English: May I thank the Cabinet Secretary for her statement this afternoon? I think it's about time that we tackled some of the problems that have cast a dark shadow over some small and rural schools over a number of years. As someone who lives in a rural community, as someone who's a parent of children who attend a small rural school, and someone who's a governor of that very same school, I particularly welcome the statement, and also, of course, I do declare that I have an interest in that regard. You mentioned, of course, the creation of a national strategy for small and rural schools, but you don't give us many details as to how, perhaps, you're going to go about doing that. So, perhaps you could tell us something about the process that you have in mind in that regard, and when you expect that strategy to be in place. I warmly welcome the change in the presumption against the closure of schools in the school organisation code, and that's certainly something that already exists in England. Of course, the main factor within the current code, if my memory serves me correctly, in considering closure is to protect educational outcomes, and I don't think anyone would suggest that that should be changed. I know that placing a focus on the quality of education is what's needed, rather than, perhaps, the more physical aspects, such as surplus school places and so on. You've mentioned the need to take into account a broader range of options rather than closure. Perhaps you could tell us a little about how we can broaden the menu of options available, because, as far as I can see, there are federation and clustering, and perhaps some element of more meaningful collaboration. But, more than that, what ideas do you have for schools to consider? As I referred to surplus places, and as you make no reference to surplus places in your statement, which has, of course, been a strong focus for your predecessors at least in terms of the emphasis on the reorganisation of schools in rural areas, may I ask you, perhaps, to tell us whether you feel there's been too much emphasis on that in the past? Are you going to reduce the emphasis on that? Certainly, it's been a focus, of course, for the twenty-first century schools programme - one of the main objectives of band A, if memory serves me correctly. Therefore, will there be less emphasis on surplus school places in future, when it comes to looking at twenty-first century schools, as well as the wider issues in terms of school reorganisation? For me, of course, a school doesn't exist within a vacuum, and we also need to look and take account of the relationship between rural education and protecting, supporting and developing rural communities more broadly. Could I ask you, therefore, what discussions you've had with other Cabinet Secretaries on the need to tackle the wider problems, because closing a small school is very often a symptom of the fact that the local economy isn't maintaining young families and people have to leave and there is depopulation as a result of that. So, trying to resolve one problem without a more meaningful effort to tackle the other can only be part of the solution. I know that, in Scotland for example, following the commission they established a few years ago to look at rural schools there, they have set a clear focus on introducing family centres in rural schools as well as early years services in those rural schools. Of course, there is a clear link to that with some of the things that we're hearing from the Cabinet Secretary on communities and childcare and these children's zones that have been mentioned as a possible opportunity. I would like to hear what opportunities you believe there may be in terms of rural provision in that regard. Also, there is a need to encourage other sectors to play their part and to collaborate in order to support rural education. And I'm not just talking about the voluntary sector, but certainly further and higher education, especially perhaps in terms of secondary education in rural areas. I would like to know how you think there could be a possible contribution from that direction in supporting some of the things that we want to see developing. Again in Scotland, there is additional funding provided to the highlands and islands university in order to encourage them to work