English: Thank you, Presiding Officer. I'd like to open this debate today by thanking Meilyr Rowlands for his second annual report as the chief inspector of education and training in Wales. As well as providing evidence on performance and standards, the chief inspector's report will inform policy development and help us drive improvements in our education system. The report is clear that we are making progress in some areas, however many challenges still remain. As Estyn reports, further improvement is required. I welcome the inspector's findings that show that there has been continued progress with early years provision, with literacy and numeracy, with children's behaviour and attendance and that the performance of disadvantaged learners is also improving. The report is right to highlight that the quality of teaching is the biggest influence of how well learners learn and discusses what is required for improving teaching. That is, better professional learning and staff development, and I couldn't agree more with the chief inspector. Teachers and leaders in Wales share an individual, professional and national mission to help all of our children succeed. I have been clear that I believe that teachers should be lifelong students themselves, with an ongoing commitment to their professional growth, learning from one another, continuously improving and studying and implementing best practice. To support this, we're working towards ensuring a consistent all-Wales approach to professional learning, delivered on a regional basis. This will ensure that all practitioners, including support staff and further education practitioners, are able to develop the skills in pedagogy and leadership to realise the requirements of our new curriculum. The introduction of revised professional standards for teachers and leaders is an important part of that work. My officials have been working closely with the profession and key stakeholders to develop and test new professional standards that will inspire, challenge and support every practitioner from initial training through to school leadership. Many schools have already made substantial progress in supporting peer-to-peer learning. The revised professional standards will reflect that commitment to continuous improvement and collaboration by supporting practitioners to strive for sustained excellent practice at every level and every step of their career. Professional standards must also be in step with our reform of initial teacher education and the new curriculum. They will set the bar for entering into the profession and support practitioners to ensure that they have the skills, knowledge and behaviours necessary to meet the challenges of the revised curriculum and to develop leadership capacity at all levels. The report summarises the Programme for International Student Assessment 2015 results for Wales. It is of course a source of great disappointment to me that Wales's results were again lower than that of the three other UK nations and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average. However, what makes better reading is the OECD report that was published just last month and debated in this Chamber just last week. As you know, Presiding Officer, on becoming Cabinet Secretary, I invited the OECD to come to Wales to challenge and test our reforms and they have concluded that we are making progress and that we have the right long-term vision in place to keep improving. So, it is my job to keep that momentum going and to accelerate it where necessary. I will continue to be guided by international best practice and hard evidence. The Estyn report will play a key role in highlighting areas in need of improvement and supporting the implementation of our wide-reaching reform. Our focus must continue to be making sure that we properly implement our national mission of education reform to drive up standards and help every learner, regardless of their background, to fulfil their full and true potential. Thank you.
