English: Thank you, Minister, for your statement. I'm encouraged, actually, by a lot of what I've heard, particularly in terms of your vision for more federation of schools and, presumably, not just in rural areas, but also in urban areas as well. I do think that that gives opportunities to teachers to develop specialisms and expertise that are more exciting for them as they embark on their professional careers, and gives extra opportunities to stretch them and to develop that expertise. That might, of course, include Welsh language expertise, which can then be shared across schools, and other examples of good practice as well. Of course, it does give opportunities to secure some economies of scale across a number of sites with, perhaps, administrative costs being shared, and also it increases the capacity of those individual schools, when they're working collectively, to be able to provide services for themselves, rather than perhaps being forced to access them via the local authorities, which, of course, is the case for too many schools at the moment. One thing you didn't mention, though, Cabinet Secretary, was the opportunities that might be presented as a result of all-through schools, which, of course, are a growing feature on the Welsh education landscape and also give opportunities to shorten the distances travelled, particularly to secondary schools in rural areas. I wonder whether your rural policies, as they continue to develop and emerge, will take into account the need to support the development of more all-through schools. I'm very pleased also to hear you refer to a review of the surplus place policy, which we've had in Wales for some time. That's resulted in the closure of a number of schools in my constituency. Some of them, I believe, would have been avoidable had there been a better policy around that - so, I think, again, something very much to welcome. I listened with interest to your references to the establishment of a Welsh academy of leadership and, absolutely, it's all about leadership in our schools, and we've got to have the very best quality leaders possible as headteachers across the piece. But I just wonder what the timetable for the establishment of that academy will be and also whether it will be tied to a particular location in Wales or whether it's something that people will be able to participate in in all regions of Wales. Clearly, you know, there are challenges, shall we say, in terms of accessing some of the programmes that are available at the moment, and I think making sure that there's an opportunity to access - whether you're from north Wales, south Wales, west Wales or mid Wales - is really very, very important indeed. You're also rather cryptic in your description of how you're going to achieve your policy of reducing class sizes to 25. You seem to be referring more to pupil-to-teacher ratios, or pupil-to-staff ratios, rather than bums on seats in classrooms, and I just wonder whether you can tell us very clearly what is your aim there. Is it about staff ratios, which is not the impression, I think, that many of us had when this policy was announced as part of your coalition deal with the Labour Party, or is it going to be about those bums on seats, which I think was the perception that every one of us had? Also, in terms of the class sizes, if it is about bums on seats, what does that do to the viability of some of our smaller schools, in particular, that need the extra capacity, as it were, to ensure that they've got sufficient resources within those schools to be able to keep them open? I was pleased, also, to hear the reference to the pupil deprivation grant continuing. You haven't said precisely at what level that will continue, whether it will be the current funding level, whether that will increase, or whether it might be extended further - perhaps you can give us a little bit more information about that. Is it going to be the same as last year? Are you expecting more money? I have no idea and want to give you the opportunity to respond. I'm pleased to see the references to an increased focus on the Welsh language and, of course, special educational needs, but I'm a little bit alarmed that you want to replace the special educational needs co-ordinators with additional learning needs co-ordinators because, of course, that could mean that those more able and talented pupils in our schools might lose out, because, of course, the special educational needs co-ordinators at the moment also have a role in providing for those more able and talented children in addition to those children with additional learning needs. I wonder, Minister, whether you could tell us where those opportunities for more able and talented children might fit into your agenda. Just finally, there was no reference to looked-after children in your statement. Everybody in this Chamber, I know, shares the commitment to wanting to improve the life chances of looked-after children and to improve their attainment in schools in Wales. I wonder, Minister, whether you can just tell us again how you expect looked-after children to fit into this and whether there is perhaps more scope for more discussions between our parties and others in this Chamber to take an agenda forward that leads to improved outcomes for them.
