English: I, again, also very much welcome this debate. Firstly, I want to address the problems faced by schools. The local government settlement is a good one, but one year's increase cannot negate over 10 years of austerity. While school budget allocations in most councils are yet to be finalised, the expectation is they will go up in line with council expenditure. This is different to the increase in council support from the Welsh Government. Whilst the Welsh Government payment is a major part of council income, it is augmented by council tax fees and charges. With the expectation of low council tax increases, low fee increases and low increases in charges, it means council expenditure will increase by less - quite often substantially less - than the amount of money that has been given by the Senedd to the council. And looking at school budgets, the vast majority of school budget expenditure is staff costs, including teaching staff and support staff. School budgets are affected by pay awards, leading to an increase in salaries for staff and increased pension costs. Schools will also be affected by increasing energy costs. In one of the schools where I chair the governors, the gas and electric cost this year was slightly less than £15,000. The expectation is it'll be over £30,000 in the coming year. It's a medium-sized primary school. It's an increase of just under 2 per cent of the total school budget. While school budgets will appear to rise substantially, the pressures mentioned will mean that there will not be as much for additional support for pupils, and I think that's one of the things we're looking at: the money is going in to support pupils. Schools exist for pupils; they exist to help them attain the best they can. I support reviewing the effectiveness of the statutory guidance on school uniform policy to ensure consistent affordability across Wales. A number of parents have contacted me regarding school uniform, and the need to buy from either expensive suppliers or via the school, as opposed to lower cost stores. Even when it's exactly the same colour, when it's exactly the same everything else, the school ask you to pay what can be substantially more. Yes, I paid it; I was a college lecturer, I could afford to pay it. There were others who had children in my daughter's class who weren't college lecturers, who weren't well paid, who had difficulty paying it. Perhaps the Minister can explain to me, when schoolteachers refuse to teach pupils because they're wearing the wrong clothing - and in one case I dealt with, the wrong colour black - how the school is not breaking the law, and why the Welsh Government is not using PLASC to cut funding to schools who exclude pupils on grounds of uniform is something I would like to see addressed. Children are being penalised. The child doesn't decide. A nine, 10, 11, 12-year-old child does not decide what colour coat they wear; they don't decide what colour jumper they wear; in fact, they don't even decide at the age of eight or nine what colour clothes they have. That is done by their parents. Punishing children for the activities of their parents is morally wrong and should be stopped. I'm sure the Member tabling the debate will join me in condemning Gwynedd Council and the decision by the strategic head of Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle who warned parents and carers in a letter that their children would not be given school meals if their debts were not cleared. Punishing children for the activities of their parents; that is wrong. The letter suggested pupils would not be fed if they were more than a penny in debt. Fortunately after the furore and Welsh Government intervention that threat was withdrawn. How can someone think not feeding children was a good idea?
