English: Acting Presiding Officer, could I thank Paul Davies, who is double-jobbing once again as the Conservative education spokesperson? He really should be asking for a slice of the wages of his counterpart. But I genuinely thank him for his thoughtful analysis of the report that is before us. The Member's first question was: why have we decided to act now? Well, Paul, I can't account for the decisions that others have made before me. This summer's results were the first set of early entry results under my watch. You'll be aware that I've been expressing concern since I became aware of the high levels of early entry. But, to be fair to my predecessors, if you look at the data in the report, this is a relatively new phenomenon over the last two years, and a lot of that, as is accounted for in the report, is driven by a nervousness around the new specification of GCSEs. Now, whatever the rights or wrongs of that, we can debate, but that's been a driving factor behind some of the scores. So, although there has been a rising trend, over the last two years it has been particularly acute. But we're acting now. I'm acting as quickly after the publication of the report as I can, but we do also have to give schools the time and opportunity to plan appropriately. It simply would not be fair to say that we're going to use this new measure for reporting next year for the students who have already done exams. It simply wouldn't be fair to the sector. So, this gives people the time to plan accordingly. Paul is right that individual schools have used this practice to different effect, but there has undoubtedly been, in some schools, the pressure to do early entry because others are doing it, and they have felt that maybe their school would be put at a disadvantage if they don't follow suit. I am also aware of some schools who do not do early entry because of the financial pressures rather than any other reason, and by having this rule across the board, it creates a parity for all schools in that regard, about how they will be assessed. Can I make it absolutely clear? If there is a school in Wales that is thinking about asking parents to pay for resits, they need to think again. It is not acceptable, and I am aware that this is happening. Only yesterday, I had an e-mail from a grandfather whose granddaughter sat English this summer. She got a C at the end of Year 10. She and her family are very anxious that she should have another opportunity to do that English examination, and the school have asked for them to pay for the resit. Now, in that particular case, the grandfather says that he is in a position to help, but how many other children's parents and grandparents will not be in that position? That is not a reflection of the values of the Welsh education system, where we are striving for excellence and equity. The Member will be aware that a lot of this behaviour has been driven around accountability measures, and as I announced in my statement, and in the written statement I made two weeks ago with regard to school categorisation, we're in a process of transitioning to a different set of accountability measures. But again, let me be clear: accountability is here to stay, and to be fair to the headteachers and teachers I meet, they know that, they understand that, and they want to be held accountable for their practice. We need to work with the profession to find a fair way in which we can create an accountability system that drives the kind of behaviours in schools that we want to see and, crucially, measures the impact that that school has on individual pupils, and not an accountability set of measures that perhaps narrows the focus onto a very small number of children in the cohort, which you have quite rightly identified as those on the C/D borderline, to the expense of other people within the system, whether that be lower attainers or the more able and talented. I want to be in a position to have that new set of accountability measures in place by next year. The revised guidance to schools will be released later this year, but we will be communicating this change to all stakeholders - schools, challenge advisers, regional consortia and LEAs - and I would expect challenge advisers in regional consortia to have to be monitoring their individual schools' performance and patterns around early entry. Let me be clear: we're not stopping early entry, but it does have to be taken in the best interests of individual children, for them to be sitting their exams at a time that is right for them and gives them the best opportunity to achieve the very highest grades that they are capable of.
