English: Diolch, Llywydd. I'd like to thank Claire Morgan for her work during her time as interim chief inspector, and I'd also like to extend a warm welcome to Owen Evans, who took up the substantive post in January 2022, and it's really good to see Owen here in the gallery today. I look forward to working closely with Owen, Claire and their colleagues throughout the sixth Senedd. Unsurprisingly, the pandemic is the central theme of Estyn's 2020-21 report. Although schools resumed face-to-face teaching in September 2020, pupils, staff and families continued to face significant disruption throughout the academic year. The foreword to Estyn's report tells us that 'the workforce has once again risen to these challenges.' It urges us to 'recognise and appreciate the teachers, trainers, support staff and leaders who found innovative ways to provide for their learners' educational and wellbeing needs and supported one another through difficult times.' On behalf of the Children, Young People, and Education Committee, I'd like to record our thanks to Estyn, the learners, staff, families and the many other professions and support staff for everything they have done for children's education and well-being throughout the pandemic. We scrutinised Estyn on their annual report in December 2021. During that evidence session and in the report itself, Claire and her colleagues set out how Estyn approached its work during the 2020-21 academic year. Estyn had planned to support schools with the roll-out of the new curriculum and the additional learning needs reforms. Instead, it focused on how schools were responding to the pandemic, the well-being of learners, the well-being of the workforce, teaching, learning and leadership. Estyn stepped up its partnership working, meeting regularly with stakeholders, teaching unions and its headteacher reference group. It undertook a series of thematic reviews, which involved engagement with learners, parents and staff. We were also reassured to hear that Estyn continued its professional learning programme for its inspectors, particularly in light of the new curriculum and additional learning needs reforms, and that Estyn continued to monitor schools causing concern. Overall, we felt that Estyn's approach was appropriate. We supported their efforts to help schools to continue to support the well-being of their learners and staff, and deliver the core curriculum. But we can be in no doubt about the implications of the pandemic for Estyn and for the education and welfare of children. The pandemic disrupted the education of every single child in Wales. For some, such as vulnerable learners, those with additional needs or those for whom English is a second language, the disruption was particularly acute. The pandemic exacerbated existing inequalities between disadvantaged learners and their peers. Estyn was unable to provide the level of support it hoped to institutions in relation to the new curriculum and additional learning needs reforms. Worryingly, Estyn reports that progress with planning for the implementation of the Curriculum for Wales varies widely across the sector. The Welsh-language skills of learners in Welsh-medium schools who don't speak Welsh at home have declined. Despite some silver linings, we were and remain concerned by much of what Estyn set out in its annual report and by what we heard in committee. So much so, in fact, that our annual scrutiny of Estyn has been a key driver of two committee inquiries. The first, into peer-on-peer sexual harassment among learners, was triggered by the publication in December of Estyn's report on sexual harassment among secondary school pupils. Our final report on this deeply troubling and endemic problem is scheduled to be published in July. The second, which we will launch very shortly, will investigate persistent school absenteeism among some children - often our most vulnerable - which has been exacerbated by the lockdowns of the COVID-19 pandemic. We will also draw on Estyn's work to inform a Senedd-long piece of work to monitor the introduction of the new curriculum and the implementation of the additional learning needs reforms, which will begin in the coming weeks. This demonstrates why Estyn's work, our annual scrutiny of Estyn's annual reports and our ongoing relationship with Estyn are so crucial to the Senedd's ability to hold the Welsh Government to account for the well-being of, and quality of education it delivers to, children and young people. As Estyn's report makes abundantly clear, that scrutiny is more important now than ever.
