English: Can I join Vikki Howells and other colleagues by commending the committee on a really thorough piece of work, I think, into what is a very ingrained problem and one that was definitely here before COVID-19? But what's clear from the committee report is the added impact of COVID and lockdowns on pupil absence. So, it's deeply concerning to see evidence that shows that the mental health of children and young people has been severely affected by the pandemic, to the point that they are not attending school. I see that the Minister is looking at a communication strategy to encourage children and young people back into school, and that this messaging could be localised. So, I'd be interested to see what updates the Minister has on this, and whether he's taken on board the committee's point that there needs to be a baseline for children across Wales to be supported back into school, so there won't be detrimental differences in local responses. It's also notable from the Minister's reply to the committee that he's placing an emphasis on community-focused schools and family engagement officers to respond to the issue. So, I'm keen to know how the Minister is intending to use them, and what their role will be in spreading this particular message. Clearly, there are many, many factors at play when it comes to pupil absence, from those with additional learning needs not getting the right support to the impact of poverty, to being a young carer, which the Minister himself said was a hidden issue. It's a complex problem, and schools, local authorities and families need to have all of the tools available at their disposal to support children back into school. Education should be a right and not an added benefit. It should also be of no surprise to any of us in the Chamber today that the impact of absenteeism on pupil learning is devastating. We're already the country with the highest rate of school days lost during the pandemic in the UK, and, sadly, it looks like pupils are set to miss out on even more due to industrial action, which is entirely within the Welsh Government's gift to prevent. However, as the committee report shows, it's not just attainment and employability that are affected, it's socialisation, building friendships and access to mental health support at school. Without these basic interactions, a lack of schooling will lead to poor behaviour and, later on, as ASCL Cymru noted to the committee, criminal or anti-social behaviour even within the community, as well as the potential for increased youth violence. I'm really curious about the statement the Minister made last May about Welsh Government action on pupil absence, which included national communication to families about the importance of attending school; nearly £4 million in funding for the family engagement officers and the reintroduction of fixed-penalty notices as a last resort. However, not only does it look like the Minister rowed back on the use of fixed-penalty notices by saying that they're being considered as part of a broader review of an all-Wales attendance framework, but the guidance he's been giving to local authorities when reintroducing them has been ambiguous, and I quote, 'has weakened the position of local authority interventions'. How can local authorities use those powers at their disposal without clear guidance on when they're able to intervene? It's very interesting to see as well in the part of the world that we both represent, Minister, Neath Port Talbot has the highest average rates of unauthorised absences in the academic year to date, running at over 5 per cent, nearly double the Welsh average and almost triple the rates in Powys and Monmouthshire. Neath Port Talbot also has the highest average percentage of sessions of absence, running at over 12 per cent in the 2022-23 academic year so far. Therefore, I want to know what urgent action the Minister is taking to ensure local authorities, particularly Neath Port Talbot, are able to take the necessary action to stop entrenched and persistent absenteeism, which has only been exacerbated by the pandemic. And finally, I was struck by a statistic outlined recently by Bridgend County Borough Council that said that even with a 90 per cent attendance rate over an academic year, a pupil would miss out on 100 lessons - 100 lessons. That's 100 lessons of maths, English, Welsh, science, physical education and so on over a single year. We should be pushing really hard on this. Of course, lockdowns have affected our children's education severely, and we can't afford to have them further impacted after COVID restrictions have now ended. If we do continue down this road, then we're facing a potential lost generation, and the fault will have been ours. Diolch.