more closely with rural schools. You refer to the creation of a £2.5 million fund, and, whilst I welcome that and do recognise the financial pressures on the Government, in the context of some of the other proposals and plans, it isn't such a huge amount. Certainly, looking at the scale of the challenge and the need for additional support in the rural context, one would always want to see more funding. But, I will ask you perhaps whether that is the starting point, because one would assume that we would need a broader effort. One thinks about ICT, and you refer to it as one of the issues - of harnessing the power of IT with that funding. I attended a meeting last week where a teacher at a school told me that, if there are more than two pupils online at the same time, then the whole thing comes to a grinding halt. So, there are infrastructure problems. I know that the Government is aware of that, but one could perhaps feel that we are not making the progress that we should be making in that regard. Attracting teachers to work in rural areas is also a challenge. If you're a deputy head in a large school, then what's the incentive for you to become a headteacher in a smaller school? You have to ask that question, because the financial incentive in terms of salary isn't such a great one when compared with the additional burden and responsibilities that would come with that headship. So, how will the strategy that you mention assist in tackling the pressures in terms of staffing resources in that regard? Finally, we can't look at the situation of rural schools without also considering the issue of school transport in a rural context, because the provision as it has existed has been reducing. What we're seeing, of course, is a number of parents taking their children with them to the towns or the centres where they work for their education because the transport provision that may have been there in the past is no longer there because of various cuts imposed. So, has any consideration been given to that? If not, what consideration will be given to strengthening the school transport provision because, without that, it makes it extremely difficult to ensure that people can take advantage of that service?
Welsh: A gaf i ddiolch i'r Ysgrifennydd Cabinet am ei datganiad heddiw? Mae'n hen bryd, rwy'n meddwl, i ni fynd i'r afael â rhai o'r trafferthion sydd wedi bod yn llethu ac yn gysgod mawr dros ysgolion bychan ac ysgolion gwledig dros y blynyddoedd. Fel rhywun sydd yn byw mewn cymuned wledig, fel rhywun sydd yn rhiant i blant sydd yn mynychu ysgol fechan wledig ac yn llywodraethwr ar ysgol honno, rwy'n arbennig yn croesawu'r datganiad, a hefyd, wrth gwrs, yn datgan fod gen i ddiddordeb yn hynny o beth. Rŷch chi'n sôn, wrth gwrs, am fynd ati i greu strategaeth genedlaethol ar gyfer ysgolion bach a gwledig, ond nid ydych yn rhoi llawer o fanylion ynglŷn â sut, efallai, rŷch chi'n mynd i fynd ati i wneud hynny. Felly, efallai y gallech chi sôn ychydig am y broses sydd gennych chi mewn golwg am hynny, a phryd rŷch chi'n disgwyl y bydd y strategaeth yma yn ei lle. Rwy'n croesawu yn fawr y newid yn y rhagdybiaeth yn erbyn cau ysgolion yn y cod trefniadaeth ysgolion. Yn sicr, mae hynny yn rhywbeth sydd eisoes yn bodoli yn Lloegr. Wrth gwrs, prif ffactor y cod presennol, os rwy'n cofio'n iawn, wrth ystyried cau yw gwarchod deilliannau addysgol, ac nid wyf yn credu bod neb yn awgrymu y dylid newid hynny. Rwy'n gwybod mai rhoi ffocws ar ansawdd yr addysg sydd ei angen, ac nid, efallai, o reidrwydd ar bethau mwy ffisegol, fel lleoedd gwag ac yn y blaen. Rŷch chi wedi sôn am yr angen i ystyried opsiynau ehangach yn hytrach na chau. Efallai y gallech chi sôn ychydig ynglŷn â sut y gallwn ni ehangu'r fwydlen o opsiynau sydd yna, oherwydd, hyd y gwelaf i, mae clystyru a ffedereiddio ac efallai rhyw elfen o gydweithio ychydig yn fwy bwriadol. Ond, yn fwy na hynny, pa syniadau sydd yna i ysgolion i'w hystyried? Gan fy mod i wedi cyfeirio at leoedd gwag a chan nad ŷch chi'n cyfeirio at lefydd gwag yn y datganiad, sydd, wrth gwrs, wedi bod yn ffocws cryf i'ch rhagflaenwyr chi beth bynnag o safbwynt y pwyslais ar aildrefnu ysgolion mewn ardaloedd gwledig, a gaf i ofyn i chi efallai sôn a ydych chi'n teimlo bod yna ormod o bwyslais wedi bod? A ydych chi am leihau'r pwyslais ar hynny? Yn sicr, mae wedi