English: Thank you, Cabinet Secretary, for the statement that you've presented this afternoon. I think I said on your appointment as Cabinet Secretary I wished you well. You have a very important job. Children go through our education system, or students go through our education system once. They get one chance at it and it is vital they have the best environment possible to learn and thrive in that environment. But the statement today does cause some concern, and if I can start with the statement that the First Minister gave last week, 'Prosperity for All: the national strategy', where, in the education section of that strategy, which I presume underpins this, he acknowledges that there is still 'too much variation in the attainment of school leavers, which means without the right skills some risk being left behind and wasting their potential.' I'd be very grateful to understand exactly what you've identified as being the fault, as to why there is so much variation within the education system within Wales and why, sadly, so many people do end up being left behind, and how your strategy will change the direction of education so that it's not just another education strategy that a Welsh Government is putting forward and that, in three, four, five years' time, we are having the same conversation, because I think it is important to understand the key direction of where the education system here in Wales is going. You start also by identifying the OECD and the PISA targets and it is on the record, obviously, as being not your target: the 500 for reading, writing and the sciences - and arithmetic obviously as well. This now forms part of the policy paper that you've launched, saying that it is a Welsh Government target to be hitting the 500 mark when the next OECD figures come through in 2021. So, I'd be grateful as to why you don't see those figures as being your target, yet the document identifies them quite clearly as being a central pillar of driving standards up here in Wales. I'd also like to understand from the Cabinet Secretary, in particular around the reforms that were brought forward under Qualified for Life, which was the Government's policy document 2014 to 2020, how, again, this document differs from that document, because if I'm correct, we're still in 2017, and that document was setting the tone to take us through to 2020? Obviously, one of the key pillars of that document was the Schools Challenge Cymru programme, which was set to drive standards up in many of our schools, and from the assessments that have been made - certainly in its initial two years - they were having very promising results and successes with this scheme, and, obviously, it was terminated last year by your good self. Again, as I said, I, and I'm sure the teaching profession and parents would like to know exactly how much legs your policy document, if you like, has - which you brought forward today. Will they see the full term of the agenda that you're setting out, or will it be another revision in two or three years' time? The curriculum that you've identified and the changes to the curriculum are welcome, and something from this side of the house that we've been calling for, given the increasing body of evidence that clearly shows that there did need to be a pause and almost a reflection on its implementation, and I commend you for doing that. But I would ask you: what assessment have you made of the capacity of schools to deal with, potentially, two curriculums being delivered within the school setting? We constantly have debates, we have discussions, as to the capacity of teachers and schools to develop a coherent learning environment and strategy, and, at the end of this