English: I wear several hats today. I live in a rural village where the school has been under threat recently. I am a former member of the Petitions Committee. And I am the Assembly Member of those who arranged this petition, parents and supporters of Ysgol Gymuned Bodffordd, who are sincerely battling very hard to save their school. There were 31 children in my first primary school. In the second, there were more than 200. They were excellent schools, but I have to say that, because my father was the head. My own children went to an urban primary school with 350 children first of all, then to a school with a little under 100 children on Anglesey. So, four very different schools, but a positive educational experience in all four. So, as a background to this debate, may I say that I don't accept the arguments that a school has to be large in order to provide an effective primary school experience, and neither do I buy into the argument that children are necessarily happier in a small rural school? I'm convinced that quality primary education that is caring can be provided whatever the scale of the school. And yet, we have seen a clear shift across Wales towards closing small rural schools. The problem we have, I'm afraid, is a financial problem and a staffing problem. Many of our relatively small schools in rural areas are old or are getting older and, generally, are expensive to maintain. They're expensive to staff too, if the staff-pupil ratio is small. Also on the staffing side, leadership can be a problem. Far too often, it is very difficult to appoint a headteacher in a small rural school. In addition to that is the broader narrative that a larger school is, generally speaking, better, and it's a combination of these things, I think, that makes councils feel that they don't have much option but to rationalise or to reorganise or to modernise their school networks. And let's be honest here: the cost is a very prominent factor in all things in these days of austerity. But what about the value of the schools as a social resource? And I'm not talking necessarily about a school hall being used every evening, although that does happen in a number of cases, but I'm talking about the school as the glue that binds the community together, and that brings us to this petition. The petitioners in Ynys Môn have been given the hope that there may be a means of safeguarding that community glue. That hope came in the form of the Welsh Government's revised school organisation code, which came into force on the first of this month, which introduced a presumption in favour of rural schools. I agree with the content; I have no problem with what it says, which is that a local authority needs to prove that they have considered all other options before closure, that they have gone through various processes, and that they have gone through detailed processes before making decisions to close. What we have here is guidance for local authorities to follow in drawing up proposals and in making decisions to close a school. To quote once again: 'A presumption against closure does not mean rural schools will never close.' So, let's be clear: there are no specific measures in place to keep rural schools open in statute, and, surely, specific measures, including resources, are what is required. Again, I emphasise that I agree with what the code has to say. It insists on the consideration of federalisation, and I believe that everything should be done to keep a school in its community. Personally, I favour multisite area schools, where a number of schools come together under one head and one governing body. But I know full well that this doesn't provide the kind of financial savings that councils have to make these days because of austerity. So, the Welsh Government needs to recognise the higher costs of providing education in rural areas if they are to do that and provide excellence, and provide the necessary support to local authorities serving rural areas to provide an education system that is appropriate to their communities. There are rural school grants available, but they're not sufficient: £2.5 million per annum. According to the Government, there are more than 300 schools that have benefited in the first year - that's around £8,000 per school. And whilst I welcome any additional funding, that isn't the kind of funding that can keep a school open. The Government states - and has stated in response to questions from me - that local authorities can bid for funding from the twenty-first century schools programme, but the truth is that it's easier to direct those funds to building new, larger schools. But if you don't have the money, Welsh Government, be honest, and don't pass the buck entirely to local government. We need collaboration here. So, to summarise, closing some schools is inevitable, I think. When a school is down to a few dozen children, I think we've gone beyond what is sustainable. But if the Government is serious that there is an inherent value to a small, rural school, well, help our local authorities. Otherwise Ynys Môn, or any other local authority, has no choice but to continue to seek ways of providing excellent education in larger, cheaper schools rather than to provide excellent education in smaller, rural schools, as I know is perfectly possible.
