English: I call for a single statement on the number of pupils being taken out of school to be taught at home who are on the autism spectrum or with other additional learning needs. You might be aware that, last Friday, BBC Wales reported research showing that the number of pupils being taken out of school to be taught at home had doubled in the previous four years, with many of those pupils believed to be on the autistic spectrum. This follows previous revelations that the number of pupils in the school action and school action plus categories being excluded from school on short-term exclusions had doubled, whilst falling for the general school population. We've heard concern in this context from the Children's Commissioner for Wales, who expressed a concern that some parents had told her they'd been encouraged to home educate because their child might be affecting the school or local authority performance data. We heard from the Special Educational Needs Tribunal for Wales that families with autistic children lodged more appeals about the lack of support their child was receiving in school than those with other learning needs. And we heard from the National Autistic Society Cymru that a lot of parents are finding themselves in positions where they have no option, and the only thing they can do to help their children is to educate them at home, even though they might not feel fully equipped to do that or want to. Now, I know you're going to tell me, or you might have been going to tell me, that the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill, to be debated later, will be addressing this and overhauling the system for supporting learners, but the National Autistic Society Cymru has called for mandatory training in autism awareness in schools, recognising that the very same people in schools who are currently getting it so wrong with these children are likely to be the people who will have a major influence on their individual development plans in the future. I do therefore hope that you will find time for the Welsh Government to provide a statement on this very important piece of work by BBC Wales.
Welsh: Galwaf am un datganiad ar nifer y disgyblion sy'n cael eu tynnu allan o'r ysgol i'w haddysgu gartref sydd ar y sbectrwm awtistiaeth neu sydd ag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol eraill. Efallai y byddwch chi'n ymwybodol bod BBC Wales wedi adrodd, ddydd Gwener diwethaf, ar waith ymchwil yn dangos bod nifer y disgyblion sy'n cael eu tynnu allan o'r ysgol i'w haddysgu gartref wedi dyblu yn y pedair blynedd flaenorol, a chredir fod llawer o'r disgyblion hynny ar y sbectrwm awtistig. Mae hyn yn dilyn datgeliadau blaenorol bod nifer y disgyblion yn y categorïau Gweithredu gan yr Ysgol a Gweithredu gan yr Ysgol a Mwy sy'n cael eu gwahardd o'r ysgol ar waharddiadau tymor byr wedi dyblu, er ei fod yn gostwng ymhlith y boblogaeth ysgol yn gyffredinol. Rydym ni wedi clywed pryder yn y cyd-destun hwn gan Gomisiynydd Plant Cymru, a fynegodd bryder bod rhai rhieni wedi dweud wrthi eu bod wedi cael eu hannog i addysgu yn y cartref oherwydd y gallai eu plant fod yn effeithio ar ddata perfformiad yr ysgol neu'r awdurdod lleol. Clywsom gan Dribiwnlys Anghenion Addysgol Arbennig Cymru bod teuluoedd â phlant awtistig yn cyflwyno mwy o apeliadau ynghylch y diffyg cymorth yr oedd eu plentyn yn ei gael yn yr ysgol na'r rheini ag anghenion dysgu eraill. A chlywsom gan Gymdeithas Genedlaethol Awtistiaeth Cymru bod llawer o rieni yn canfod eu hunain mewn sefyllfaoedd lle nad oes ganddynt unrhyw ddewis, a'r unig beth y gallant ei wneud i helpu eu plant yw eu haddysgu yn y cartref, er efallai nad ydynt yn teimlo eu bod yn gwbl gymwys i wneud hynny nac eisiau gwneud hynny. Nawr, gwn eich bod yn mynd i ddweud wrthyf, neu efallai eich bod chi'n mynd i ddweud wrthyf, y bydd y Bil Tribiwnlys Anghenion Dysgu Ychwanegol ac Addysg (Cymru), a fydd yn cael ei drafod yn ddiweddarach, yn rhoi sylw i hyn ac yn ailwampio'r system ar gyfer cefnogi dysgwyr, ond mae Cymdeithas Genedlaethol Awtistiaeth Cymru wedi galw am hyfforddiant gorfodol mewn ymwybyddiaeth o awtistiaeth mewn ysgolion, gan gydnabod ei bod yn debygol mai'r un bobl yn union mewn ysgolion sy'n cael pethau mor anghywir gyda'r plant hyn ar hyn o bryd fydd y bobl a fydd yn cael dylanwad mawr ar eu cynlluniau datblygu unigol yn y dyfodol. Rwy'n gobeithio felly y byddwch yn dod o hyd i amser i Lywodraeth Cymru ddarparu datganiad ar y darn pwysig iawn hwn o waith gan BBC Wales.