English: I'm grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate, and I'm very glad to follow Andrew R.T. Davies in raising yet again our joint opposition across this Chamber to the Vale of Glamorgan Council's latest proposal - of course, it is now a Conservative-controlled council - to close a successful school in my constituency and Andrew's region, Llancarfan Primary School. I think it is relevant to raise some of the points that we have been raising over the last few months. The fact that Llancarfan has been designated as the only rural school in the Vale of Glamorgan was welcomed, and we'd hoped that this would afford it some level of protection in consideration of the outcome of the second public consultation on the future of the school. But the Vale of Glamorgan Council appeared to ignore the consultation responses and, as I said this afternoon in questions to the Cabinet Secretary, hasn't considered other options such as federation, and is pressing ahead with its plans. We have grave concerns about the proposal to close Llancarfan school, a successful rural school in the Vale of Glamorgan. The closure plans are widely opposed and contested with rigorous expert independent evidence, and I've said that the concept of this being a transfer, as Andrew has said, of the school rather than a closure is both flawed and concerning, and does discredit the School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013. It's also a unique interpretation of the school organisation code, and it could indeed set a precedent for local authorities to use school transfers as a means of avoiding additional safeguards for rural schools in the revised code. So, may we ask for these issues that I've outlined to be considered by the Welsh Government? I do find it disappointing that there doesn't seem to have been any attempt by the Vale council to consider alternatives to sustain a successful rural school in Llancarfan and enhance provision at Rhws Primary School, which could access the twenty-first century schools programme.
Welsh: Rwy'n ddiolchgar am y cyfle i gyfrannu at y ddadl hon, ac rwy'n falch iawn o ddilyn Andrew R.T. Davies a chodi unwaith eto ein gwrthwynebiad ar y cyd ar draws y Siambr hon i gynnig diweddaraf Cyngor Bro Morgannwg - wrth gwrs, mae bellach yn gyngor dan reolaeth Geidwadol - i gau ysgol lwyddiannus yn fy etholaeth i a rhanbarth Andrew, sef Ysgol Gynradd Llancarfan. Credaf ei bod yn berthnasol imi godi rhai o'r pwyntiau y buom yn eu codi dros yr ychydig fisoedd diwethaf. Croesawyd y ffaith bod Llancarfan wedi'i dynodi'n unig ysgol wledig Bro Morgannwg, ac roeddem wedi gobeithio y byddai hynny'n cynnig rhyw lefel o amddiffyniad wrth ystyried canlyniad yr ail ymgynghoriad cyhoeddus ar ddyfodol yr ysgol. Ond roedd hi'n ymddangos bod Cyngor Bro Morgannwg yn anwybyddu'r ymatebion i'r ymgynghoriad ac fel y dywedais eisoes y prynhawn yma mewn cwestiynau i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, nid yw wedi ystyried opsiynau eraill megis ffedereiddio, ac mae'n bwrw ymlaen â'i gynlluniau. Mae gennym bryderon difrifol am y cynnig i gau ysgol Llancarfan, ysgol wledig lwyddiannus ym Mro Morgannwg. Ceir gwrthwynebiad a dadleuon eang yn erbyn y cynlluniau i gau gyda thystiolaeth annibynnol drylwyr gan arbenigwyr, ac rwyf wedi dweud bod y cysyniad mai trosglwyddo ysgol yn hytrach na chau yw hwn, fel y dywedodd Andrew, yn anghywir ac yn peri pryder, ac mae'n dwyn anfri ar Ddeddf Safonau a Threfniadaeth Ysgolion (Cymru) 2013. Mae hefyd yn ddehongliad unigryw o'r cod trefniadaeth ysgolion, a gallai osod cynsail yn wir i awdurdodau lleol ddefnyddio trosglwyddo ysgolion fel ffordd o osgoi mesurau diogelu ychwanegol ar gyfer ysgolion gwledig yn y cod diwygiedig. Felly, a gawn ni ofyn i Lywodraeth Cymru ystyried y materion a amlinellais? Rwy'n siomedig nad yw'n ymddangos bod unrhyw ymgais gan gyngor y Fro i ystyried dewisiadau amgen ar gyfer cynnal ysgol wledig lwyddiannus yn Llancarfan a gwella'r ddarpariaeth yn Ysgol Gynradd Rhws, a allai wneud defnydd o raglen ysgolion yr unfed ganrif ar hugain.