Welsh: Rwyf finnau hefyd yn croesawu'r ddadl hon yn fawr. Yn gyntaf, rwyf eisiau rhoi sylw i'r problemau y mae ysgolion yn eu hwynebu. Mae'r setliad llywodraeth leol yn un da, ond ni all blwyddyn o gynnydd wneud iawn am dros 10 mlynedd o gyni. Er nad yw dyraniadau cyllidebau ysgolion yn y rhan fwyaf o gynghorau wedi'u cwblhau eto, disgwylir y byddant yn codi yn unol â gwariant y cyngor. Mae hyn yn wahanol i'r cynnydd yn y cymorth i'r cyngor gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Er bod taliad Llywodraeth Cymru yn rhan fawr o incwm cynghorau, caiff ei chwyddo gan ffioedd a thaliadau'r dreth gyngor. Gyda'r disgwyliad mai cynnydd bach a welir yn y dreth gyngor, cynnydd bach i ffioedd a chynnydd bach i daliadau, mae'n golygu y bydd gwariant y cyngor yn cynyddu llai - gryn dipyn yn llai yn aml - na'r swm o arian a roddwyd gan y Senedd i'r cyngor. Ac wrth edrych ar gyllidebau ysgolion, costau staff yw'r rhan fwyaf o wariant cyllidebau ysgolion, yn cynnwys staff addysgu a staff cymorth. Mae dyfarniadau cyflog yn effeithio ar gyllidebau ysgolion, gan arwain at godi cyflogau staff a chostau pensiwn uwch. Bydd costau ynni cynyddol hefyd yn effeithio ar ysgolion. Yn un o'r ysgolion lle rwy'n gadeirydd y llywodraethwyr, roedd cost nwy a thrydan eleni ychydig yn llai na £15,000. Disgwylir y bydd dros £30,000 yn y flwyddyn i ddod. Mae'n ysgol gynradd o faint canolig. Mae'n gynnydd o ychydig o dan 2 y cant o gyfanswm cyllideb yr ysgol. Er ei bod yn ymddangos y bydd cyllidebau ysgolion yn codi'n sylweddol, bydd y pwysau a grybwyllwyd yn golygu na fydd cymaint ar gyfer cymorth ychwanegol i ddisgyblion, a chredaf mai dyna un o'r pethau yr ydym yn edrych arnynt: mae'r arian yn mynd tuag at gefnogi disgyblion. Mae ysgolion yn bodoli ar gyfer disgyblion; maent yn bodoli i'w helpu i gyflawni eu potensial yn y ffordd orau y gallant. Rwy'n cefnogi adolygu effeithiolrwydd y canllawiau statudol ar bolisi gwisg ysgol er mwyn sicrhau fforddiadwyedd cyson ledled Cymru. Mae nifer o rieni wedi cysylltu â mi ynglŷn â gwisg ysgol, a'r angen i brynu naill ai gan gyflenwyr drud neu drwy'r ysgol, yn hytrach na siopau rhatach. Hyd yn oed pan fydd yr un lliw yn union, pan fydd yn union yr un peth fel arall, mae'r ysgol yn gofyn i chi dalu swm a all fod yn llawer mwy. Do, fe'i talais; roeddwn yn ddarlithydd coleg, gallwn fforddio ei dalu. Roedd eraill a oedd â phlant yn nosbarth fy merch, pobl nad oeddent yn ddarlithwyr coleg, pobl nad oeddent ar gyflog da, yn ei chael hi'n anodd ei dalu. Efallai y gall y Gweinidog esbonio i mi, pan fydd athrawon ysgol yn gwrthod dysgu disgyblion am eu bod yn gwisgo'r dillad anghywir - ac mewn un achos yr ymdriniais ag ef, y lliw du anghywir - sut nad yw'r ysgol yn torri'r gyfraith, a pham nad yw Llywodraeth Cymru yn defnyddio CYBLD i dorri cyllid i ysgolion sy'n gwahardd disgyblion ar sail gwisg ysgol, mae hwnnw'n fater yr hoffwn ei weld yn cael sylw. Mae plant yn cael eu cosbi. Nid yw y plentyn sy'n penderfynu. Nid yw plentyn naw, 10, 11, 12 oed yn penderfynu pa liw côt y maent yn ei gwisgo; nid ydynt yn penderfynu pa liw siwmper y maent yn ei gwisgo; mewn gwirionedd, nid ydynt hyd yn oed yn penderfynu pa liw dillad sydd ganddynt yn wyth neu naw oed. Eu rhieni sy'n gwneud hynny. Mae cosbi plant am yr hyn y mae eu rhieni'n ei wneud yn foesol anghywir a dylid ei atal. Rwy'n siŵr y bydd yr Aelod sy'n cyflwyno'r ddadl yn ymuno â mi i gondemnio Cyngor Gwynedd a phenderfyniad pennaeth strategol Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle a rybuddiodd rieni a gofalwyr mewn llythyr na fyddai eu plant yn cael prydau ysgol os na fyddai eu dyledion yn cael eu talu. Cosbi plant am yr hyn y mae eu rhieni'n ei wneud; mae hynny'n anghywir. Roedd y llythyr yn awgrymu na fyddai disgyblion yn cael eu bwydo pe baent mewn dyled o fwy na cheiniog. Yn ffodus ar ôl y sylw a gafodd a'r ymyrraeth gan Lywodraeth Cymru, cafodd y bygythiad ei dynnu'n ôl. Sut y gall rhywun feddwl bod peidio â bwydo plant yn syniad da?