English: I thank the Member for that question. I don't accept the funding takes money away from the school system; the funding is there in order to support the school improvement programme that we have right across Wales. And the majority of the funding that is made available to the regional consortia is delegated directly to schools, rather than being retained by the consortia themselves. On the broader point that the Member makes, I think he's basing, or perhaps NAHT were basing some of their reflections on the thematic report from Estyn recently into the regional consortia and local authority support for curriculum design, which described the consortia as demonstrating the curriculum design progress and stages of curriculum development, developing stronger approaches to supporting collaboration between primary and secondary schools, and generally targeting support for schools that are causing concern, but also indicating that more work needed to be done in relation to maintaining consistency across the understanding of the quality of teaching and learning, for example. So, I think that report was helpful, in that it identified a number of measures that we can take to further support our collective ambition for curriculum reform. My officials are working closely both with the consortia and, in those areas where there isn't a consortium, with the local authorities, to ensure that schools have the support that they need to prepare for the curriculum, and working also to develop a clearer model for capturing and understanding some of the information that is available in the system, in response to a specific recommendation that Estyn has made. And my officials have also ensured that the terms and conditions for grants to regional consortia for the coming financial year are clear and closely align to the priorities and requirements to support schools to implement the new curriculum.
Welsh: Diolch i'r Aelod am y cwestiwn hwnnw. Nid wyf yn derbyn bod y cyllid yn mynd ag arian oddi wrth y system ysgolion; mae'r cyllid yno er mwyn cefnogi'r rhaglen gwella ysgolion sydd gennym ledled Cymru. Ac mae mwyafswm y cyllid sydd ar gael i'r consortia rhanbarthol yn cael ei ddirprwyo'n uniongyrchol i ysgolion, yn hytrach na chael ei gadw gan y consortia eu hunain. Ar y pwynt ehangach y mae'r Aelod yn ei wneud, credaf ei fod yn seilio, neu efallai fod NAHT yn seilio rhai o'u hystyriaethau ar yr adroddiad thematig gan Estyn yn ddiweddar i'r consortia rhanbarthol a chefnogaeth awdurdodau lleol i gynllunio'r cwricwlwm, a ddywedodd fod y consortia yn arddangos cynnydd wrth lunio'r cwricwlwm a chamau datblygu'r cwricwlwm, gan ddatblygu dulliau cryfach o gefnogi cydweithio rhwng ysgolion cynradd ac uwchradd, a thargedu cymorth yn gyffredinol ar gyfer ysgolion sy'n peri pryder, ond gan nodi hefyd fod angen gwneud mwy o waith mewn perthynas â chynnal cysondeb o ran y ddealltwriaeth o ansawdd yr addysgu a'r dysgu, er enghraifft. Felly, credaf fod yr adroddiad hwnnw'n ddefnyddiol, gan ei fod wedi nodi nifer o fesurau y gallwn eu rhoi ar waith i gefnogi ymhellach ein huchelgais ar y cyd i ddiwygio'r cwricwlwm. Mae fy swyddogion yn gweithio'n agos gyda'r consortia ac yn yr ardaloedd lle nad oes consortiwm, gyda'r awdurdodau lleol, i sicrhau bod ysgolion yn cael y cymorth sydd ei angen arnynt i baratoi ar gyfer y cwricwlwm, a chan gweithio hefyd i ddatblygu model cliriach ar gyfer casglu a deall rhywfaint o'r wybodaeth sydd ar gael yn y system, mewn ymateb i argymhelliad penodol y mae Estyn wedi'i wneud. Ac mae fy swyddogion hefyd wedi sicrhau bod y telerau a'r amodau ar gyfer grantiau i gonsortia rhanbarthol ar gyfer y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf yn glir ac yn cyd-fynd yn agos â'r blaenoriaethau a'r gofynion ar gyfer cynorthwyo ysgolion i weithredu'r cwricwlwm newydd.