process, they will, at a certain point, be delivering two curriculums within the school environment. Teacher recruitment is a vital area, and we understand the problems there, but in your statement you touched on the historical lack of focus on leadership. Again, I would be really keen to understand what backs up that analysis of the historical lack of focus on leadership, given, obviously, that we've had a party within this Chamber who have run education for 17 to 18 years now, and I presume that's an observation you are making about various policies that have come forward before to address the leadership crisis - which I think is a fair comment to make - when we do know that many deputy headteachers do not step up and take on a headship because they do not feel that they're supported to do that, and there are very many good deputy heads who would make excellent headteachers, but, without that progression within the education system and without that support, we're going to continue having that leadership crisis. And one final point, if I may, Deputy Presiding Officer with your permission, on HE in particular: it is vital that from our schools students progress into the HE environment. Some of the numbers that have come out around HE recently clearly show that, sadly, the numbers are not going in the right direction and are actually falling backwards for participation in HE from some of our most deprived communities. The Seren network was established and regional hubs were created in order to assist Wales's brightest pupils to access higher education. I would be grateful to understand how, with the reforms that you've launched today in our education system, we will reinvigorate the ambition to go forward into HE, and ultimately experience the wider world of education, whether that be here in Wales or anywhere else in the United Kingdom.
Welsh: Diolch, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, am y datganiad yr ydych wedi'i gyflwyno y prynhawn yma. Rwy'n meddwl fy mod wedi dweud ar adeg eich penodi'n Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet fy mod yn dymuno'n dda ichi. Mae gennych swydd bwysig iawn. Un waith y mae plant yn mynd drwy ein system addysg, neu y mae myfyrwyr yn mynd drwy ein system addysg. Un cyfle maen nhw'n ei gael ac mae'n hanfodol bod ganddynt yr amgylchedd gorau posibl i ddysgu a ffynnu yn yr amgylchedd hwnnw. Ond mae'r datganiad heddiw'n achosi rhywfaint o bryder, ac os caf ddechrau â'r datganiad a roddodd y Prif Weinidog yr wythnos diwethaf, 'Ffyniant i Bawb: y strategaeth genedlaethol', yn adran addysg y strategaeth honno, yr wyf yn tybio sy'n sail i hyn, mae'n cydnabod bod yna o hyd 'gormod o amrywiad yng nghyrhaeddiad ymadawyr ysgol, sy'n golygu, heb y sgiliau cywir, bod rhai mewn perygl o gael eu gadael ar ôl a gwastraffu eu potensial.' Byddwn yn ddiolchgar iawn i gael deall beth yn union yr ydych wedi'i nodi sydd ar fai, o ran pam mae cymaint o amrywiaeth yn y system addysg yng Nghymru a pham, yn anffodus, mae cynifer o bobl yn cael eu gadael ar ôl, a sut y bydd eich strategaeth yn newid cyfeiriad addysg fel bod Llywodraeth Cymru'n gwneud mwy na rhoi strategaeth addysg arall ar waith a'n bod, mewn tair, pedair, pum mlynedd, yn cael yr un sgwrs, oherwydd rwy'n meddwl ei bod yn bwysig deall y cyfeiriad allweddol y mae'r system addysg yma yng Nghymru'n symud iddo. Rydych hefyd yn dechrau drwy nodi'r OECD a'r targedau PISA ac mae'n amlwg ar gofnod nad dyna yw eich targed: y 500 ar gyfer darllen, ysgrifennu a'r gwyddorau - a rhifyddeg yn amlwg hefyd. Mae hyn nawr yn rhan o'r papur polisi yr ydych wedi'i lansio, sy'n dweud mai targed Llywodraeth Cymru yw taro'r marc 500 pan ddaw'r ffigurau OECD nesaf yn 2021. Felly, byddwn yn