English: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. I welcome this opportunity to discuss the legislative response that we've made to the COVID-19 pandemic, using powers afforded to us by the Coronavirus Act 2020. Throughout these extraordinary times, we've worked hard to give schools and local authorities the time and the space that they need to get on with the important job of supporting the needs of all learners, right the way across Wales whilst responding to the challenging situation we find ourselves in. I remain humbled by the response of our dedicated practitioners, leaders and support staff across all of our schools and settings. However, I do recognise the significant pressure that our schools and settings are under, and continue to be under, during this time. In June, I made the Curriculum Requirements (Amendment of paragraph 7 (5) of Schedule 17 to the Coronavirus Act 2020) (Wales) Regulations 2020, which amended the lists of enactments that can be disapplied by the Welsh Ministers for a specified period by notice. I then agreed for a notice to be issued, disapplying the basic curriculum and associated assessment arrangements, ahead of schools and settings reopening to more learners during the summer term. This notice applied from 24 June until 23 July. In order to continue to support schools when they returned in September, I made the decision to make the Curriculum Requirements (Amendment of paragraph 7 (6) of Schedule 17 to the Coronavirus Act 2020) (Wales) Regulations 2020. These regulations added section 43 of the Education Act 1997, section 69 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 and sections 101, 109 and 110 and 116A to 116K of the Education Act 2002 to the table of enactments in paragraph 7 (6) that can be modified in a particular way by the Welsh Ministers for a specified period by notice. This allowed us to issue a notice that temporarily modified the curriculum requirements for Wales and, using existing powers in the Coronavirus Act 2020, associated assessment arrangements for schools and funded non-maintained nursery settings to a 'reasonable endeavours' basis. This temporary modification enables schools to have some flexibility in how they comply with their duties, where that flexibility is needed. It does not remove the requirement for schools to seek to fulfil their curriculum and assessment duties. Instead, it requires them to make reasonable endeavours to meet those duties. This means that if a school has taken all reasonable steps to perform a statutory duty, but if they are still unable to do so, then that duty will be treated as satisfied. It is important to remember that these amendments have been made in the context of the Welsh Government's learning guidance, which sets out the learning priorities that remain key in all scenarios and at all stages of the pandemic. All of these actions have been completed with the help and the collaboration of our stakeholders and I commend them to the Senedd.
Welsh: Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. Rwy'n croesawu'r cyfle hwn i drafod yr ymateb deddfwriaethol yr ydym wedi'i wneud i'r pandemig COVID-19, gan ddefnyddio pwerau a roddwyd i ni gan Ddeddf Coronafeirws 2020. Drwy gydol y cyfnod eithriadol hwn, rydym wedi gweithio'n galed i roi i ysgolion ac awdurdodau lleol yr amser a'r cyfle angenrheidiol i fwrw ymlaen â'r gwaith pwysig o gefnogi anghenion pob dysgwr, ymhob rhan o Gymru wrth ymateb i'r sefyllfa heriol yr ydym ni ynddi. Rwyf yn parhau i fod yn llawn edmygedd a pharch o weld ymateb ein hymarferwyr, arweinwyr a staff cymorth ymroddedig ar draws ein holl ysgolion a'n lleoliadau. Fodd bynnag, rwyf yn cydnabod y pwysau sylweddol y mae ein hysgolion a'n lleoliadau o dan, ac yn parhau i fod o dan, yn ystod y cyfnod hwn. Ym mis Mehefin, gwnes i Reoliadau Gofynion y Cwricwlwm (Diwygio paragraff 7 (5) o Atodlen 17 i Ddeddf y Coronafeirws 2020) (Cymru) 2020, a oedd yn diwygio y rhestrau o ddeddfiadau y gall Gweinidogion Cymru eu datgymhwyso am gyfnod penodedig drwy hysbysiad. Yna, cytunais i gyhoeddi hysbysiad, i ddatgymhwyso'r cwricwlwm sylfaenol a'r trefniadau asesu cysylltiedig, cyn i ysgolion a lleoliadau ailagor i fwy o ddysgwyr yn ystod tymor yr haf. Roedd yr hysbysiad hwn yn gymwys o 24 Mehefin tan 23 Gorffennaf. Er mwyn parhau i gynorthwyo ysgolion pan wnaethon nhw ddychwelyd ym mis Medi, penderfynais wneud Rheoliadau Gofynion y Cwricwlwm (Diwygio paragraff 7 (6) o Atodlen 17 i Ddeddf y Coronafeirws 2020) (Cymru) 2020. Ychwanegodd y rheoliadau hyn adran 43 o Ddeddf Addysg 1997, adran 69 o Ddeddf Safonau a Fframwaith Ysgolion 1998 ac adrannau 101, 109 a 110 a 116A i 116K o Ddeddf Addysg 2002 i'r tabl deddfiadau ym mharagraff 7 (6) y gellir eu haddasu mewn ffordd benodol gan Weinidogion Cymru am gyfnod penodedig drwy hysbysiad. Roedd hyn yn caniatáu i ni gyhoeddi hysbysiad a oedd yn addasu gofynion y cwricwlwm ar gyfer Cymru dros dro ac, gan ddefnyddio'r pwerau presennol yn Neddf Coronafeirws 2020, trefniadau asesu cysylltiedig ar gyfer ysgolion a lleoliadau meithrin nas cynhelir a ariannwyd ar sail 'ymdrechion rhesymol'. Mae'r addasiad dros dro hwn yn galluogi ysgolion i gael rhywfaint o hyblygrwydd o ran sut y maen nhw'n cydymffurfio â'u dyletswyddau, pan fo angen yr hyblygrwydd hwnnw. Nid yw'n dileu'r gofyniad i ysgolion geisio cyflawni eu cwricwlwm a'u dyletswyddau asesu. Yn hytrach, mae'n ei gwneud yn ofynnol iddyn nhw wneud ymdrechion rhesymol i gyflawni'r dyletswyddau hynny. Mae hyn yn golygu, os yw ysgol wedi cymryd pob cam rhesymol i gyflawni dyletswydd statudol, ond nad yw'n gallu gwneud hynny o hyd, yna caiff y ddyletswydd honno ei thrin fel pe byddai wedi'i bodloni. Mae'n bwysig cofio bod y gwelliannau hyn wedi'u gwneud yng nghyd-destun canllawiau dysgu Llywodraeth Cymru, sy'n nodi'r blaenoriaethau dysgu sy'n parhau i fod yn allweddol ym mhob sefyllfa ac ar bob cam o'r pandemig. Mae'r holl gamau hyn wedi'u cwblhau gyda chymorth a chydweithrediad ein rhanddeiliaid ac fe'u cymeradwyaf i'r Senedd.