English: Can I thank the Minister for his statement today? I think much of it is to be welcomed. But I think it would be remiss of me not to say that, at the beginning of your statement, you mention that workforce well-being must be at the forefront of all that we do, and yet, since 2011, we've seen 7,000 more pupils enter the classroom and 4,000 fewer teachers to teach them. And that teacher shortage is even more stark in the Welsh language education sector. And while that's in no way a reflection on the dedication and hard work of the profession that we've seen over that time, by consistently failing to recruit enough teachers in Wales, it's the Welsh Government that continues to let down that workforce. Surely, a way to let the workforce feel valued and motivated is to recruit more teachers, lessen the burden on their workload, which would ensure that teachers remain in the profession and we can attract the best from all corners of the country. Minister, can you outline what steps your department is taking to help with some of those pressures? Another way we can get teachers and teaching assistants to feel valued is through their pay. So, Minister, can you provide an update on these reviews, particularly the one around teaching assistants' pay and conditions? As a former teaching assistant myself, and with a number of friends still in the profession, I know first-hand that a number of TAs go above and beyond their contracted duties for the benefit of their pupils and their school, and it would be useful for them to get the clarity that they deserve from that review. The shift towards a system driven by career-long professional learning is one to be welcomed, and I look forward to seeing the new national professional learning entitlement. Could you just confirm that, where you say you'll work at pace with partners to improve the offer, professionals will not be disadvantaged depending on the school or local authority that they will be teaching in, and that this will be a consistent offer of professional development across Wales? Also, how will we know that this is having an impact on the profession? How will success be measured? And how will teachers, teaching assistants and pupils benefit from that? What clear guidelines will you be setting out for those groups, to ensure that we don't have a postcode lottery of access to that professional development? I also welcome the fact that you've acknowledged the additional burden on educational staff, and the mental health and well-being of the workforce must be at the forefront of our minds when we consider that support for the professions. Therefore, in light of the consultation on an additional INSET day for teachers for the next three years, could you confirm when the profession should expect a final announcement on that? And given the additional burdens placed on educational staff that you mentioned, is one additional INSET day really going to be a substantial help to enable teachers and staff to catch up on the professional development required that you mention? On NQTs, the national programme is again to be welcomed. But I wonder if the Minister had considered a potential buddy programme with more experienced staff, to help support them, helping them with their professional development and creating clear pathways for their career. To touch on supply teachers, I welcome the acknowledgement that supply teachers are not supported enough, and I know that the profession would welcome swift action on that. So, could the Minister give an idea of what those reforms will look like, as the industry are looking for a degree of certainty to help keep people within the profession? Finally, on agency staff, they're often some of the worst affected staff members when it comes to work conditions. I do think we need to set up a clear pathway for teaching assistants to learn and enhance professional development, so that we can get more teaching assistants to become teachers, as, often, it's those teaching assistants that are doing much of the job of a teacher in the first place, with little or no reward for it. Therefore, some action on ensuring that we attract people from all backgrounds into the profession, to ensure that not only teachers, but pupils and the sector as a whole benefit from some of those changes. So, finally, what action are you taking to simplify the pathway for teaching assistants to become teachers in their own right? Thank you.