Welsh: Diolch i chi, Weinidog, am eich datganiad. Rwy'n cael fy nghalonogi, mewn gwirionedd, gan lawer o'r hyn yr wyf wedi'i glywed, yn enwedig o ran eich gweledigaeth ar gyfer mwy o ffederasiynau ysgolion ac, yn ôl pob tebyg, nid yn unig mewn ardaloedd gwledig, ond mewn ardaloedd trefol hefyd. Rwy'n credu bod hynny yn gyfle i athrawon ddatblygu arbenigeddau sy'n fwy cyffrous iddynt wrth iddynt gychwyn ar eu gyrfaoedd proffesiynol, ac yn rhoi cyfleoedd ychwanegol iddynt ymestyn a datblygu'r arbenigeddau hynny. Gallai hynny, wrth gwrs, gynnwys arbenigedd yn yr iaith Gymraeg, y gellir wedyn ei rannu ar draws ysgolion, ac enghreifftiau eraill o arfer da hefyd. Wrth gwrs, mae'n rhoi cyfle i sicrhau rhai arbedion maint ar draws nifer o safleoedd gyda chostau gweinyddol o bosibl yn cael eu rhannu, a hefyd mae'n cynyddu capasiti'r ysgolion unigol hynny, pan fyddant yn gweithio ar y cyd, i allu darparu gwasanaethau drostynt eu hunain, yn hytrach nag o bosibl cael eu gorfodi i gael mynediad atynt drwy'r awdurdodau lleol, sydd, wrth gwrs, yn wir yn achos gormod o ysgolion ar hyn o bryd. Un peth na wnaethoch chi sôn amdano, fodd bynnag, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, oedd y cyfleoedd a allai fod yn cael eu cyflwyno o ganlyniad i ysgolion ar gyfer pob oedran, sydd, wrth gwrs, yn nodwedd sy'n tyfu yn y maes addysg yng Nghymru a hefyd yn rhoi cyfleoedd i leihau'r pellteroedd sy'n cael eu teithio, yn enwedig i ysgolion uwchradd mewn ardaloedd gwledig. Tybed a fydd eich polisïau gwledig, wrth iddynt barhau i ddatblygu a dod i'r amlwg, yn ystyried yr angen i gefnogi datblygiad mwy o ysgolion ar gyfer pob oedran. Rwy'n falch iawn hefyd o'ch clywed yn cyfeirio at adolygiad o'r polisi lleoedd gwag, yr ydym wedi'i gael yng Nghymru ers peth amser. Mae hynny wedi arwain at gau nifer o ysgolion yn fy etholaeth i. Gellid bod wedi osgoi rhai ohonynt, rwy'n credu, pe byddai polisi gwell ar hynny - felly, rwy'n meddwl, unwaith eto, bod hwn yn rhywbeth i'w groesawu yn fawr iawn. Gwrandewais â diddordeb ar eich cyfeiriadau at sefydlu academi arweinyddiaeth Cymru ac, yn hollol, mae'r cyfan yn ymwneud ag arweinyddiaeth yn ein hysgolion, ac mae'n rhaid i ni gael yr arweinwyr o'r ansawdd gorau posibl fel penaethiaid yn gyffredinol. Ond rwy'n meddwl tybed beth fydd yr amserlen ar gyfer sefydlu'r academi a hefyd a fydd yn cael ei glymu i leoliad penodol yng Nghymru neu a yw'n rhywbeth y bydd pobl yn gallu cymryd rhan ynddo ym mhob rhanbarth o Gymru. Yn amlwg, fe wyddoch, mae heriau, dyweder, o ran cael mynediad at rai o'r rhaglenni sydd ar gael ar hyn o bryd, ac rwy'n meddwl fod gwneud yn siŵr bod cyfle i gael mynediad - p'un a ydych chi'n dod o'r gogledd, o'r de, o'r gorllewin neu o'r canolbarth - yn bwysig iawn, iawn yn wir. Rydych hefyd braidd yn amwys yn eich disgrifiad o sut yr ydych yn mynd i gyrraedd eich polisi o leihau maint dosbarthiadau i 25. Mae'n ymddangos eich bod yn cyfeirio yn fwy at gymarebau disgybl i athro, neu gymarebau disgyblion i staff, yn hytrach na phenolau ar seddi yn y stafelloedd dosbarth, ac rwy'n meddwl tybed a allwch chi ddweud wrthym yn glir iawn beth yw eich nod o ran hynny. Ai ymwneud â chymarebau staff y mae - nid yr argraff, rwy'n credu, a gafodd llawer ohonom pan gyhoeddwyd y polisi hwn yn rhan o'ch cytundeb clymblaid gyda'r Blaid Lafur, neu a yw'n mynd i fod am y penolau hynny ar seddau, sef yr argraff a gafodd bob un ohonom? Hefyd, o ran maint y dosbarthiadau, os yw'n ymwneud â phenolau ar seddau, beth mae hynny'n ei wneud i hyfywedd rhai o'n hysgolion llai, yn benodol, y mae angen capasiti ychwanegol arnynt, fel petai, er mwyn sicrhau bod ganddynt adnoddau digonol o fewn yr ysgolion hynny er mwyn gallu eu cadw ar agor? Roeddwn yn falch, hefyd, o glywed y cyfeiriad at y grant amddifadedd disgyblion yn parhau. Nid ydych wedi dweud yn union ar ba lefel y bydd yn parhau, p'un a fydd ar y lefel gyllido bresennol, p'un a fydd hynny'n cynyddu, neu a allai fod yn cael ei ymestyn ymhellach - efallai y gallwch roi ychydig mwy o wybodaeth i ni am hynny. A yw'n mynd i fod yr un fath â'r llynedd? A ydych yn disgwyl mwy o arian? Does gen i ddim syniad ac rwyf am roi'r cyfle i chi i ymateb. Rwy'n falch o weld y cyfeiriadau at fwy o ffocws ar yr iaith Gymraeg ac, wrth gwrs, anghenion addysgol arbennig. Ond rwyf wedi dychryn braidd eich bod am weld cydlynwyr anghenion dysgu ychwanegol yn cymryd lle'r cydlynwyr anghenion addysgol arbennig. Gallai hynny, wrth gwrs, olygu bod y disgyblion mwy galluog a thalentog yn ein hysgolion ar eu colled, oherwydd, wrth gwrs, mae rôl y cydlynwyr anghenion addysgol arbennig ar hyn o bryd yn cynnwys darparu ar gyfer y plant mwy galluog a thalentog yn ogystal â'r plant hynny sydd ag anghenion dysgu ychwanegol. Tybed, Weinidog, a allech chi ddweud wrthym sut y gallai'r cyfleoedd hynny i blant mwy galluog a thalentog fod yn rhan o'ch agenda chi. Ac yn olaf, nid oedd unrhyw gyfeiriad at blant sy'n derbyn gofal yn eich datganiad. Mae pawb yn y Siambr hon, rwy'n gwybod, yn rhannu ymrwymiad i fod eisiau gwella cyfleoedd bywyd plant sy'n derbyn gofal a gwella eu cyrhaeddiad mewn ysgolion yng Nghymru. Tybed, Weinidog, a allwch chi ddweud wrthym eto sut yr ydych yn disgwyl i blant sy'n derbyn gofal fod yn rhan o hyn, ac a oes mwy o le o bosibl i ragor o drafodaethau rhwng ein pleidiau ac eraill yn y Siambr hon i ddatblygu agenda sy'n arwain at well deilliannau ar eu cyfer nhw.