Welsh: Diolch, Llywydd. Hoffwn ddiolch i Claire Morgan am ei gwaith yn ystod ei chyfnod fel prif arolygydd dros dro, a hoffwn hefyd estyn croeso cynnes i Owen Evans, a ddechreuodd yn y swydd barhaol ym mis Ionawr 2022, ac mae'n dda iawn gweld Owen yma yn yr oriel heddiw. Edrychaf ymlaen at weithio'n agos gydag Owen, Claire a'u cydweithwyr drwy gydol y chweched Senedd. Nid yw'n syndod mai'r pandemig yw thema ganolog adroddiad Estyn ar gyfer 2020-21. Er i ysgolion ailddechrau addysgu wyneb yn wyneb ym mis Medi 2020, parhaodd disgyblion, staff a theuluoedd i wynebu aflonyddwch sylweddol drwy gydol y flwyddyn academaidd. Mae'r rhagair i adroddiad Estyn yn dweud wrthym, 'mae'r gweithlu wedi ymateb unwaith eto i'r heriau hyn.' Mae'n ein hannog i 'gydnabod a gwerthfawrogi'r athrawon, yr hyfforddwyr, y staff cymorth a'r arweinwyr a ddaeth o hyd i ffyrdd arloesol o ddarparu ar gyfer anghenion addysgol a llesiant eu dysgwyr a chefnogi ei gilydd drwy gyfnodau anodd.' Ar ran y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg, hoffwn gofnodi ein diolch i Estyn, y dysgwyr, y staff, y teuluoedd a'r llu o broffesiynau a staff cymorth eraill am bopeth y maen nhw wedi'i wneud ar gyfer addysg a lles plant drwy gydol y pandemig. Buom yn craffu ar Estyn a'u hadroddiad blynyddol ym mis Rhagfyr 2021. Yn ystod y sesiwn dystiolaeth honno ac yn yr adroddiad ei hun, nododd Claire a'i chydweithwyr sut yr oedd Estyn yn mynd ati i weithio yn ystod blwyddyn academaidd 2020-21. Roedd Estyn wedi bwriadu cefnogi ysgolion i gyflwyno'r cwricwlwm newydd a'r diwygiadau i anghenion dysgu ychwanegol. Yn hytrach, canolbwyntiodd ar sut yr oedd ysgolion yn ymateb i'r pandemig, lles dysgwyr, lles y gweithlu, addysgu, dysgu ac arweinyddiaeth. Rhoddodd Estyn mwy o bwyslais ar weithio mewn partneriaeth, gan gyfarfod yn rheolaidd â rhanddeiliaid, undebau athrawon a'i grŵp cyfeirio penaethiaid. Cynhaliodd gyfres o adolygiadau thematig, a oedd yn cynnwys ymgysylltu â dysgwyr, rhieni a staff. Cawsom ein calonogi hefyd o glywed bod Estyn yn parhau â'i raglen ddysgu broffesiynol ar gyfer ei arolygwyr, yn enwedig yng ngoleuni'r cwricwlwm newydd a'r diwygiadau i anghenion dysgu ychwanegol, a bod Estyn yn parhau i fonitro ysgolion sy'n peri pryder. Ar y cyfan, roeddem yn teimlo bod dull gweithredu Estyn yn briodol. Gwnaethom gefnogi ei ymdrechion i helpu ysgolion i barhau i gefnogi lles eu dysgwyr a'u staff, a chyflwyno'r cwricwlwm craidd. Ond nid oes amheuaeth beth yw goblygiadau'r pandemig i Estyn ac i addysg a lles plant. Fe wnaeth y pandemig amharu ar addysg pob plentyn yng Nghymru. I rai, fel dysgwyr sy'n agored i niwed, y rhai ag anghenion ychwanegol neu'r rhai y mae Saesneg yn ail iaith iddyn nhw, roedd yr aflonyddwch yn arbennig o ddifrifol. Gwaethygodd y pandemig yr anghydraddoldebau presennol rhwng dysgwyr difreintiedig a'u cyfoedion. Nid oedd Estyn yn gallu darparu'r lefel o gymorth yr oedd wedi gobeithio ei roi i sefydliadau mewn cysylltiad â'r cwricwlwm newydd a'r diwygiadau i anghenion dysgu ychwanegol. Mae'n destun pryder bod Estyn yn adrodd bod y cynnydd o ran cynllunio ar gyfer gweithredu'r Cwricwlwm i Gymru yn amrywio'n fawr ar draws y sector. Mae sgiliau Cymraeg dysgwyr mewn ysgolion cyfrwng Cymraeg nad ydyn nhw'n siarad Cymraeg gartref wedi dirywio. Er gwaethaf rhai ymylon arian, roeddem yn pryderu am lawer o'r hyn a nodwyd gan Estyn yn ei adroddiad blynyddol ac am yr hyn a glywsom yn y pwyllgor ac rydym yn dal i bryderu am hynny. Cymaint felly, mewn gwirionedd, fod ein gwaith craffu blynyddol ar Estyn wedi bod yn sbardun allweddol i ddau ymchwiliad pwyllgor. Ysgogwyd y cyntaf, i aflonyddu rhywiol gan gyfoedion ymhlith dysgwyr, gan gyhoeddi adroddiad Estyn ar aflonyddu rhywiol ymhlith disgyblion ysgol uwchradd ym mis Rhagfyr. Disgwylir i'n hadroddiad terfynol ar y broblem hon sy'n peri gofid mawr ac sy'n endemig gael ei gyhoeddi ym mis Gorffennaf. Bydd yr ail, y byddwn yn ei lansio'n fuan iawn, yn ymchwilio i absenoldeb parhaus o'r ysgol ymhlith rhai plant - ein mwyaf agored i niwed yn aml - sydd wedi'i waethygu gan gyfyngiadau symud pandemig COVID-19. Byddwn ni hefyd yn defnyddio gwaith Estyn i lywio darn o waith yn y Senedd i fonitro'r broses o gyflwyno'r cwricwlwm newydd a gweithredu'r diwygiadau i anghenion dysgu ychwanegol, a fydd yn dechrau yn yr wythnosau nesaf. Mae hyn yn dangos pam y mae gwaith Estyn, ein gwaith craffu blynyddol ar adroddiadau blynyddol Estyn a'n perthynas barhaus ag Estyn mor hanfodol i allu'r Senedd i ddwyn Llywodraeth Cymru i gyfrif o ran lles ac ansawdd yr addysg y mae'n ei darparu i blant a phobl ifanc. Fel y mae adroddiad Estyn yn ei gwneud yn gwbl glir, mae craffu'n bwysicach yn awr nag y bu erioed.