English: Can I thank Simon Thomas for his comments and questions, and for stepping into the breach for his colleague, who I'm sure would have wanted to be here in any other - you know, unavoidably not here today? Could I start with the issue of leadership? On coming into office, it was clear to me that one of the stand-out recommendations of the 2014 report that had not been actioned was the issue around leadership. I have tried to address that in moves that we have made with regard to the academy. The shadow board is chaired by Ann Keane, someone I think has universal respect, outside of politics and in the service itself. The board is working very hard and has had a number of meetings already, and my expectation would be that we would be able to see people enrolling on training programmes and support programmes co-ordinated by the academy in September of this year. That's my expectation, and that's what the shadow board is working towards. In the first instance, leadership will focus on, indeed, current school leaders, because I think that is where our priority needs to be at present. But it is my ambition that the academy will look at leadership in all its forms in the education system. So, not just existing heads, but taking a very proactive role in how we can identify talent within the education sector and proactively support the careers of those individuals to bring on a new generation of school leaders. But we also need to improve leadership capacity within our LEAs, which has been problematical, and we do need, indeed, to look at leadership within the consortia and, indeed, within Welsh Government in terms of the department that shapes policy here. So, ultimately, I would like the academy to be working on leadership programmes for all aspects of education, but we will start with the most important at this stage, which is heads, in September 2017. The Member asks about the role of consortia. What is interesting to read is how actually the consortia have stepped up to the plate in the absence of a national strategy around leadership, and I would commend them for doing that. They have recognised the need to do something, and they have sought themselves - . It says in the report - you can read it within the report - that because of a lack of a national strategy, the consortia themselves have tried to address this. What's important now is that we do that on a strategic level across the country, so it doesn't matter where you happen to be, which consortia you happen to be in - that there is a national strategic and planned approach to leadership. With regard to how we can develop the consortia, you'll also be aware that the report talks about the possibilities of extending the responsibilities of consortia, especially in the field of ALN, and you will know that this coincides with the recommendations and consultation that is out from my colleague the Cabinet Secretary for local government in this regard. It is something that we ourselves had anticipated without seeing the report, so it's pleasing to know that there is some synergy of ideas in moving forward. But we do need the consortia to perform better, especially with regard to concerns arising out of the Estyn reports into consortia, especially in the north of Wales - in the GwE consortium, they're currently out to advert for a new chief executive. I've had some very robust meetings with all of the consortia, in our challenge and review meetings, about the need for them themselves to improve their own capacity and learn from one another. There is no reason why they need to reinvent the wheel. They need to look at the strengths of the models that exist, and look to incorporate that work into their own work. On the £20 million, I haven't got the list of programmes that will be supported by the £20 million in the forthcoming year, but I have discussed it with Llyr on a number of occasions, and I'm happy to share it with the Member or, indeed, put something in the library if that would be useful to all Members. But our resources are centred around the issues of supporting our reform of initial teacher training, so that we will have a new set of professionals coming forward that will have the skills that they need to succeed, looking at the continuing professional development of existing staff, as well as looking at raising standards in schools. I do intend to continue to look at the issue of class sizes. It's one that has particular resonance for parents and for professionals. We recognise the need for high levels of teacher and adult ratios to children. We do that in our foundation phase, and I want to see if we can continue to ensure that teachers have the time that they need to teach and to give the individual attention to children. And there was a time that the Member himself advocated such a policy. It formed part of the coalition document between Plaid and Labour when the Member was a special adviser during that administration. We didn't see much progress, but I'm willing to give it another go.
