English: 'It's not just that Wales has underperformed, it's seen its performance decline.' These are not my words. These are the words of the head of education and skills at the OECD, speaking ahead of the publication of the latest set of PISA results. However much the Welsh Government seeks comfort from the slight improvement in the PISA scores, it is a fact that Wales still remains at the bottom of the UK PISA league. Since 2006, when Wales first took part in the PISA test, there has been no statistically significant improvement in reading and maths, and Wales's scores in science are significantly worse. This lamentable performance is a direct result of Labour's continued underfunding of schools in Wales. School leaders and stakeholders have constantly claimed that chronic and insufficient funding has put schools under serious financial pressures. The NASUWT's latest figures estimate the funding gap between pupils in England and Wales is £645 - a staggering figure. But this spending gap is replicated between local authorities in Wales thanks to Labour's flawed funding formula. The warning signs have been there for some time. Last year, the OECD produced a report in which they argued that the differences in the local funding models were causing concern about the unequal treatment of schools in similar circumstances. They went on to call on the Welsh Government to consider reviewing its school funding models if it wishes to realise its ambition for equity in education and students' well-being. The Welsh Government has a long-standing commitment to protect schools funding in both the fourth and fifth Assembly terms, but school funding has not even kept pace with inflation. Since 2010, spending on schools has fallen by nearly 8 per cent in real terms. In the last budget, the education Minister said she was investing £100 million in raising school standards over the fifth Assembly term, but this funding was not allocated to schools' core funding, a decision criticised by the Children, Young People and Education Committee. It is time for an honest and open, mature debate about school budgets in Wales. We must recognise the frustration and dismay created by the severe funding crisis in Welsh schools, and the detrimental effect it is having on our young people. The consequences of this can be seen in rising class sizes, the decreasing number of sports staff and the cutting of many activities outside the compulsory curriculum. We need a system that funds school directly, one that gives greater spending control to teachers, parents and governors, directing more money to the classroom. Deputy Presiding Officer, these PISA results have exposed the poverty of ambition at the heart of Labour's education strategy. Standards will not improve unless the Minister recognises the need to tackle the chronic underfunding of schools in Wales. We also need a fairer and more equitable division of resources. We need a new funding formula. It is accepted across the education sector that the current system is inadequate and change is desperately needed. A good education is vital to provide Welsh pupils with the best chances in life. I ask the Minister to take the action necessary to ensure that every child gets the highest quality education, as they deserve, in Wales. Thank you.
Welsh: Nid yn unig fod Cymru wedi tangyflawni, mae ei pherfformiad yn dirywio. Nid fy ngeiriau i yw'r rhain. Dyma eiriau pennaeth addysg a sgiliau y Sefydliad ar gyfer Cydweithrediad a Datblygiad Economaidd, yn siarad cyn cyhoeddi'r set ddiweddaraf o ganlyniadau PISA. Ni waeth faint o gysur y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei geisio o'r gwelliant bach yn y sgoriau PISA, mae'n ffaith bod Cymru yn dal i fod ar waelod cynghrair PISA y DU. Ers 2006, pan gymerodd Cymru ran yn y prawf PISA am y tro cyntaf, ni fu unrhyw welliant ystadegol arwyddocaol mewn darllen a mathemateg, ac mae sgoriau Cymru mewn gwyddoniaeth yn waeth o lawer. Mae'r perfformiad truenus hwn yn ganlyniad uniongyrchol i dangyllido ysgolion yn barhaus ar ran y Blaid Lafur yng Nghymru. Mae arweinwyr ysgolion a rhanddeiliaid wedi honni'n gyson bod tangyllido cronig ac ariannu annigonol wedi rhoi ysgolion o dan bwysau ariannol difrifol. Mae ffigurau diweddaraf NASUWT yn amcangyfrif bod y bwlch cyllido rhwng disgyblion Cymru a Lloegr yn £645 - ffigur syfrdanol. Ond mae'r bwlch gwario hwn yn cael ei ailadrodd rhwng awdurdodau lleol yng Nghymru, diolch i fformiwla ariannu ddiffygiol Llafur. Mae'r arwyddion rhybudd wedi bod yno ers peth amser. Y llynedd, lluniodd y Sefydliad ar gyfer Cydweithrediad a Datblygiad Economaidd adroddiad lle roeddent yn dadlau bod y gwahaniaethau yn y modelau ariannu lleol yn peri pryder ynghylch triniaeth anghyfartal ysgolion mewn amgylchiadau tebyg. Aethant ati i alw ar Lywodraeth Cymru i ystyried adolygu ei modelau cyllido ysgolion os yw'n dymuno gwireddu ei huchelgais ar gyfer tegwch o ran addysg a lles myfyrwyr. Mae gan Lywodraeth Cymru ymrwymiad hirsefydlog i ddiogelu cyllid ysgolion ym mhedwerydd a phumed tymor y Cynulliad, ond nid yw cyllid ysgol hyd yn oed wedi cadw'n wastad â chwyddiant. Ers 2010, mae'r gwariant ar ysgolion wedi gostwng bron 8 y cant mewn termau real. Yn y gyllideb ddiwethaf, dywedodd y Gweinidog Addysg ei bod yn buddsoddi £100 miliwn er mwyn codi safonau ysgolion yn ystod pumed tymor y Cynulliad, ond ni ddyrannwyd yr arian tuag at gyllid craidd ysgolion, penderfyniad a feirniadwyd gan y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg. Mae'n bryd cael dadl onest, agored ac aeddfed am gyllidebau ysgolion yng Nghymru. Rhaid inni gydnabod y rhwystredigaeth a'r digalondid a grëir gan yr argyfwng ariannu difrifol yn ysgolion Cymru, a'r effaith andwyol y mae'n ei chael ar ein pobl ifanc. Gellir gweld canlyniadau hyn yn y cynnydd ym maint dosbarthiadau, nifer gostyngol o staff chwaraeon a'r cwtogi ar nifer o weithgareddau y tu allan i'r cwricwlwm gorfodol. Mae arnom angen system sy'n ariannu ysgolion yn uniongyrchol, un sy'n rhoi mwy o reolaeth ar wariant i athrawon, rhieni a llywodraethwyr, gan gyfeirio mwy o arian i'r ystafell ddosbarth. Ddirprwy Lywydd, mae'r canlyniadau PISA hyn wedi amlygu'r tlodi uchelgais wrth wraidd strategaeth addysg Llafur. Ni fydd safonau'n gwella oni bai fod y Gweinidog yn cydnabod yr angen i fynd i'r afael â thanariannu dybryd ysgolion yng Nghymru. Mae arnom angen rhaniad adnoddau tecach a mwy cyfartal. Mae arnom angen fformiwla ariannu newydd. Ar draws y sector addysg, derbynnir bod y system bresennol yn annigonol a bod angen newid yn ddybryd. Mae addysg dda yn hanfodol i roi'r cyfleoedd gorau mewn bywyd i ddisgyblion Cymru. Gofynnaf i'r Gweinidog gymryd y camau angenrheidiol i sicrhau bod pob plentyn yn cael addysg o'r safon uchaf yng Nghymru, fel y maent yn ei haeddu. Diolch.