English: Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Thank you for your statement, Minister. There is no doubt that through this pandemic, it is children and young people that have suffered the most. Schooling is so important, not just for learning and socialisation, but in terms of providing children with structure and routine. The three lockdowns were so harmful to our children's well-being and life chances and it may be some time before we're in a position to accurately assess the damage that this loss of learning time has inflicted. As you say in your statement, Minister, speaking, reading and listening skills are absolutely fundamental to just about every aspect of our lives, and therefore, it is so vitally important that we get this aspect right through education in Wales. I'm concerned at the impact lockdown has had on children in this regard, but your proposed actions outlined in this statement today seem a bit wishy-washy at best, if I may say so: promising reviews, establishing work groups, with no real action to tackle the problems that we face with ensuring that every child is absolutely supported in every very best way possible through their educational journey to ensure they come out of their educational journey with the very best chances possible, regardless of their background. I welcome the moneys that will be given to address this; I welcome the moneys for additional books, but will this be one single book, Minister, per learner, above reception age, for the entirety of their educational journey? Or will this be a rolling programme where we see pupils get a book given to them by this Government each year? And how exactly is the £5 million to be spent in terms of targeting the scheme of reading support to go alongside the book? Will this mean more money going directly to our schools from this Government to enable them to choose the books most suitable for their schools and age groups? Will this mean more money going directly to the schools for them to employ new staff to support more reading, or will the current workforce be expected to take on these new roles? Will this money just be for the early learners or disadvantaged learners, or will it be money to provide equity of opportunity for all when it comes to trying to better pupils' reading and oracy skills? Whereas I warmly welcome any extra support for our teaching staff as you outlined, and I do welcome that, I see in the statement 'over the coming months' and 'next spring will look at', and a lot of words that don't inspire much confidence that you are tackling this problem head on, now. You say you will look at the impact of your interventions, so you can improve the system, but what sort of timescale are we talking about, Minister? Is this really your masterplan for Wales? Because surely, what we need in Wales is more teachers, more teachers per pupil, to get the children the results that they deserve. What urgent action are you taking now, Minister, to ensure that those children who have missed out on reading, learning and oracy skills during lockdowns - ? What actually are you putting into place to ensure those children have real opportunities to make up for that lost learning during the last couple of years? Older children will be more self-sufficient in terms of their own learning, but for younger pupils, time out of school will have resulted in a lot of lost reading time. In terms of children in foundation phase falling behind in their reading and speaking skills, I've heard a lot of anecdotal evidence from parents and teachers, but what work have your ministerial officials undertaken to quantify this fallback? It is really important that when we consider addressing the challenges of lost learning that we know what we're dealing with and the true scale of the problem. Only then will we be able to work out how to close that growing attainment gap. And can you also quantify, Minister, the fallback now compared to the start of the pandemic? You are right that we need to share best practice; that is always the way forward, in my head, when it comes to tackling reading and oracy skills, but how will schools be working with consortia to share best practice? Because throughout