Welsh: Rydw i'n gwisgo sawl het heddiw. Rydw i'n byw mewn pentref gwledig lle mae'r ysgol wedi bod o dan fygythiad yn ddiweddar. Rydw i'n gyn-aelod o'r Pwyllgor Deisebau. A fi ydy Aelod Cynulliad y rhai a drefnodd y ddeiseb yma, rhieni a chefnogwyr Ysgol Gymuned Bodffordd, sy'n ddidwyll ac yn onest yn brwydro'n galed iawn i achub eu hysgol. Tri deg un o blant oedd yn fy ysgol gynradd gyntaf i. Yn yr ail, mi oedd yna dros 200. Roedden nhw'n ysgolion da, ond mae'n rhaid i fi ddweud hynny, gan mai dad oedd y pennaeth. Mi aeth fy mhlant i ysgol gynradd ddinesig efo 350 o blant yn gyntaf, ac yna i ysgol o ychydig o dan 100 o blant yn Ynys Môn. Felly, pedair ysgol wahanol iawn, ond profiad positif o addysg yn y pedair. Felly, fel cefndir i'r drafodaeth yma, a gaf i ddweud nad ydw i'n derbyn dadleuon bod rhaid i ysgol fod yn fawr er mwyn cynnig profiad addysg gynradd effeithiol, ac nid ydw i chwaith yn prynu'r dadleuon bod plant yn hapusach, o reidrwydd, mewn ysgol fach wledig? Rydw i'n grediniol bod modd darparu addysg gynradd safonol a gofalgar beth bynnag ydy maint yr ysgol. Ac eto, rydym ni'n gweld symudiad amlwg ar draws Cymru tuag at gau ysgolion bach gwledig. Y broblem sydd gennym ni, mae gen i ofn, ydy problem ariannol a phroblem staffio. Mae llawer o'n hysgolion cymharol fach ni yng nghefn gwlad yn hen neu'n heneiddio. Maen nhw'n gyffredinol ddrud i'w cynnal a'u cadw. Maen nhw'n ddrud i'w staffio wedyn, os ydy'r ratio s staff i ddisgyblion yn fach. Hefyd ar yr ochr staffio, mae arweinyddiaeth yn broblem. Yn llawer rhy aml, mae'n anodd iawn penodi pennaeth mewn ysgol fach wledig. Ar ben hynny, mae'r naratif ehangach yma fod ysgol fwy yn gyffredinol yn well, a chyfuniad o'r pethau yma, rydw i'n meddwl, sy'n gwneud i gynghorau deimlo nad oes ganddyn nhw fawr o ddewis ond rhesymoli neu ad-drefnu neu foderneiddio eu rhwydweithiau ysgolion. A waeth i mi fod yn onest: mae'r gost yn ffactor mor flaenllaw ym mhopeth yn y dyddiau yma o lymder. Ond beth am werth yr ysgol fel adnodd cymdeithasol? Ac nid ydw i'n sôn yn angenrheidiol am y neuadd ysgol yn cael ei defnyddio bob nos ac ati, er bod hynny'n digwydd mewn llawer o lefydd, ond sôn ydw i am yr ysgol fel glud cymunedol, a dyna ddod â ni at y ddeiseb yma. Mae'r deisebwyr ym Môn wedi cael gobaith bod yna fodd i warchod y glud cymunedol yna. Mae'r gobaith yn dod ar ffurf cod diwygiedig Llywodraeth Cymru, y cod diwygiedig a ddaeth i rym ar y cyntaf o'r mis yma, sy'n cyflwyno rhagdybiaeth o blaid cadw ysgolion gwledig ar agor. Rydw i'n cytuno efo'i gynnwys e, gyda llaw; nid oes gen i ddim problem. Beth mae o'n ei ddweud ydy bod angen i awdurdod lleol brofi eu bod nhw wedi ystyried opsiynau eraill cyn cau, eu bod nhw wedi mynd drwy amrywiol brosesau manwl cyn penderfynu cau. Beth sydd yma ydy canllawiau i awdurdodau i'w dilyn wrth lunio cynnig ac wrth wneud y penderfyniad i gau. I ddyfynnu eto: 'Nid yw rhagdybiaeth yn erbyn cau ysgolion gwledig yn golygu na fyddant byth yn cau.' Felly, gadewch i mi fod yn glir: nid oes mesurau penodol i gadw ysgolion gwledig ar agor mewn statud, a siawns mai mesurau penodol, gan gynnwys adnoddau, sydd eu heisiau. Eto, rydw i'n pwysleisio fy mod i'n cytuno efo beth mae'r cod yn ei ddweud. Mae o'n mynnu ystyried ffederaleiddio, a rhag ofn bod gwerth i fy marn i ar hyn, rydw i'n credu y dylid gwneud popeth i gadw ysgol yn ei chymuned. Rydw i'n ffafrio, yn bersonol, ysgolion ardal aml-safle, lle mae nifer o ysgolion yn dod at ei gilydd o dan un pennaeth, o dan un corff llywodraethol. Ond rydw i'n gwybod yn iawn nad yw hyn yn cynnig y math o arbedion ariannol y mae'n rhaid i gynghorau eu gwneud y dyddiau yma oherwydd llymder. Felly, mae angen i Lywodraeth Cymru gydnabod costau uwch darparu addysg mewn ardal wledig, os am wneud hynny'n rhagorol, a rhoi'r gefnogaeth angenrheidiol i awdurdodau sy'n gwasanaethu ardaloedd gwledig i ddarparu system addysg sy'n gweddu i'w cymunedau gwledig nhw. Mae yna grantiau ysgolion gwledig ar gael, ond nid ydyn nhw'n ddigon: £2.5 miliwn y flwyddyn. Yn ôl y Llywodraeth, mae yna dros 300 o ysgolion wedi elwa yn y flwyddyn gyntaf - rhyw £8,000 yr ysgol ydy hynny. A thra fy mod i'n croesawu unrhyw arian ychwanegol, nid ydy hwnnw y math o arian sy'n gallu cadw ysgol ar agor. Mae'r Llywodraeth yn dweud - ac wedi dweud mewn ateb i gwestiynau gen i - bod modd i awdurdodau wneud ceisiadau am arian o'r cynllun ysgolion yr unfed ganrif ar hugain, ond y gwir amdani ydy ei bod hi'n haws cyfeirio'r arian hwnnw o'r gronfa benodol honno at adeiladu ysgolion newydd mwy. Ond os nad ydy'r arian gennych chi, Lywodraeth Cymru, byddwch yn onest, a pheidiwch â phasio'r bai i gyd i lywodraeth leol. Mae eisiau cydweithio yn fan hyn. Felly, i grynhoi, mae cau rhai ysgolion yn anochel, rydw i'n meddwl. Pan fo ysgol i lawr i ddwsin neu ddau o blant, rydw i'n meddwl ein bod ni wedi mynd y tu hwnt i beth sy'n gynaliadwy. Ond os ydy'r Llywodraeth o ddifri bod yna werth cynhenid i ysgol fach wledig, wel, helpwch ein hawdurdodau lleol ni. Fel arall, nid oes gan Ynys Môn, na'r un awdurdod arall, ddewis ond parhau i chwilio am ffyrdd i ddarparu addysg ragorol mewn ysgolion mwy, rhatach, yn hytrach na cheisio darparu addysg ragorol mewn ysgolion gwledig llai, fel rydw i'n gwybod sy'n berffaith, berffaith bosib.