Welsh: Llywydd dros dro, a gaf i ddiolch i Paul Davies, sydd gwneud dwy swydd unwaith eto fel llefarydd addysg y Ceidwadwyr? Dylai'n sicr fod yn gofyn am ran o gyflog ei swyddog cyfatebol. Ond rwy'n diolch o galon iddo am ei ddadansoddiad meddylgar o'r adroddiad sydd o'n blaenau. Cwestiwn cyntaf yr Aelod oedd: pam ein bod ni wedi penderfynu gweithredu nawr? Wel, Paul, ni allaf roi cyfrif am y penderfyniadau y mae eraill wedi eu gwneud cyn fy nghyfnod i. Canlyniadau'r haf eleni oedd y set gyntaf o ganlyniadau cofrestru'n gynnar yn fy nghyfnod i. Byddwch yn ymwybodol fy mod wedi bod yn mynegi pryder ers i mi ddod i wybod am y lefelau uchel o gofrestru'n gynnar. Ond, a bod yn deg i'm rhagflaenwyr, os edrychwch chi ar y data yn yr adroddiad, mae hwn yn ffenomen gymharol newydd dros y ddwy flynedd ddiwethaf, a chaiff llawer o hwnnw, fel y nodir yn yr adroddiad, ei sbarduno gan nerfusrwydd ynghylch manyleb newydd yr arholiadau TGAU. Nawr, gallwn ddadlau ynghylch manteision neu anfanteision hynny beth bynnag a fyddont, ond mae hynny wedi bod yn ffactor sydd wedi sbarduno rhai o'r sgoriau. Felly, er bod tuedd gynyddol wedi bod, mae wedi cynyddu'n sylweddol dros y ddwy flynedd ddiwethaf. Ond rydym ni'n gweithredu nawr. Rwy'n gweithredu mor gyflym ar ôl cyhoeddi'r adroddiad ag y gallaf, ond mae'n rhaid i ni hefyd roi'r amser a'r cyfle i ysgolion gynllunio yn briodol. Yn syml, ni fyddai'n deg dweud y byddwn ni'n defnyddio'r mesur newydd hwn ar gyfer adroddiad y flwyddyn nesaf yn achos y myfyrwyr sydd eisoes wedi sefyll eu harholiadau. Ni fyddai'n deg i'r sector o gwbl. Felly, mae hyn yn rhoi amser i bobl gynllunio yn unol â hynny. Mae Paul yn iawn bod ysgolion unigol wedi defnyddio'r arfer hwn i gael effaith wahanol, ond yn sicr, mewn rhai ysgolion, mae pwysau i gofrestru'n gynnar oherwydd bod eraill yn ei wneud, ac maent wedi teimlo efallai y byddai eu hysgol dan anfantais pe na byddent yn gwneud hynny hefyd. Rwyf hefyd yn ymwybodol o rai ysgolion nad ydynt yn cofrestru'n gynnar oherwydd y pwysau ariannol yn hytrach nag unrhyw reswm arall, a thrwy gael y rheol hon i bawb, mae'n creu cydraddoldeb i bob ysgol yn hynny o beth, o ran sut y byddant yn cael eu hasesu. A gaf i ei gwneud yn hollol glir? Os oes ysgol yng Nghymru sy'n ystyried gofyn i rieni dalu am ailsefyll, mae angen iddyn nhw feddwl eto. Nid yw'n dderbyniol, ac rwyf yn ymwybodol bod hyn yn digwydd. Ddoe ddiwethaf, cefais neges e-bost gan dad-cu y gwnaeth ei wyres sefyll Saesneg yr haf yma. Cafodd C ar ddiwedd Blwyddyn 10. Mae hi a'i theulu yn awyddus iawn iddi gael cyfle arall i sefyll arholiad Saesneg hwnnw, ac mae'r ysgol wedi gofyn iddynt dalu i ailsefyll. Nawr, yn yr achos penodol hwnnw, mae'r tad-cu yn dweud ei fod mewn sefyllfa i helpu, ond faint o rieni a neiniau a theidiau plant eraill fydd yn y sefyllfa honno? Nid yw hynny'n adlewyrchu gwerthoedd system addysg Cymru, lle'r ydym yn anelu at ragoriaeth a chydraddoldeb. Bydd yr Aelod yn ymwybodol bod llawer o'r ymddygiad hwn wedi ei sbarduno gan fesurau atebolrwydd, ac fel y cyhoeddais yn fy natganiad, ac yn y datganiad ysgrifenedig y gwnes bythefnos yn ôl mewn perthynas â chategoreiddio ysgolion, rydym ni mewn proses o bontio i set wahanol o fesurau atebolrwydd. Ond eto, gadewch imi fod yn glir: mae atebolrwydd yma i aros, ac a bod yn deg i'r penaethiaid a'r athrawon yr wyf i'n cyfarfod â nhw, maen nhw'n gwybod hynny, maen nhw'n deall hynny, ac maen nhw yn dymuno bod yn atebol am eu harferion. Mae angen inni weithio gyda'r proffesiwn i ddod o hyd i ffordd deg o greu system atebolrwydd sy'n sbarduno'r math o ymddygiad mewn ysgolion yr ydym yn dymuno ei weld ac, yn hollbwysig, sy'n mesur yr effaith y mae'r ysgol honno yn ei chael ar ddisgyblion unigol, ac nid set o fesurau atebolrwydd sydd efallai'n culhau'r pwyslais ar nifer fach iawn o blant yn y garfan, yr ydych chi wedi eu nodi'n gwbl gywir, y rhai ar y ffin rhwng C a D, ar draul plant eraill yn y system, boed y rhai hynny â chyrhaeddiad is neu'r rhai mwyaf abl a thalentog. Rwyf yn dymuno bod mewn sefyllfa i fod â'r set newydd honno o fesurau atebolrwydd ar waith erbyn y flwyddyn nesaf. Caiff y canllawiau diwygiedig i ysgolion eu rhyddhau yn ddiweddarach eleni, ond byddwn yn cyfathrebu'r newid hwn i'r holl randdeiliaid - ysgolion, cynghorwyr herio, consortia rhanbarthol ac AALlau - a byddwn yn disgwyl y byddai'n rhaid i gynghorwyr herio yn y consortia rhanbarthol fod yn monitro perfformiad a phatrymau eu hysgolion unigol ym maes cofrestru'n gynnar. Gadewch imi fod yn glir: nid ydym ni'n atal cofrestru'n gynnar, ond mae'n rhaid gwneud hynny er budd gorau plant unigol, er mwyn iddynt fod yn sefyll eu harholiadau ar amser sy'n iawn iddyn nhw ac sy'n rhoi'r cyfle gorau iddynt gyflawni'r graddau uchaf un sydd o fewn eu gallu.