Welsh: A gaf i ddiolch i'r Gweinidog am ei ddatganiad heddiw? Rwy'n credu bod llawer ohono i'w groesawu. Ond rwy'n credu y byddai'n esgeulus ohonof i beidio â dweud, ar ddechrau eich datganiad, eich bod yn sôn bod yn rhaid i lesiant y gweithlu gael lle amlwg ym mhopeth a wnawn, ac eto, ers 2011, rydym ni wedi gweld 7,000 yn fwy o ddisgyblion yn dod i'r ystafell ddosbarth a 4,000 yn llai o athrawon i'w dysgu. A bod prinder athrawon hyd yn oed yn fwy amlwg yn y sector addysg Gymraeg. Ac er nad yw hynny'n sen o gwbl ar ymroddiad a gwaith caled y proffesiwn yr ydym ni wedi'i weld dros yr amser hwnnw, trwy fethu â recriwtio digon o athrawon yng Nghymru yn gyson, Llywodraeth Cymru sy'n parhau i siomi'r gweithlu hwnnw. Heb os nac oni bai y ffordd o adael i'r gweithlu deimlo eu bod yn cael eu gwerthfawrogi a'u hysgogi yw recriwtio mwy o athrawon, lleihau'r baich o ran eu llwyth gwaith, a fyddai'n sicrhau bod athrawon yn aros yn y proffesiwn ac y gallwn ni ddenu'r gorau o bob cornel o'r wlad. Gweinidog, a wnewch chi amlinellu beth mae eich adran yn ei wneud i helpu gyda pheth o'r pwysau hynny? Ffordd arall y gallwn ni gael athrawon a chynorthwywyr addysgu i deimlo eu bod yn cael eu gwerthfawrogi yw trwy eu cyflog. Felly, Gweinidog, allwch chi roi diweddariad ar yr adolygiadau hyn, yn enwedig yr un ynghylch tâl ac amodau cynorthwywyr addysgu? Fel cyn-gynorthwyydd dysgu fy hun, a gyda nifer o ffrindiau'n dal yn y proffesiwn, rwy'n gwybod o lygad y ffynnon fod nifer o gynorthwywyr addysgu yn mynd uwchlaw a thu hwnt i'w dyletswyddau contract er lles eu disgyblion a'u hysgol, a byddai'n ddefnyddiol iddynt gael yr eglurder y maent yn ei haeddu o'r adolygiad hwnnw. Mae'r newid tuag at system sy'n cael ei gyrru gan ddysgu proffesiynol gydol gyrfa yn un i'w groesawu, ac rwy'n edrych ymlaen at weld yr hawl genedlaethol newydd ar gyfer dysgu proffesiynol. Allech chi gadarnhau, pan ydych chi'n dweud y byddwch yn gweithio'n gyflym gyda phartneriaid i wella'r cynnig, na fydd pobl broffesiynol o dan anfantais yn dibynnu ar yr ysgol neu'r awdurdod lleol y byddant yn addysgu ynddo, ac y bydd hwn yn gynnig cyson o ddatblygiad proffesiynol ledled Cymru? Hefyd, sut fyddwn ni'n gwybod bod hyn yn cael effaith ar y proffesiwn? Sut bydd llwyddiant yn cael ei fesur? A sut fydd athrawon, cynorthwywyr addysgu a disgyblion yn cael budd o hynny? Pa ganllawiau clir fyddwch chi'n eu nodi ar gyfer y grwpiau hynny, er mwyn sicrhau nad oes gennym ni loteri cod post o fynediad at y datblygiad proffesiynol hwnnw? Rwyf hefyd yn croesawu'r ffaith eich bod wedi cydnabod y baich ychwanegol ar staff addysgol, ac mae'n rhaid i iechyd meddwl a llesiant y gweithlu fod ar flaen ein meddyliau pan ystyriwn y gefnogaeth honno i'r proffesiynau. Felly, yn sgil yr ymgynghoriad ar ddiwrnod hyfforddiant mewn swydd ychwanegol i athrawon am y tair blynedd nesaf, a wnewch chi gadarnhau pryd y dylai'r proffesiwn ddisgwyl cyhoeddiad terfynol ar hynny? Ac o ystyried y beichiau ychwanegol a roddir ar staff addysgol y sonioch chi amdanyn nhw, a yw un diwrnod hyfforddiant mewn swydd ychwanegol wir yn mynd i fod yn help sylweddol i alluogi athrawon a staff i ddal i fyny o ran y datblygiad proffesiynol angenrheidiol yr ydych chi'n sôn amdano? O ran athrawon newydd gymhwyso, mae'r rhaglen genedlaethol unwaith eto i'w chroesawu. Ond tybed a oedd y Gweinidog wedi ystyried rhaglen gyfeillio bosib gyda staff mwy profiadol, i helpu eu cefnogi, eu helpu gyda'u datblygiad proffesiynol a chreu llwybrau clir ar gyfer eu gyrfa. I grybwyll athrawon cyflenwi, rwy'n croesawu'r gydnabyddiaeth nad yw athrawon cyflenwi yn cael eu cefnogi ddigon, ac rwy'n gwybod y byddai'r proffesiwn yn croesawu gweithredu cyflym ar hynny. Felly, a wnaiff y Gweinidog roi syniad o sut olwg fydd ar y diwygiadau hynny, gan fod y diwydiant yn chwilio am rywfaint o sicrwydd i helpu i gadw pobl o fewn y proffesiwn? Yn olaf, o ran staff asiantaeth, maen nhw'n aml yn rhai o'r aelodau staff yr effeithir fwyaf arnyn nhw yng nghyswllt amodau gwaith. Rwy'n credu bod angen i ni sefydlu llwybr clir ar gyfer cynorthwywyr addysgu i ddysgu a gwella datblygiad proffesiynol, fel y gallwn ni gael mwy o gynorthwywyr addysgu i ddod yn athrawon, oherwydd, yn aml, y cynorthwywyr addysgu hynny sy'n gwneud llawer o waith athro neu athrawes yn y lle cyntaf, heb fawr o wobr am hynny. Felly, rhywfaint o weithredu ar sicrhau ein bod yn denu pobl o bob cefndir i'r proffesiwn, er mwyn sicrhau nad athrawon yn unig, ond bod y disgyblion a'r sector yn gyffredinol yn cael budd o rai o'r newidiadau hynny. Felly, yn olaf, beth ydych chi'n ei wneud i symleiddio'r llwybr ar gyfer cynorthwywyr addysgu i ddod yn athrawon yn eu rhinwedd eu hunain? Diolch.