ddiolchgar am gael gwybod pam nad ydych chi'n ystyried y ffigurau hynny fel eich targed, er bod y ddogfen yn nodi'n eithaf clir eu bod yn biler canolog o ran codi safonau yma yng Nghymru. Hoffwn hefyd gael deall gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, yn enwedig o ran y diwygiadau a gyflwynwyd o dan Cymwys am Oes, sef dogfen bolisi'r Llywodraeth 2014 i 2020, sut, eto, y mae'r ddogfen hon yn wahanol i'r ddogfen honno, oherwydd os wyf i'n gywir, rydym yn dal i fod yn 2017, ac roedd y ddogfen honno'n ein harwain hyd at 2020? Yn amlwg, un o brif bileri'r ddogfen honno oedd rhaglen Her Ysgolion Cymru, a oedd yn ceisio codi safonau mewn llawer o'n hysgolion, ac o'r asesiadau a wnaethpwyd - yn sicr yn ei dwy flynedd gyntaf - roeddent yn cael canlyniadau a llwyddiannau addawol iawn gyda'r cynllun hwn, ac, yn amlwg, fe'i terfynwyd y llynedd gennych chi eich hunan. Unwaith eto, fel y dywedais, byddwn i, ac, rwy'n siŵr, y proffesiwn addysgu a rhieni yn hoffi gwybod yn union faint o fynd sydd yn eich dogfen bolisi, os hoffech - yr un yr ydych chi wedi'i chyflwyno heddiw. A fyddant yn gweld tymor llawn yr agenda rydych chi'n ei nodi, ynteu a fydd yna ddiwygiad arall ymhen dwy neu dair blynedd? Mae croeso i'r cwricwlwm yr ydych chi wedi'i nodi a'r newidiadau i'r cwricwlwm, ac mae'n rhywbeth yr ydyn ni ar yr ochr hon i'r tŷ wedi bod yn galw amdano, o ystyried y corff cynyddol o dystiolaeth sy'n dangos yn glir bod angen oedi a myfyrio, bron, o ran ei roi ar waith, ac rwy'n eich cymeradwyo am wneud hynny. Ond byddwn yn gofyn ichi: pa asesiad ydych chi wedi'i wneud o allu ysgolion i ymdrin, o bosib, â chyflwyno dau gwricwlwm o fewn lleoliad yr ysgol? Rydym yn cael dadleuon yn gyson, rydym yn cael trafodaethau, am allu athrawon ac ysgolion i ddatblygu amgylchedd a strategaeth gydlynol ar gyfer dysgu, ac ar ddiwedd y broses hon, byddant, ar ryw adeg, yn cyflwyno dau gwricwlwm o fewn amgylchedd yr ysgol. Mae recriwtio athrawon yn faes hanfodol, ac rydym yn deall y problemau hynny, ond yn eich datganiad roeddech yn sôn am y diffyg pwyslais hanesyddol ar arweinyddiaeth. Unwaith eto, byddwn yn wirioneddol awyddus i ddeall beth sy'n ategu'r dadansoddiad hwnnw o'r diffyg pwyslais hanesyddol ar arweinyddiaeth, o ystyried, yn amlwg, ein bod wedi cael plaid yn y Siambr hon sydd wedi cynnal addysg am 17 i 18 mlynedd nawr, ac rwy'n tybio mai arsylwad yw hwnnw gennych ynglŷn â gwahanol bolisïau sydd wedi'u cyflwyno cyn hyn i ymdrin â'r argyfwng arweinyddiaeth - sydd, yn fy marn i, yn sylw teg i'w wneud - pan fyddwn yn gwybod nad yw llawer o ddirprwy benaethiaid yn camu ymlaen ac yn cymryd prifathrawiaeth oherwydd nad ydynt yn teimlo bod ganddynt gefnogaeth i wneud hynny, ac mae yna lawer iawn o ddirprwy benaethiaid da a fyddai'n gwneud penaethiaid rhagorol, ond, heb y dilyniant hwnnw o fewn y system addysg a heb y gefnogaeth honno, bydd yr argyfwng arweinyddiaeth hwnnw'n parhau. Ac un pwynt olaf, os caf, Dirprwy Lywydd gyda'ch caniatâd, ar AU yn arbennig: mae'n hollbwysig bod myfyrwyr o'n hysgolion yn symud ymlaen i amgylchedd AU. Mae rhai o'r niferoedd sydd wedi dod allan ynglŷn ag AU yn ddiweddar yn dangos yn glir, yn anffodus, nad yw'r niferoedd yn mynd i'r cyfeiriad cywir, ac yn wir, eu bod yn gostwng o ran cyfranogiad mewn AU o rai o'n cymunedau mwyaf difreintiedig. Sefydlwyd rhwydwaith Seren a chrëwyd canolfannau rhanbarthol er mwyn cynorthwyo disgyblion mwyaf disglair Cymru i allu cael addysg uwch. Byddwn yn ddiolchgar am gael deall sut, gyda'r diwygiadau yr ydych wedi eu lansio heddiw yn ein system addysg, y byddwn yn adfywio'r uchelgais i fynd ymlaen i AU, ac yn y pen draw i brofi byd addysg ehangach, boed hynny yma yng Nghymru neu yn unrhyw le arall yn y Deyrnas Unedig.