English: Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I'm pleased to hear that the programme announced today will ensure that every child and young person in Wales will have a book to keep. I was reminded recently of the pleasure I got from reading a book called Luned Bengoch as a child - a book that has just been re-issued and is now available once again in the shops. I had huge pleasure in re-reading that book just last week, before a meeting of a local book club that I'm a member of. It's clear that the reading habits you pick up when you're very young do remain with you. Establishing strong early language skills is a crucial part of literacy and a child's ability to realise his or her educational potential and life chances, whilst also crucial to the ability to create social relationships with family, friends and peers. There is research by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists that shows that the COVID period has exacerbated the delay in acquiring speech and language skills among young children, but I'm pleased to hear you mention that there are signs of that improving. There is also research undertaken way before the pandemic. There is evidence available that children from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to be behind their peers in terms of the acquisition of speech and language skills by the time they start in primary school. Research from Save the Children shows that around eight in 10 reception teachers in Wales see clearly that children coming to their schools have difficulty in speaking in full sentences, and that children who have difficulties with speech and language during their early years are often still behind their peers in terms of key literacy skills at the age of 11. So, there are numerous challenges facing Welsh Government, and I'm very pleased that you have recognised that, and that the plans that you've announced today go at least some of the way to addressing some of these major problems that we have. Bearing in mind just how crucial early years education is in developing reading and oracy skills, I'd like to hear more about the toolkit that you mentioned, which is going to be put in place for the early years. What exactly will this entail, how will it look and what will be new about it? Can you also outline what steps will be taken to respond to that attainment gap that I mentioned, bearing in mind that children from a disadvantaged background are more likely to fall behind their peers in their development of oracy and reading skills? You mentioned phonics. Why did you emphasise that particular method? Is that going to help specifically with closing that attainment gap? Are there specific advantages in terms of that aspect that need to be addressed? And finally, in order to deliver the objectives of 'Cymraeg 2050' and improve the oracy and reading skills of children through the medium of Welsh, it's clear that we need to train enough teachers to be able to teach through the medium of Welsh. I'm not going to apologise for asking once again about your plans to increase and strengthen the Welsh-medium education workforce specifically. I note that in your statement today you have emphasised the importance of bilingualism and creating materials in both languages, which is to be welcomed, of course, but we do need to see a plan in place that will move us forward in increasing the workforce too that can assist children in improving their oracy and reading skills. Thank you.
Welsh: Diolch yn fawr, Dirprwy Lywydd. Dwi'n falch o glywed y bydd y rhaglen rydych chi'n ei chyhoeddi heddiw yn sicrhau bod gan bob plentyn a pherson ifanc yng Nghymru lyfr ei hun i'w gadw. Mi ges i'n atgoffa yn ddiweddar o'r pleser ges i o ddarllen llyfr o'r enw Luned Bengoch pan oeddwn i'n blentyn - llyfr sydd newydd gael ei ailargraffu ac ar gael yn y siopau unwaith eto. Mi gefais i bleser o'r mwyaf o'i ailddarllen o yr wythnos diwethaf cyn cyfarfod o glwb darllen lleol yr ydw i yn aelod ohono. Mae hi'n hollol amlwg bod arferion darllen rydych chi'n eu dysgu pan rydych chi'n fach yn aros efo chi. Mae sefydlu sgiliau iaith cynnar da yn rhan allweddol o lythrennedd a gallu plant i gyflawni eu potensial addysgol a'u cyfleoedd bywyd, tra hefyd yn hanfodol i'r gallu i ffurfio a chynnal perthynas gymdeithasol efo teulu, cyfoedion a ffrindiau. Mae yna ymchwil gan Goleg Brenhinol y Therapyddion Iaith a Lleferydd sydd yn dangos bod y cyfnod COVID wedi gwaethygu'r oedi wrth gaffael sgiliau iaith a lleferydd ymhlith plant ifanc, ond dwi'n falch o'ch clywed chi'n sôn bod yna arwydd bod hynny yn gwella. Mae yna ymchwil hefyd ymhell cyn y pandemig. Mae yna dystiolaeth ar gael, wrth gwrs, fod plant o gefndiroedd difreintiedig yn fwy tebygol o fod y tu ôl i'w cyfoedion yn eu datblygiad o ran caffael sgiliau iaith a lleferydd erbyn iddyn nhw ddechrau yn yr ysgol gynradd. Mae yna ymchwil gan Achub y Plant sy'n dangos bod tua wyth o bob 10 o athrawon derbyn yng Nghymru yn gweld yn glir fod plant sy'n ymuno efo'u hysgolion yn ei chael hi'n anodd siarad mewn brawddegau llawn, a bod plant sy'n cael trafferthion efo'u lleferydd a'u hiaith yn ystod eu blynyddoedd cynnar yn aml yn dal i fod y tu ôl i'w cyfoedion o ran sgiliau llythrennedd allweddol yn 11 oed. Felly, mae yna nifer o heriau yn wynebu Llywodraeth Cymru, a dwi'n falch iawn eich bod chi yn cydnabod hynny, a bod y cynlluniau rydych chi'n eu cyhoeddi heddiw yn mynd o leiaf ran o'r ffordd tuag at ddechrau goresgyn rhai o'r problemau mawr yma sydd gennym ni. Gan gofio pa mor allweddol ydy addysg blynyddoedd cynnar wrth ddatblygu sgiliau lleferydd a darllen, mi fuaswn i'n licio clywed mwy am y toolkit roeddech chi'n sôn amdano fo, hwn sy'n mynd i gael ei roi ar waith ar gyfer y blynyddoedd cynnar. Beth yn union fydd hwn, sut fydd hyn i gyd yn edrych a beth fydd yn newydd amdano fo? Fedrwch chi hefyd amlinellu pa gamau sydd am gael eu cymryd i ymateb i'r bwlch cyrhaeddiad, yr hwn roeddem ni'n sôn amdano fo, gan gofio bod plant o gefndiroedd difreintiedig yn fwy tebygol o fynd tu ôl i'w cyfoedion yn eu datblygiad o ran caffael sgiliau darllen a lleferydd? Ac rydych chi'n sôn am y dull ffoneg. Pam bod chi'n pwysleisio'r dull yma? Ac ydy hwn yn mynd i helpu yn benodol efo cau'r bwlch cyrhaeddiad? Oes yna fanteision penodol o ran yr agwedd yna sydd angen sylw? Ac yn olaf, er mwyn gallu gwireddu amcanion 'Cymraeg 2050' a gwella sgiliau llafaredd a darllen plant yn y Gymraeg, mae'n glir, wrth gwrs, fod angen hyfforddi digon o athrawon i allu addysgu drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg. Dwi ddim yn mynd i ymddiheuro am ofyn unwaith eto am eich cynlluniau chi i gynyddu a chryfhau'r gweithlu addysg Cymraeg yn benodol. Dwi'n sylwi eich bod chi yn eich datganiad heddiw yn rhoi pwyslais ar ddwyieithrwydd a chreu deunyddiau yn y ddwy iaith, sydd i'w groesawu, wrth gwrs, ond mae angen inni weld cynllun ar waith sydd yn ein symud ni ymlaen i gynyddu'r gweithlu hefyd sydd yn gallu cynorthwyo plant i wella eu sgiliau llafaredd a darllen. Diolch yn fawr.