Welsh: Diolch i chi, Lywydd. Hoffwn agor y ddadl hon heddiw drwy ddiolch i Meilyr Rowlands am ei ail adroddiad blynyddol fel y prif arolygydd addysg a hyfforddiant yng Nghymru. Yn ogystal â darparu tystiolaeth ar berfformiad a safonau, bydd adroddiad y prif arolygydd yn llywio datblygiad polisi ac yn ein helpu i ysgogi gwelliannau yn ein system addysg. Mae'r adroddiad yn glir ein bod yn gwneud cynnydd mewn rhai meysydd, ond mae llawer o heriau yn dal i fodoli. Fel y mae Estyn yn adrodd, mae angen rhagor o welliant. Rwy'n croesawu canfyddiadau'r arolygydd sy'n dangos y bu cynnydd parhaus yn narpariaeth y blynyddoedd cynnar, mewn llythrennedd a rhifedd, ymddygiad a phresenoldeb plant a bod perfformiad dysgwyr difreintiedig yn gwella hefyd. Mae'r adroddiad yn iawn i dynnu sylw at y ffaith mai ansawdd yr addysgu yw'r dylanwad mwyaf ar ba mor dda y mae dysgwyr yn dysgu ac mae'n trafod beth sydd ei angen er mwyn gwella addysgu sef dysgu proffesiynol a datblygiad staff gwell, ac rwy'n cytuno'n llwyr â'r prif arolygydd. Mae athrawon ac arweinyddion yng Nghymru yn rhannu cenhadaeth unigol, broffesiynol a chenedlaethol i helpu pob un o'n plant i lwyddo. Rwyf wedi bod yn glir fy mod yn credu y dylai athrawon fod yn fyfyrwyr gydol oes eu hunain, gydag ymrwymiad parhaus i'w twf proffesiynol, gan ddysgu oddi wrth ei gilydd, gwella'n barhaus ac astudio a gweithredu arferion gorau. I gefnogi hyn, rydym yn gweithio tuag at sicrhau dull Cymru gyfan cyson at ddysgu proffesiynol, a ddarperir ar sail ranbarthol. Bydd hyn yn sicrhau bod yr holl ymarferwyr, gan gynnwys staff cymorth ac ymarferwyr addysg bellach, yn gallu datblygu sgiliau mewn addysgeg ac arweinyddiaeth i wireddu gofynion ein cwricwlwm newydd. Mae cyflwyno safonau proffesiynol diwygiedig ar gyfer athrawon ac arweinyddion yn rhan bwysig o'r gwaith hwnnw. Mae fy swyddogion wedi bod yn gweithio'n agos gyda'r proffesiwn a rhanddeiliaid allweddol i ddatblygu a phrofi safonau proffesiynol newydd a fydd yn ysbrydoli, herio a chefnogi pob ymarferydd o'r hyfforddiant cychwynnol hyd at arweinyddiaeth ysgol. Mae llawer o ysgolion eisoes wedi gwneud cynnydd sylweddol o ran cefnogi dysgu gan gymheiriaid. Bydd y safonau proffesiynol diwygiedig yn adlewyrchu'r ymrwymiad hwnnw i welliant parhaus a chydweithio drwy gefnogi ymarferwyr i ymgyrraedd tuag at arferion rhagorol parhaus ar bob lefel a phob cam o'u gyrfa. Mae'n rhaid i safonau proffesiynol hefyd gyd-fynd â'n gwaith o ddiwygio addysg gychwynnol athrawon a'r cwricwlwm newydd. Hwy fydd yn pennu'r safon ar gyfer mynd i mewn i'r proffesiwn a chefnogi ymarferwyr i sicrhau bod ganddynt y sgiliau, yr wybodaeth a'r ymddygiad angenrheidiol i fodloni heriau'r cwricwlwm diwygiedig a datblygu'r gallu i arwain ar bob lefel. Mae'r adroddiad yn crynhoi canlyniadau Rhaglen Ryngwladol Asesu Myfyrwyr 2015 ar gyfer Cymru. Wrth gwrs, roedd yn siom fawr i mi bod canlyniadau Cymru unwaith eto yn is na rhai tair cenedl arall y DU a chyfartaledd y Sefydliad ar gyfer Cydweithrediad a Datblygiad Economaidd. Fodd bynnag, rhywbeth sy'n rhoi mwy o foddhad o'i ddarllen yw adroddiad y Sefydliad ar gyfer Cydweithrediad a Datblygiad Economaidd a gyhoeddwyd dim ond y mis diwethaf a drafodwyd yn y Siambr hon yr wythnos diwethaf. Fel y gwyddoch chi, Lywydd, ar ôl dod yn Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, gwahoddais y Sefydliad ar gyfer Cydweithrediad a Datblygiad Economaidd i ddod i Gymru i herio a phrofi ein diwygiadau ac maen nhw wedi dod i'r casgliad ein bod yn gwneud cynnydd a bod gennym y weledigaeth hirdymor gywir ar waith er mwyn parhau i wella. Felly, fy ngwaith i yw cadw'r momentwm hwnnw i fynd a'i gyflymu lle bo angen. Byddaf yn parhau i gael fy arwain gan arferion gorau rhyngwladol a thystiolaeth gadarn. Bydd gan adroddiad Estyn swyddogaeth allweddol o ran tynnu sylw at feysydd y mae angen eu gwella a chefnogi gweithrediad ein diwygiadau pellgyrhaeddol. Mae'n rhaid i ni barhau i ganolbwyntio ar wneud yn siŵr ein bod yn gweithredu ein cenhadaeth genedlaethol yn briodol i ddiwygio addysg i wella safonau a helpu pob dysgwr, beth bynnag fo'i gefndir, i gyflawni ei wir botensial a'i botensial llawn. Diolch.