Welsh: A gaf fi ymuno â Vikki Howells a chyd-Aelodau eraill drwy ganmol y pwyllgor ar eu gwaith trylwyr iawn yn fy marn i ar broblem ddyrys iawn a phroblem a oedd yn bendant yn ein hwynebu cyn COVID-19? Ond yr hyn sy'n glir o adroddiad y pwyllgor yw effaith ychwanegol COVID a'r cyfyngiadau symud ar absenoldeb disgyblion. Testun pryder mawr felly yw gweld tystiolaeth sy'n dangos bod iechyd meddwl plant a phobl ifanc wedi cael ei effeithio'n ddifrifol gan y pandemig, i'r pwynt lle nad ydynt yn mynychu'r ysgol. Gwelaf fod y Gweinidog yn edrych ar strategaeth gyfathrebu i annog plant a phobl ifanc i ddychwelyd i'r ysgol, ac y gallai'r negeseuon hyn gael eu gwneud ar lefel leol. Felly, byddai gennyf ddiddordeb mewn gweld pa ddiweddariadau sydd gan y Gweinidog ar hyn, ac a yw wedi rhoi ystyriaeth i bwynt y pwyllgor fod angen llinell sylfaen i blant ledled Cymru gael eu cefnogi yn ôl i'r ysgol, fel na fydd gwahaniaethau niweidiol mewn ymatebion lleol. Mae'n amlwg hefyd, o ateb y Gweinidog i'r pwyllgor, ei fod yn rhoi pwyslais ar ysgolion bro a swyddogion ymgysylltu â theuluoedd i ymateb i'r mater. Felly, rwy'n awyddus i wybod sut mae'r Gweinidog yn bwriadu eu defnyddio, a beth fydd eu rôl yn lledaenu'r neges benodol hon. Yn amlwg, mae llawer iawn o ffactorau ar waith gydag absenoldeb disgyblion, o'r rhai sydd ag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol nad ydynt yn cael y gefnogaeth gywir i effaith tlodi, i fod yn ofalwr ifanc, a dywedodd y Gweinidog ei hun fod hwnnw'n fater cudd. Mae'n broblem gymhleth, ac mae angen i ysgolion, awdurdodau lleol a theuluoedd gael yr holl adnoddau sydd ar gael at eu defnydd i gefnogi plant yn ôl i'r ysgol. Dylai addysg fod yn hawl ac nid yn fudd ychwanegol. Ni ddylai fod yn syndod i'r un ohonom yn y Siambr heddiw ychwaith fod effaith absenoldeb ar ddysgu disgyblion yn ddinistriol. Eisoes, ni yw'r wlad a gollodd y gyfradd uchaf o ddyddiau ysgol yn ystod y pandemig yn y DU, ac yn anffodus, mae'n edrych yn debygol y bydd disgyblion yn colli mwy eto oherwydd gweithredu diwydiannol, rhywbeth sy'n llwyr o fewn gallu Llywodraeth Cymru i'w atal. Fodd bynnag, fel y dengys adroddiad y pwyllgor, nid cyrhaeddiad a chyflogadwyedd yn unig sy'n cael eu heffeithio, ond pethau fel cymdeithasu, meithrin cyfeillgarwch a mynediad at gymorth iechyd meddwl yn yr ysgol. Heb y rhyngweithio sylfaenol hwn, bydd diffyg addysg yn arwain at ymddygiad gwael, ac yn ddiweddarach, fel y nododd Cymdeithas Arweinwyr Ysgolion a Cholegau Cymru i'r pwyllgor, at ymddygiad troseddol neu wrthgymdeithasol hyd yn oed o fewn y gymuned, yn ogystal â'r potensial ar gyfer cynnydd mewn trais ieuenctid. Rwy'n chwilfrydig iawn am y datganiad a wnaeth y Gweinidog fis Mai diwethaf ynghylch camau gweithredu gan Lywodraeth Cymru mewn perthynas ag absenoldeb disgyblion, a oedd yn cynnwys cyfathrebu â theuluoedd yn genedlaethol am bwysigrwydd mynychu'r ysgol; bron i £4 miliwn o gyllid ar gyfer y swyddogion ymgysylltu â theuluoedd ac ailgyflwyno hysbysiadau cosb benodedig fel dewis olaf. Fodd bynnag, mae'n edrych yn debyg fod y Gweinidog wedi cymryd cam yn ôl ar ddefnyddio hysbysiadau cosb benodedig drwy ddweud eu bod yn cael eu hystyried fel rhan o adolygiad ehangach o fframwaith presenoldeb Cymru gyfan, ond mae'r canllawiau y mae wedi bod yn eu rhoi i awdurdodau lleol wrth eu hailgyflwyno wedi bod yn amwys, ac rwy'n dyfynnu, 'wedi gwanhau sefyllfa ymyriadau awdurdodau lleol'. Sut y gall awdurdodau lleol ddefnyddio'r pwerau sydd ar gael iddynt heb ganllawiau clir ynglŷn â phryd y gallant ymyrryd? Mae'n ddiddorol iawn gweld hefyd, yn y rhan o'r byd y mae'r ddau ohonom yn ei chynrychioli, Weinidog, mai Castell-nedd Port Talbot sydd â'r gyfradd gyfartalog uchaf o absenoldebau anawdurdodedig yn y flwyddyn academaidd hyd yma, ar dros 5 y cant, bron ddwbl cyfartaledd Cymru a bron dair gwaith y cyfraddau ym Mhowys a sir Fynwy. Castell-nedd Port Talbot hefyd sydd â'r ganran gyfartalog uchaf o sesiynau absenoldeb, ar dros 12 y cant ym mlwyddyn academaidd 2022-23 hyd yma. Felly, hoffwn wybod pa gamau brys y mae'r Gweinidog yn eu cymryd i sicrhau bod awdurdodau lleol, yn enwedig Castell-nedd Port Talbot, yn gallu rhoi'r camau angenrheidiol ar waith i atal absenoldeb parhaus sydd wedi ymwreiddio ac nad yw ond wedi cael ei waethygu gan y pandemig. Ac yn olaf, cefais fy nharo gan ystadegyn a amlinellwyd yn ddiweddar gan Gyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr a ddywedodd y byddai disgybl, hyd yn oed gyda chyfradd presenoldeb o 90 y cant dros flwyddyn academaidd, yn colli 100 o wersi - 100 o wersi. Dyna 100 gwers fathemateg, Saesneg, Cymraeg, gwyddoniaeth, addysg gorfforol ac yn y blaen dros un flwyddyn. Dylem fod yn gwthio'n galed iawn ar hyn. Wrth gwrs, mae'r cyfyngiadau symud wedi effeithio ar addysg ein plant yn ddifrifol, ac ni allwn fforddio iddynt gael eu heffeithio ymhellach gyda chyfyngiadau COVID wedi dod i ben erbyn hyn. Os ydym yn parhau ar y trywydd hwn, gallem wynebu cenhedlaeth goll, ac arnom ni fydd y bai. Diolch.