the pandemic, this has not been happening as it did before. We need to get back to a situation where there is independent and robust oversight of school standards through the consortia and Estyn to provide reassurance to parents. Early oracy and literacy are very important to the development of children, and I feel it has often been overlooked as one of the key foundations of a child's development, especially over the last 18 months. The 'Talk With Me: Speech, Language and Communication (SLC) Delivery Plan' is a useful tool for professionals and parents to support children's development, but not every parent will take on this role. I see first-hand the effects that reading to a child regularly has on my own children, 11 and two. My two-year-old's vocabulary is fantastic for his age because I've invested that time with him, but how, Minister, are we going to support parents who can't, won't or don't know how to support their children in that same way? There was a brilliant initiative from my local primary school where parents were able to come in, if they wanted to, and read with children, read out loud in classrooms during that time, helping to support teachers and other children as well as to learn how to read with a child themselves, to get the best possible results out of the children. This is perhaps something that could be looked into further. Also, and finally, the Flying Start programme has gone some way to support children with their speech and language development prior to accessing formal education. The Welsh Conservatives have previously called for the Flying Start programme to be accessible to all children, because there is still a postcode lottery in this regard, and it excludes so many people and children that would benefit from this Flying Start support. The current situation we see is exclusionary at the moment and I want to ask you, Minister, whether you would consider extending this programme to reach all children in Wales.
Welsh: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Diolch i chi am eich datganiad, Gweinidog. Nid oes unrhyw amheuaeth mai plant a phobl ifanc sydd wedi dioddef fwyaf drwy'r pandemig hwn. Mae ysgol mor bwysig, nid yn unig ar gyfer dysgu a chymdeithasu, ond o ran darparu strwythur a threfn i blant. Roedd y tri chyfnod o gyfyngiadau symud mor niweidiol i lesiant a chyfleoedd bywyd ein plant ac efallai y bydd cryn amser cyn i ni fod mewn sefyllfa i asesu yn gywir y niwed y mae'r amser dysgu coll hwn wedi ei achosi. Fel yr ydych chi'n ei ddweud yn eich datganiad, Gweinidog, mae sgiliau siarad, darllen a gwrando yn gwbl sylfaenol i bron â bod pob agwedd ar ein bywydau, ac felly, mae mor hanfodol bwysig ein bod ni'n cael yr agwedd hon yn iawn drwy addysg yng Nghymru. Rwy'n pryderu ynghylch yr effaith y mae'r cyfyngiadau symud wedi ei chael ar blant yn hyn o beth, ond mae eich camau gweithredu arfaethedig a amlinellir yn y datganiad hwn heddiw yn ymddangos braidd yn wan ar y gorau, os caf i ddweud hynny: yn addo adolygiadau, yn sefydlu gweithgorau, heb unrhyw gamau gwirioneddol i fynd i'r afael â'r problemau sy'n ein hwynebu wrth sicrhau bod pob plentyn yn cael ei gefnogi'n llwyr ym mhob ffordd orau bosibl drwy eu taith addysgol i sicrhau ei fod yn dod i ddiwedd ei daith addysg gyda'r cyfleoedd gorau posibl, ni waeth o ba gefndir y mae'n dod. Rwy'n croesawu'r arian a fydd yn cael ei roi i fynd i'r afael â hyn; rwy'n croesawu'r arian ar gyfer llyfrau ychwanegol, ond ai un llyfr unigol fydd hyn, Gweinidog, i bob dysgwr, uwchlaw oedran derbyn, ar gyfer ei holl daith addysg? Neu a fydd hon yn rhaglen dreigl lle bydd disgyblion yn cael llyfr gan y Llywodraeth hon bob blwyddyn? A sut yn union y bydd y £5 miliwn yn cael ei wario o ran targedu'r cynllun cymorth darllen i fynd ochr yn ochr â'r llyfr? A fydd hyn yn golygu y bydd mwy o arian yn mynd yn syth i'n hysgolion oddi wrth y Llywodraeth hon i'w galluogi i ddewis y llyfrau sydd fwyaf addas ar gyfer eu hysgolion a'u grwpiau oedran nhw? A fydd hyn yn golygu y bydd mwy o arian yn mynd yn syth i'r ysgolion er mwyn iddyn nhw gyflogi staff newydd i gefnogi mwy o ddarllen, neu a fydd disgwyl i'r gweithlu presennol wneud y gwaith newydd hwn? A fydd yr arian hwn ar gyfer y dysgwyr