelliad gan athro i blentyn sydd efallai yn tanberfformio yn y TGAU am reswm da iawn. Ni ddylai fod gennym reol bendant sy'n dweud, 'Os na chawsoch chi'r graddau hynny ar y pwynt penodol hwnnw, dyna fe, rydych chi allan.' Felly, bydd yn rhaid i ni bob amser fod ag elfen o hyblygrwydd, ar sail argymhelliad athrawon, ar fyfyrwyr unigol, ac wrth gydnabod, os gallwch chi, bod y gallu i wneud yn well os ydych chi'n dod o gefndir mwy difreintiedig. Felly, efallai fod eich A yn cynrychioli taith fwy i chi nag efallai A* i ddisgybl sydd wedi cael yr holl fanteision. Felly, mae'n rhaid inni gael rhywfaint o hyblygrwydd yn y system sy'n cydnabod taith carfanau unigol o ysgolion. Dyna'r unig ffordd deg o gynnal y rhaglen. Ond gallwn gael dull mwy cyson, ac ymagwedd fwy cyson at beth sydd ar gael o fewn y rhaglen. Ddoe ddiwethaf roeddwn i yn ysgol Y Pant yn Rhondda Cynon Taf, yn siarad â disgyblion y chweched dosbarth sydd wedi bod yn rhan o'r rhaglen Seren. Roedden nhw'n dweud y bu'n amhrisiadwy o ran eu helpu i gydnabod eu bod yn ddigon da, a'u bod yn gallu cystadlu â myfyrwyr ledled gweddill y Deyrnas Unedig, nad oes dim o'i le ar uchelgais i fod yn feddyg a bod â'r freuddwyd honno, a pheidio â meddwl bod yn rhaid iddyn nhw fychanu eu doniau eu hunain, eu bod yn ddigon da. Y mae wedi bod yn gwbl amhrisiadwy iddyn nhw. Siaradais ag un dyn ifanc a ddywedodd ei fod wedi mynd i gyfarfod ag unigolyn, darlithydd hanes, a siaradodd am Rydychen a Chaergrawnt, a sôn am yr hyn yr oedd ei angen i wneud cais llwyddiannus, a dywedais, 'Beth wyt ti'n mynd i'w wneud?', dywedodd, 'Rwy'n gwneud cais. Yn yr hydref, byddaf i'n gwneud cais i fynd i ddarllen hanes yn Rhydychen.' A dyna beth yr ydym ni ei eisiau. Rydym ni eisiau ysbrydoli'r ymdeimlad hwnnw o wybod ein bod yn ddigon da, bod ein plant yn ddigon da, ac mae angen i ni roi'r hyder iddyn nhw ac i beidio â theimlo'n chwithig wrth sefyll a dweud, 'Rwy'n abl iawn yn fy mhynciau.' Bu hynny'n rhan o'r broblem. Mae gormod o'n plant heb fod â'r hyder hwnnw i sefyll a dweud, 'Rwy'n wirioneddol dda.' Weithiau, ein cerddorion a'r bobl chwaraeon - nhw yw'r arwyr yn yr ysgol. Pryd oedd yr arwr yn yr ysgol yr un sydd wedi rhagori yn Ffiseg neu'r un sydd wedi rhagori'n wirioneddol mewn cyfrifiadureg a rhoesom ganmoliaeth iddyn nhw hefyd? Felly, mae'n rhaid i ni wella fel cenedl a bychanu ein hunain ychydig yn llai, rwy'n credu, a sefyll pan fyddwn yn rhagorol ac yn annog ein plant i sefyll a dweud eu bod yn rhagorol. Gofynnodd yr Aelod am gymwysterau galwedigaethol. Rwy'n synnu ei fod wedi colli hwn, ond mae gennym raglen eisoes yn y sector addysg bellach. Mae gennym eisoes, drwy weithio ar y cyd â ColegauCymru, raglen newydd yn y sector addysg bellach i gefnogi rhagoriaeth yn ein pynciau galwedigaethol. Byddwn yn noddi, ar y cyd â ColegauCymru yn nes ymlaen eleni, symposiwm a chynhadledd i allu rhannu'r arfer da hwnnw. Felly, mae gennym raglen yn y sector addysg bellach eisoes. Mewn gwirionedd, mae angen i ni ei gyflymu yn ein systemau ysgolion. Felly, mae'n rhaid i ni ystyried annog rhagoriaeth ym mhob agwedd ar ein system addysg. Mae hwn yn faes nad yw wedi derbyn y sylw dyledus, ac os gwnawn ni hyn yn iawn, byddwn yn llwyddo ar gyfer unigolion a byddwn hefyd yn llwyddo ar gyfer ein cenedl.