English: Diolch, Llywydd. I'm in no doubt that managing workload and reducing classroom bureaucracy is essential if we're to support our teachers to raise standards. This Government remains determined to give teachers the time to do what they do best: planning and teaching the best possible lessons for their pupils. Finding better ways to manage workload and reduce bureaucracy is a significant challenge, but one that we need to meet head on if we want to ensure a high-quality, motivated education workforce. I'm pleased that we have made good progress in a short space of time to support our heads and our teachers. For example, over the last two years we have been developing a new evaluation and accountability system based on trust, respectful professional dialogue, and proportionality; we have produced reducing workload resources, training materials and guidance in conjunction with our stakeholders, including Estyn, regional consortia and unions; we're investing £36 million to reduce infant class sizes, ensuring teachers can devote more time and attention to pupils; we're replacing paper-based tests with less burdensome online assessments to support pupil progress and learning; we've introduced improvements to ensure equity of access for teachers to digital resources and services via Hwb; and we've established school business manager pilots, and over 100 schools were identified by local authorities as part of that programme, which has been running for now nearly two years, providing additional administrative support to school leaders. Now, those are just some examples of the actions that, working together, we have delivered. And of course, I'm conscious that schools need to be supported as we prepare for the roll-out of the new curriculum. My officials continue to identify best practice to minimise the impact of any workload issues as the new curriculum begins to roll out in 2022. However, while it's clear that we are making progress in addressing workload, more can and more must be done. I recognise the importance of continuing to work collaboratively with the sector to find further ways to support the workforce. And to that effect, in April, I established a managing workload and reducing bureaucracy group, consisting of stakeholders from across all tiers and trade unions. This group has considered the priorities that we can start work on immediately, as well as additional short, medium and longer term actions as part of a broad plan that identifies work to be carried out to support teachers to manage workload. From the many actions to be considered going forward, we have decided to concentrate on four immediate key priorities that we can deliver during the autumn term, before revisiting the medium and the longer term proposals of the group. These four priorities are (1) to develop a workload and well-being charter and toolkit for the school workforce, (2) to refresh and promote the reducing workload resources and training pack and, crucially, to monitor its take-up, (3) to further develop and circulate the training models and exemplar case studies produced across all four regional consortia to develop a cohesive approach to be applied on a national basis, and (4) to carry out a sector-wide audit exercise to examine what data is collected across all tiers, and how impact assessment on workload should be considered as part of any policy development.
Welsh: Diolch, Llywydd. Nid oes gen i unrhyw amheuaeth bod rheoli llwyth gwaith a lleihau biwrocratiaeth yr ystafell ddosbarth yn hanfodol os ydym ni am gefnogi ein hathrawon i godi safonau. Mae'r Llywodraeth hon yn parhau i fod yn benderfynol o roi amser i athrawon wneud yr hyn y maen nhw'n ei wneud orau: cynllunio a dysgu'r gwersi gorau posibl i'w disgyblion. Mae dod o hyd i ffyrdd gwell o reoli llwyth gwaith a lleihau biwrocratiaeth yn her sylweddol, ond yn un y mae angen i ni fynd i'r afael â hi os ydym ni'n dymuno cael gweithlu addysg brwdfrydig ac o ansawdd uchel. Rwy'n falch ein bod ni wedi gwneud cynnydd da mewn cyfnod byr i gefnogi ein penaethiaid a'n hathrawon. Er enghraifft, dros y ddwy flynedd ddiwethaf rydym ni wedi bod yn datblygu system werthuso ac atebolrwydd newydd yn seiliedig ar ymddiriedaeth, deialog broffesiynol llawn parch, a chymesuredd; rydym ni wedi cynhyrchu adnoddau lleihau llwyth gwaith, deunyddiau hyfforddi a chanllawiau ar y cyd â'n rhanddeiliaid, gan gynnwys Estyn, consortia rhanbarthol ac undebau; rydym ni'n buddsoddi £36 miliwn i leihau maint dosbarthiadau babanod, gan sicrhau bod athrawon yn gallu neilltuo mwy o amser a sylw i ddisgyblion; rydym ni'n cynnal asesiadau ar-lein llai beichus yn hytrach na phrofion ar bapur i gefnogi cynnydd ac addysg disgyblion; rydym ni wedi cyflwyno gwelliannau i sicrhau tegwch o ran darparu adnoddau a gwasanaethau digidol i athrawon drwy gyfrwng Hwb; ac rydym ni wedi sefydlu cynlluniau arbrofol ar gyfer rheolwyr busnes ysgolion, a nodwyd gan awdurdodau lleol bod dros 100 o ysgolion yn rhan o'r rhaglen honno, sydd wedi bod ar waith ers bron i ddwy flynedd erbyn hyn, gan roi cymorth gweinyddol ychwanegol i arweinyddion ysgolion. Nawr, dim ond rhai enghreifftiau yw'r rhain o'r camau yr ydym ni wedi eu cymryd drwy weithio gyda'n gilydd. Ac wrth gwrs, rwy'n ymwybodol bod angen cefnogi ysgolion wrth i ni baratoi ar gyfer cyflwyno'r cwricwlwm newydd. Mae fy swyddogion i'n parhau i nodi'r arferion gorau i leihau effaith unrhyw broblemau llwyth gwaith wrth ddechrau cyflwyno'r cwricwlwm newydd yn 2022. Er hynny, er ei bod hi'n amlwg ein bod ni'n gwneud cynnydd o ran mynd i'r afael â llwyth gwaith, fe ellir gwneud mwy ac mae'n rhaid gwneud mwy. Rwy'n cydnabod pwysigrwydd parhau i weithio ar y cyd â'r sector i ddod o hyd i ffyrdd eraill o gefnogi'r gweithlu. Ac i'r perwyl hwnnw, ym mis Ebrill, fe sefydlais i grŵp rheoli llwyth gwaith a lleihau biwrocratiaeth, a oedd yn cynnwys rhanddeiliaid o bob haen ac o undebau llafur. Mae'r grŵp hwn wedi ystyried y blaenoriaethau y gallwn ni ddechrau gweithio arnyn nhw ar unwaith, yn ogystal â chamau gweithredu ychwanegol byrdymor, tymor canolig a hirdymor yn rhan o gynllun eang sy'n nodi gwaith i'w gwblhau i gynorthwyo athrawon wrth reoli llwyth gwaith. O'r camau gweithredu niferus i'w hystyried wrth symud ymlaen, rydym ni wedi penderfynu canolbwyntio ar bedair blaenoriaeth allweddol ar unwaith y gallwn eu cyflawni yn ystod tymor yr hydref, cyn ailystyried cynigion tymor canolig a thymor hwy y grŵp. Y pedair blaenoriaeth hyn yw (1) datblygu siarter a phecyn cymorth llwyth gwaith a lles ar gyfer gweithlu'r ysgol, (2) adfywio a hyrwyddo'r adnoddau a'r pecyn hyfforddi sy'n lleihau llwyth gwaith ac, yn hollbwysig, monitro'r niferoedd sy'n manteisio arno, (3) datblygu ymhellach a dosbarthu'r modelau hyfforddi a'r astudiaethau achosion enghreifftiol a luniwyd ar draws y pedwar consortiwm rhanbarthol i ddatblygu dull cydlynus o weithredu ar sail genedlaethol, a (4) cynnal ymarfer archwilio sector cyfan i archwilio pa ddata sy'n cael eu casglu ym mhob haen, a sut y dylid ystyried asesiad o effaith ar lwyth gwaith yn rhan o unrhyw ddatblygiad polisi.