English: I'm very pleased to speak in this debate about the committee report. I welcome the committee's investigation into this. As the Chair said, it's absolutely right that we scrutinise how this money is spent - and it is a large annual investment of £94 million and a significant proportion of the overall education budget. I support the positive impact that the pupil deprivation grant has had, and that was the general conclusion of the committee, covering pupils who are eligible for free school meals, those who have experienced care, and those who are adopted. I think it's absolutely right that we offer extra help to improve the attainment of these pupils, and also to make sure that they're as engaged as possible in the education system, because we don't want any pupils, if possible, falling through the gaps. So, I welcome the report and the opportunity we've had as a committee to shine a light on how the pupil deprivation grant in particular is used. I want to concentrate my remarks on how the grant is used to improve the educational attainment of adopted children in particular, because schools can have a tremendous positive force in the life of a child who has experienced trauma and loss. That, of course, applies to children who have experienced care and, of course, to adopted children, and some children who have been in care and are then adopted. There are schools that I think are doing absolutely fantastic work around inclusion and attachment and are making their staff aware of attachment theory and awareness of trauma, yet I think a significant number of children who've already had an unfair start to life struggle to cope in an education system that too often doesn't recognise the true nature of the challenges that they face. I don't think, often, within schools, there is awareness of what the children may have been through, and this does prevent the foundations of knowledge and accomplishment being built, and it exacerbates social and emotional problems and diminishes life chances. I sponsored an event here in the Assembly last June with Adoption UK - and, of course, we do quote Adoption UK in our evidence - and their survey of 2,000 adoptive parents and 2,000 adopted young people is very significant. It showed that almost three quarters of adopted children and young people agree that, 'Other children seem to enjoy school more than me.' Two thirds of secondary school-aged adopted young people said that they'd been teased or bullied at school because they are adopted. That's two thirds. Almost 70 per cent of parents feel their adopted child's progress in learning is affected by problems with their well-being in school. Sixty per cent of adoptive parents do not feel their child has an equal chance at school, and nearly half of parents of secondary school-aged children have had to keep their children off school because of concerns about their mental health or well-being. So, I think this is a very, very sad story. So, I do really welcome the fact that adopted children are eligible to receive support via the pupil deprivation grant and I also welcome the fact that the Government has accepted, in principle, recommendation 24, although it does seem that it is difficult to set up a system whereby a school can know that children are adopted in order to be able to offer their help. But I'm pleased that the Cabinet Secretary has said that she will pursue this issue. But I am disappointed that the next recommendation, recommendation 25, is not adopted, because, obviously, as the Chair said in her introductory remarks, if we aren't able to allocate an amount of money to cover the number of children that we estimate are adopted, it's not going to be possible for them to have the benefit of a pupil deprivation grant. I think this is an area that is very important, and the Chair gave the figures - I think about 3,000 to 5,500 adopted children are allocated the pupil deprivation grant - but if we don't have those systems for collecting the data, we won't be able to ensure that they get the help that is needed. So, in conclusion, I've just concentrated that briefly on adopted children, because I don't think it's generally known, and I don't think schools always recognise that adopted children do have many of the traumas that children who've experienced care have, so I thought it was important to highlight that in my contribution today.