Welsh: Hoffwn ddiolch i Simon Thomas am ei sylwadau a'i gwestiynau, ac am gamu i'r adwy ar ran ei gydweithiwr, ac rwy'n sicr y byddai wedi eisiau bod yma dan unrhyw amgylchiadau eraill - wyddoch chi, ond yn anochel nid yw yma heddiw? A gaf i ddechrau gyda'r mater arweinyddiaeth? Wrth gychwyn yn y swydd, roedd yn amlwg i mi mai un o argymhellion mwyaf amlwg yr adroddiad 2014 na weithredwyd, oedd y mater yn ymwneud ag arweinyddiaeth. Rwyf wedi ceisio mynd i'r afael â hynny mewn cynigion a wnaed gennym mewn cysylltiad â'r academi. Ann Keane sy'n cadeirio bwrdd yr wrthblaid, rhywun yr wyf o'r farn y caeiff ei pharchu'n gyffredinol, y tu allan i wleidyddiaeth ac yn y gwasanaeth ei hun. Mae'r bwrdd yn gweithio'n galed iawn ac eisoes wedi cael nifer o gyfarfodydd, ac rwy'n disgwyl y byddwn yn gweld pobl yn cofrestru ar raglenni hyfforddi a rhaglenni cymorth a gydlynir gan yr academi ym mis Medi eleni. Dyna yr wyf i'n ei ddisgwyl, a dyna beth mae bwrdd yr wrthblaid yn gweithio tuag ato. Yn y lle cyntaf, bydd arweinyddiaeth, yn wir, yn canolbwyntio ar arweinwyr ysgol presennol, oherwydd credaf mai dyna lle y mae angen i'n blaenoriaeth fod ar hyn o bryd. Ond fy uchelgais yw y bydd yr academi yn ystyried arweinyddiaeth yn ei holl ffurfiau yn y system addysg. Felly, nid penaethiaid presennol yn unig, ond cymryd rhan weithredol iawn o ran sut y gallwn nodi talent o fewn y sector addysg a chefnogi gyrfaoedd yr unigolion hynny mewn modd rhagweithiol er mwyn sefydlu cenhedlaeth newydd o arweinwyr ysgolion. Ond mae angen i ni hefyd wella gallu arweinyddiaeth o fewn ein Hawdurdodau Addysg Lleol, sydd wedi achosi problemau, ac, yn wir, mae angen i ni ystyried arweinyddiaeth o fewn y consortia ac, yn wir, o fewn Llywodraeth Cymru, o ran yr adran sy'n llunio polisïau mewn cysylltiad â hyn. Felly, yn y pen draw, hoffwn i'r academi fod yn gweithio ar raglenni arweinyddiaeth ar gyfer pob agwedd ar addysg, ond byddwn yn dechrau gyda'r agwedd bwysicaf ar y cam hwn, sef penaethiaid, ym mis Medi 2017. Mae'r Aelod yn gofyn am swyddogaeth consortia. Yr hyn sy'n ddiddorol i'w ddarllen yw sut y mae'r consortia, mewn gwirionedd, wedi ymateb i'r sefyllfa yn absenoldeb strategaeth genedlaethol yn ymwneud ag arweinyddiaeth, a byddwn yn eu cymeradwyo am wneud hynny. Maen nhw wedi cydnabod yr angen i wneud rhywbeth, ac maen nhw wedi ceisio - . Mae'n dweud yn yr adroddiad - gallwch chi ei ddarllen yn yr adroddiad - oherwydd y diffyg strategaeth genedlaethol, mae'r consortia ei hun wedi ceisio mynd i'r afael â hyn. Yr hyn sy'n bwysig nawr yw ein bod yn gwneud hynny ar lefel strategol ar draws y wlad, felly nid oes ots ble yr ydych chi'n digwydd bod, pa gonsortia yr ydych chi'n digwydd bod ynddo - fod yna dull strategol cenedlaethol wedi'i gynllunio tuag at arweinyddiaeth. O ran sut y gallwn ddatblygu'r consortia, byddwch hefyd yn ymwybodol bod yr adroddiad yn sôn am y posibiliadau o ehangu cyfrifoldebau'r consortia, yn enwedig ym maes anghenion dysgu ychwanegol, a byddwch yn gwybod bod hyn yn cyd-fynd â'r argymhellion a'r ymgynghoriad sydd yn cael ei gynnal gan fy nghydweithiwr Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet dros lywodraeth leol yn hyn o beth. Mae'n rhywbeth yr ydym ni ein hunain wedi ei ragweld heb weld yr adroddiad, felly mae'n braf gwybod bod peth synergedd o ran syniadau wrth symud ymlaen. Ond mae angen i'r consortia berfformio'n well, yn enwedig o ran pryderon sy'n deillio o adroddiadau Estyn ar y consortia, yn enwedig yn y gogledd - yng nghonsortiwm GwE, maen nhw'n hysbysebu am brif weithredwr newydd ar hyn o bryd. Rwyf wedi cael rhai cyfarfodydd cadarn iawn gyda phob un o'r consortia, yn ein cyfarfodydd herio ac adolygu, am yr angen iddyn nhw eu hunain wella eu gallu eu hunain a dysgu oddi wrth ei gilydd. Nid oes unrhyw reswm pam mae angen iddyn nhw ailddechrau o'r cychwyn. Mae angen iddyn nhw ystyried cryfderau'r modelau sy'n bodoli, a cheisio cynnwys y gwaith hwnnw yn eu gwaith eu hunain. O ran yr £20 miliwn, nid oes gennyf y rhestr o raglenni a fydd yn cael eu cefnogi gan yr £20 miliwn yn y flwyddyn sydd i ddod, ond rwyf wedi trafod y mater gyda Llyr ar sawl achlysur, ac rwy'n hapus i'w rannu gyda'r Aelod neu, yn wir, roi rhywbeth yn y llyfrgell os fyddai hynny'n ddefnyddiol i'r holl Aelodau. Ond mae ein hadnoddau ni yn canolbwyntio ar faterion megis cefnogi ein gwaith o ddiwygio hyfforddiant cychwynnol i athrawon, fel bod gennym ni set newydd o weithwyr proffesiynol yn dod i'r maes a fydd â'r sgiliau sydd eu hangen arnynt i lwyddo, gan edrych ar ddatblygiad proffesiynol parhaus y staff presennol, yn ogystal ag edrych ar godi safonau mewn ysgolion. Rwy'n bwriadu parhau i edrych ar y mater o faint dosbarthiadau. Mae'n un sydd ag arwyddocâd arbennig i rieni a gweithwyr proffesiynol. Rydym ni'n cydnabod yr angen am lefelau uchel o gymarebau athrawon ac oedolion i blant. Rydym ni'n gwneud hynny yn ein cyfnod sylfaen, ac rwy'n dymuno gweld a allwn ni barhau i sicrhau bod gan athrawon yr amser sydd ei angen arnynt i addysgu a rhoi sylw unigol i blant. Ac roedd yna adeg pan oedd yr Aelod ei hun yn argymell polisi o'r fath. Roedd yn rhan o ddogfen y glymblaid rhwng Plaid Cymru a'r Blaid Lafur pan oedd yr Aelod yn gynghorydd arbennig yn ystod y weinyddiaeth honno. Ni welsom ni lawer o gynnydd, ond rwy'n barod i roi cynnig arall arni.