cynnar neu'r dysgwyr difreintiedig yn unig, neu a fydd yn arian i roi cyfle teg i bawb pan fo'n fater o geisio gwella sgiliau darllen a llafaredd disgyblion? Er fy mod i'n croesawu'n fawr unrhyw gymorth ychwanegol i'n staff addysgu fel y gwnaethoch ei amlinellu, ac rwyf i yn croesawu hynny, rwy'n gweld yn y datganiad 'dros y misoedd nesaf' a 'byddwn yn edrych y gwanwyn nesaf ar', a llawer o eiriau nad ydyn nhw'n ennyn llawer o hyder eich bod chi'n mynd i'r afael â'r broblem hon yn uniongyrchol, yn awr. Rydych chi'n dweud y byddwch yn edrych ar effaith eich ymyriadau, er mwyn i chi allu gwella'r system, ond pa fath o amserlen ydym ni'n sôn amdani, Gweinidog? Ai dyma'ch uwchgynllun i Gymru yn wirioneddol? Oherwydd siawns mai'r hyn sydd ei angen arnom yng Nghymru yw mwy o athrawon, mwy o athrawon i bob disgybl, er mwyn i'r plant gael y canlyniadau y maen nhw'n eu haeddu. Pa gamau brys ydych chi'n eu cymryd yn awr, Gweinidog, i sicrhau bod y plant hynny sydd wedi colli sgiliau darllen, dysgu a llafaredd yn ystod y cyfyngiadau symud - ? Beth ydych chi'n ei roi ar waith mewn gwirionedd i sicrhau bod y plant hynny yn cael cyfleoedd gwirioneddol i wneud iawn am y dysgu coll hwnnw yn ystod y flwyddyn neu ddwy ddiwethaf? Bydd plant hŷn yn fwy hunangynhaliol o ran eu dysgu eu hunain, ond i ddisgyblion iau, bydd amser i ffwrdd o'r ysgol wedi arwain at golli llawer o amser darllen. O ran plant yn y cyfnod sylfaen sydd ar ei hôl hi o ran eu sgiliau darllen a siarad, rwyf i wedi clywed llawer o dystiolaeth anecdotaidd gan rieni ac athrawon, ond pa waith y mae eich swyddogion gweinidogol wedi ei wneud i fesur y gostyngiad hwn? Mae'n bwysig iawn, wrth ystyried mynd i'r afael â heriau dysgu coll, ein bod ni'n gwybod beth rydym yn ymdrin ag ef a maint y broblem mewn gwirionedd. Dim ond wedyn y byddwn yn gallu penderfynu sut i gau'r bwlch cyrhaeddiad cynyddol hwnnw. Ac a wnewch chi hefyd, Gweinidog, fesur y gostyngiad yn awr o'i gymharu â dechrau'r pandemig? Rydych chi'n iawn wrth ddweud bod angen i ni rannu arfer gorau; dyna'r ffordd ymlaen bob amser, yn fy marn i, o ran mynd i'r afael â sgiliau darllen a llafaredd, ond sut y bydd ysgolion yn gweithio gyda chonsortia i rannu arfer gorau? Oherwydd drwy gydol y pandemig, nid yw hyn wedi bod yn digwydd fel y bu yn flaenorol. Mae angen i ni ddychwelyd i sefyllfa lle ceir goruchwyliaeth annibynnol a chadarn o safonau ysgolion drwy'r consortia ac Estyn i roi sicrwydd i rieni. Mae llafaredd a llythrennedd cynnar yn bwysig iawn i ddatblygiad plant, ac rwyf i o'r farn ei fod wedi ei anwybyddu yn aml fel un o sylfeini allweddol datblygiad plentyn, yn enwedig dros y 18 mis diwethaf. Mae 'Siarad gyda fi: Cynllun Cyflawni ar gyfer Lleferydd, Iaith a Chyfathrebu' yn arf defnyddiol i weithwyr proffesiynol a rhieni gefnogi datblygiad plant, ond ni fydd pob rhiant yn ymgymryd â'r swyddogaeth hon. Rwy'n gweld yn uniongyrchol yr effeithiau y mae darllen i blentyn yn rheolaidd yn eu cael ar fy mhlant fy hun, 11 a dau. Mae geirfa fy mhlentyn dwy flwydd oed yn wych ar gyfer ei oedran gan fy mod i wedi buddsoddi'r amser hwnnw gydag ef, ond sut, Gweinidog, ydym ni'n mynd i gefnogi rhieni nad ydyn nhw'n gallu, neu nad ydyn nhw'n gwybod sut i gefnogi eu plant yn yr un modd? Cafwyd menter wych gan fy ysgol gynradd leol lle'r oedd rhieni'n gallu dod i mewn, os oedden nhw'n dymuno gwneud, a darllen gyda phlant, darllen yn uchel mewn ystafelloedd dosbarth yn ystod y cyfnod hwnnw, gan helpu i gefnogi athrawon a phlant eraill yn ogystal â dysgu sut i ddarllen gyda phlentyn eu hunain, i gael y canlyniadau gorau posibl gan y plant. Efallai fod hyn yn rhywbeth y gellid ymchwilio iddo ymhellach. Hefyd, ac yn olaf, mae'r rhaglen Dechrau'n Deg wedi mynd gryn ffordd i gefnogi datblygiad iaith a lleferydd plant cyn iddyn nhw fynd i addysg ffurfiol. Mae'r Ceidwadwyr Cymreig eisoes wedi galw am i'r rhaglen Dechrau'n Deg fod ar gael i bob plentyn, oherwydd ei bod yn loteri cod post yn hyn o beth o hyd, ac mae'n eithrio cymaint o bobl a phlant a fyddai'n elwa ar y cymorth Dechrau'n Deg hwn. Mae'r sefyllfa bresennol sydd gennym yn un o eithrio ar hyn o bryd a hoffwn i ofyn i chi, Gweinidog, a wnewch chi ystyried ymestyn y rhaglen hon i gyrraedd pob plentyn yng Nghymru.