Welsh: Rwy'n falch iawn o siarad yn y ddadl hon am adroddiad y pwyllgor. Rwy'n croesawu ymchwiliad y pwyllgor i hyn. Fel y dywedodd y Cadeirydd, mae'n gwbl briodol ein bod yn craffu ar sut y gwerir yr arian hwn - ac mae'n fuddsoddiad mawr blynyddol o £94 miliwn ac yn gyfran sylweddol o'r gyllideb addysg gyffredinol. Cefnogaf yr effaith gadarnhaol a gafodd y grant datblygu disgyblion, a dyna oedd casgliad cyffredinol y pwyllgor, mewn perthynas â disgyblion sy'n gymwys am brydau ysgol am ddim, rhai sydd wedi cael profiad o dderbyn gofal, a'r rheini sydd wedi'u mabwysiadu. Credaf ei bod hi'n gwbl briodol ein bod yn cynnig cymorth ychwanegol i wella cyrhaeddiad y disgyblion hyn, a hefyd i wneud yn siŵr eu bod yn cymryd rhan mor lawn â phosibl yn y system addysg, oherwydd nid ydym am weld unrhyw ddisgyblion, os yn bosibl, yn disgyn drwy'r bylchau. Felly, croesawaf yr adroddiad a'r cyfle a gawsom fel pwyllgor i daflu goleuni ar sut y defnyddir y grant datblygu disgyblion yn benodol. Rwyf am ganolbwyntio fy sylwadau ar sut y defnyddir y grant i wella cyrhaeddiad addysgol plant wedi'u mabwysiadu yn benodol, oherwydd gall ysgolion fod yn rym cadarnhaol aruthrol ym mywyd plentyn sydd wedi dioddef trawma a cholled. Mae hynny, wrth gwrs, yn berthnasol i plant sydd wedi derbyn gofal ac wrth gwrs, i blant wedi'u mabwysiadu, a rhai plant sydd wedi bod yn derbyn gofal ac a gafodd eu mabwysiadu wedyn. Ceir ysgolion y credaf eu bod yn gwneud gwaith cwbl wych ar gynhwysiant ac ymlyniad ac sy'n gwneud eu staff yn ymwybodol o theori ymlyniad ac ymwybyddiaeth o drawma, ac eto credaf fod nifer sylweddol o blant sydd wedi cael dechrau annheg mewn bywyd yn ei chael hi'n anodd ymdopi mewn system addysg sy'n rhy aml yn methu cydnabod gwir natur yr heriau sy'n eu hwynebu. Yn aml o fewn ysgolion, nid wyf yn credu bod yna ymwybyddiaeth o'r hyn y gallai plant fod wedi'i wynebu, ac mae hyn yn atal y sylfeini gwybodaeth a chyflawniad rhag cael eu hadeiladu, ac mae'n gwaethygu problemau cymdeithasol ac emosiynol ac yn lleihau cyfleoedd bywyd. Noddais ddigwyddiad yma yn y Cynulliad fis Mehefin diwethaf gydag Adoption UK - ac wrth gwrs, rydym yn dyfynnu Adoption UK yn ein tystiolaeth - ac mae eu harolwg o 2,000 o rieni mabwysiadol a 2,000 o bobl ifanc wedi'u mabwysiadu yn arwyddocaol iawn. Dangosai fod bron i dri chwarter y plant a'r bobl ifanc a fabwysiadwyd yn cytuno bod 'Plant eraill i'w gweld yn mwynhau'r ysgol fwy na fi.' Dywedodd dwy ran o dair o'r bobl ifanc oed ysgol uwchradd sydd wedi'u mabwysiadu eu bod wedi cael eu pryfocio neu eu bwlio yn yr ysgol oherwydd eu bod wedi eu mabwysiadu. Dwy ran o dair. Mae bron 70 y cant o rieni'n teimlo bod problemau gyda'u lles yn yr ysgol yn effeithio ar gynnydd dysgu eu plentyn mabwysiedig. Mae 60 y cant o rieni mabwysiadol yn teimlo nad yw eu plentyn yn cael cyfle cyfartal yn yr ysgol, ac mae bron i hanner rhieni plant oedran ysgol uwchradd wedi gorfod cadw eu plant o'r ysgol oherwydd pryderon am eu hiechyd meddwl neu eu lles. Felly, rwy'n credu bod hon yn stori drist iawn. Felly, mewn gwirionedd rwy'n croesawu'r ffaith bod plant wedi'u mabwysiadu yn gymwys i gael cymorth drwy'r grant datblygu disgyblion ac rwyf hefyd yn croesawu'r ffaith bod y Llywodraeth wedi derbyn argymhelliad 24 mewn egwyddor, er ei bod yn ymddangos ei bod hi'n anodd sefydlu system lle gall ysgol wybod bod plant wedi cael eu mabwysiadu er mwyn gallu cynnig eu help. Ond rwy'n falch fod Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet wedi dweud y bydd yn mynd ar drywydd y mater hwn. Ond rwy'n siomedig na chafodd yr argymhelliad nesaf, argymhelliad 25, ei fabwysiadu, oherwydd yn amlwg, fel y dywedodd y Cadeirydd yn ei sylwadau agoriadol, os nad ydym yn gallu dyrannu swm o arian i dalu am nifer y plant rydym yn amcangyfrif eu bod wedi eu mabwysiadu, ni fydd yn bosibl iddynt gael budd o'r grant datblygu disgyblion. Rwy'n meddwl bod hwn yn faes sy'n bwysig iawn, a rhoddodd y Cadeirydd ffigurau - credaf fod y grant datblygu disgyblion wedi'i ddyrannu ar gyfer tua 3,000 i 5,500 o blant - ond os nad oes gennym systemau ar gyfer casglu'r data, ni fyddwn yn gallu sicrhau eu bod yn cael yr help sydd ei angen. Felly, i gloi, rwyf wedi canolbwyntio'n fyr ar blant a fabwysiadwyd gan nad wyf yn meddwl bod pobl yn gyffredinol yn gwybod, ac nid wyf yn meddwl bod ysgolion bob amser yn deall, bod gan blant wedi'u mabwysiadu lawer o'r trawmâu sy'n wynebu plant sydd wedi derbyn gofal, felly roeddwn yn meddwl ei bod hi'n bwysig tynnu sylw at hynny yn fy nghyfraniad heddiw.