bod yn ffocws i raglen ysgolion yr unfed ganrif ar hugain - yn un o brif amcanion band A, os rwy'n cofio yn iawn. Felly, a fydd yna lai o bwyslais ar lefydd gwag yn y dyfodol, pan fydd hi'n dod i edrych ar ysgolion yr unfed ganrif ar hugain, yn ogystal â bwriadau ehangach o safbwynt aildrefnu? I mi, wrth gwrs, nid yw ysgol yn bodoli mewn 'vacuum', ac mae angen hefyd edrych ac ystyried beth yw'r cysylltiad rhwng addysg wledig a gwarchod, cefnogi a datblygu cymunedau gwledig yn ehangach. A gaf i ofyn pa drafodaeth rŷch chi wedi ei chael gydag Ysgrifenyddion Cabinet eraill ynglŷn â'r angen i fynd i'r afael â phroblemau ehangach, oherwydd symptom yn aml iawn yw cau ysgol fechan o'r ffaith bod yr economi leol ddim yn cynnal teuluoedd ifanc a bod pobl yn gadael a bod diboblogi yn digwydd. Felly, mae trio datrys un heb efallai rhywbeth mwy bwriadol i fynd i'r afael â'r llall ddim ond yn rhan o'r ateb. Rydw i'n gwybod, yn yr Alban er enghraifft, yn dilyn y comisiwn a gawson nhw ychydig o flynyddoedd yn ôl i edrych ar ysgolion gwledig yn fanna, maen nhw wedi gosod ffocws, er enghraifft, ar gyflwyno canolfannau teuluol mewn ysgolion gwledig a gwasanaethau blynyddoedd cynnar mewn ysgolion gwledig. Wrth gwrs, mae yna gysylltiad amlwg, efallai, gyda rhai o'r pethau rŷm ni'n clywed oddi wrth yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet ar gymunedau ynglŷn â gofal plant a'r parthau plant yma y bu cyfeirio atyn nhw fel cyfle posib. Byddwn i'n licio clywed pa gyfleon rŷch chi'n credu sydd yna o safbwynt darpariaeth wledig yn hynny o beth. Hefyd, mae yna angen i annog sectorau eraill i chwarae eu rhan ac i gydweithio i gefnogi addysg wledig. Nid wyf i jest yn sôn am bethau fel y sector gwirfoddol, ond yn sicr addysg bellach ac addysg uwch, yn enwedig, efallai, mewn sefyllfa addysg uwchradd wledig. Byddwn i'n licio clywed sut rŷch chi'n meddwl bod yna gyfraniad posibl yn dod o'r cyfeiriad yna i fynd i gefnogi rhai o'r pethau rŷm ni am eu gweld yn digwydd. Eto yn yr Alban, mae yna gyllid ychwanegol wedi'i darparu i brifysgol yr ucheldir ac ynysoedd yr Alban, i'w hannog nhw i weithio'n agosach gydag ysgolion gwledig. Rŷch chi'n cyfeirio at greu cronfa o £2.5 miliwn, a thra mod i'n croesawu hynny ac yn cydnabod y pwysau ariannol sydd ar y Llywodraeth, efallai yng nghyd-destun rhai o'r cynlluniau eraill, nid yw e cymaint â hynny. Yn sicr, o edrych ar faint yr her a faint yr angen am gefnogaeth ychwanegol sydd yn y cyd-destun gwledig, byddai rhywun wastad eisiau mwy. Ond mi ofynnaf i, efallai, ai man cychwyn yw hyn, oherwydd byddai rhywun yn tybio bod angen ymdrech ehangach. Mae rhywun yn meddwl am dechnoleg gwybodaeth, ac rŷch chi'n cyfeirio ato fel un o'r agweddau - i harneisio pŵer technoleg gwybodaeth gyda'r arian yna. Mi roeddwn i mewn cyfarfod yr wythnos diwethaf lle'r oedd yr athro yn yr ysgol yn dweud wrthyf i os oes mwy na dau ddisgybl yn mynd ar y we ar yr un pryd, mae'r holl beth yn dod i stop. Felly, mae yna broblemau seilwaith. Rwy'n gwybod bod y Llywodraeth yn ymwybodol o hynny, ond nid yw rhywun efallai'n teimlo ein bod ni'n gwneud y cynnydd y dylem ei wneud. Mae denu athrawon, wrth gwrs, i weithio mewn ardaloedd mwy gwledig yn her. Os ŷch chi'n ddirprwy bennaeth mewn ysgol fawr, beth yw'r cymhelliad ichi fynd yn bennaeth mewn ysgol lai? Mae angen gofyn y cwestiwn, oherwydd nid yw'r cymhelliad ariannol o safbwynt cyflog yn gymaint â hynny o'i gymharu â'r baich ychwanegol a'r cyfrifoldebau ychwanegol fydd yn dod yn sgil hynny. Felly, sut fydd y strategaeth rŷch chi'n sôn amdani, efallai, yn help i fynd i'r afael â'r pwysau hynny o safbwynt yr adnoddau staffio? Ac yn olaf, allwn ni ddim edrych ar sefyllfa ysgolion gwledig heb ystyried hefyd, wrth gwrs, sefyllfa cludiant ysgolion mewn cyd-destun gwledig, oherwydd mae'r ddarpariaeth fel y mae wedi bod, yn crebachu. Beth rŷm ni'n ei weld, wrth gwrs, yw nifer o rieni'n mynd â'u plant gyda nhw i'r trefi neu'r canolfannau lle maen nhw'n gweithio i gael eu haddysgu oherwydd nad yw'r ddarpariaeth drafnidiaeth oedd yna yn y gorffennol yno bellach oherwydd gwahanol doriadau. A oes yna unrhyw ystyriaeth wedi cael ei rhoi, ac, os nad oes, pa ystyriaeth fydd yn cael ei rhoi i sicrhau a chryfhau'r ddarpariaeth drafnidiaeth ysgolion? Heb hynny, mae'n ei gwneud hi'n anodd iawn i sicrhau bod pobl yn gallu manteisio ar y gwasanaeth.