Diolch yn fawr, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Following the results of PISA tests taken last year and reported last week, I am today publishing our foundational literacy and numeracy plan. This plan represents an important first step in the development of an equitable system that works for all. It is integral to our PISA response, but it is not just a response to PISA. Our own data is telling us that we are not where we need to be. Our own teachers, leaders and the wider education system want greater clarity, consistency of expectation and greater support to make a difference in the classroom. We have been here before, and successive PISA rounds have highlighted significant and deep-seated issues that have been many years in the making, and that's precisely why we are taking decisive action now.
In many ways, these results reinforce what we already knew: standards of literacy and numeracy in particular require significant and sustained focus, and we must do more to ensure our highest achieving learners reach their full potential. I'm encouraged that our most disadvantaged learners compare well internationally, but data shows that many of our learners could and should be doing better.
Let me be clear: this is not the fault of schools or teachers or support staff. We have inherited a system that lacks clarity, coherence and direction, and literacy and numeracy have been lost in the noise of significant reform. Schools are also responding to increasingly complex learner needs. Demand for specialist support, intervention and wider services continues to grow. We also recognise continued funding challenges. We see the same picture across all our public services as a consequence of an extremely difficult financial settlement. We know too that many of these concerns are shared across this Chamber. These things don't make our ambition to raise standards any easier, but they do demonstrate that educational change is complex and multifaceted, and one that requires a whole-system response. I have long argued that educators, whether teachers, leaders or support staff, are our strongest asset, and it is our responsibility as a Government to ensure that they have the tools to do the job.
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Mae ein cynllun llythrennedd a rhifedd sylfaenol yn ymwneud â gosod disgwyliadau clir ar gyfer gweithredu. Mae'n amlinellu'n fanwl beth y byddwn i'n ei wneud, a phryd, ac yn dod â'r holl randdeiliaid allweddol ynghyd o dan yr un weledigaeth ar gyfer newid. Mae'r cynllun yn cydnabod yr amrywiaeth o bartneriaid sydd â rôl yn ein hymdrech ar y cyd i godi safonau. Mae rhieni a gofalwyr, ymarferwyr y blynyddoedd cynnar, athrawon ac ymarferwyr addysg, arweinyddion ysgolion a lleoliadau, a phartneriaid cymorth oll yn chwarae rhan hollbwysig yn natblygiad llythrennedd a rhifedd ar draws yr ystod oedran. Rŷn ni wedi gweithio'n agos gydag arweinwyr yn ogystal ag awdurdodau lleol, Estyn a'n cyrff cefnogi, Dysgu ac Adnodd, i ddatblygu ffordd glir a chydlynol ymlaen. Mae gan Dysgu rôl hanfodol, fel ein corff dysgu proffesiynol cenedlaethol, wrth ddarparu cymorth darllen a mathemateg o ansawdd uchel, sy'n seiliedig ar dystiolaeth, i athrawon ledled Cymru. Mae hwn yn gymorth arbenigol sy'n seiliedig ar wybodaeth am ein cwricwlwm a'n cyd-destun ni. Disgwyliwn i bob ysgol ac awdurdod lleol ymgysylltu â Dysgu wrth i'w gynnig i athrawon ac arweinwyr ddatblygu. Mae e'n bwysig bod addysgwyr, ble bynnag yng Nghymru y maen nhw, yn gallu cael mynediad at yr un lefel o gymorth ac elwa o hwnnw.
Official English translation
Our foundational literacy and numeracy plan is about setting clear expectations for action. It sets out in detail what we will do and when, and it brings together all key stakeholders under the same vision for change. The plan recognises the range of partners that have a role in our shared effort to raise standards. Parents and carers, early years practitioners, teachers and education practitioners, leaders of schools and settings, and support partners all play a pivotal role in literacy and numeracy development across the age range. We have worked closely with leaders as well as local authorities, Estyn and our supporting bodies, Dysgu and Adnodd, to develop a clear and coherent way forward. Dysgu has a crucial role, as our national professional learning body, in the delivery of high-quality, evidence-based reading and mathematics support to teachers across Wales. This is expert support that is based on a knowledge of our curriculum and our context. We expect all schools and local authorities to engage with Dysgu as its offer to teachers and leaders develops. It is important that educators, wherever in Wales they work, have access to the same level of support and can benefit from that.
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None of this means that I am any less committed to the Curriculum for Wales, and I have no intention of moving away from its underlying principles and purpose-driven orientation. I have seen first-hand the difference it can make to learners, but literacy and numeracy are the gateway into the curriculum and the means by which learners can access the full range of opportunities it has to offer. I will also set out in the coming months a targeted review of the Curriculum for Wales, focusing on key areas for refinement and clarification. Today is about recognising the urgency of the situation and that more immediate action is needed. That's why this plan is so important and sets out the actions, in the short and medium term, to raise standards.
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Yn gyntaf, mae’n sefydlu disgwyliadau o flwyddyn i flwyddyn sy’n rhoi eglurder llwyr ynghylch yr hyn y dylai plant ei ddysgu a phryd, gan sicrhau mwy o gysondeb ledled Cymru. Byddwn ni'n cyhoeddi’r manylion hyn ar gyfer ymgynghori yn fuan, fel eu bod nhw'n gallu dod yn ganllawiau statudol cyn gynted â phosibl. Byddwn ni hefyd yn gwbl glir yn ein canllawiau ynghylch ffoneg synthetig systematig, sy’n arf hanfodol i athrawon wrth helpu plant i ddarllen, ochr yn ochr â datblygu sgiliau darllen eraill. Byddwn ni'n gweithio gydag Estyn, awdurdodau lleol a Dysgu i sicrhau eu bod nhw'n cael eu defnyddio’n effeithiol ac yn gyson. Ac yn wir, rwy’n croesawu ymrwymiad Estyn i ganolbwyntio’n gryfach ar ddarllen a gwaith partneriaid cymorth, megis y bartneriaeth strategol gyda llywodraeth leol. Yn ail, bydd y cynllun yn cryfhau asesu a’r defnydd o wybodaeth. Byddwn yn cyflwyno asesiad llinell sylfaen—gwaelodlin, i bob pwrpas—pan fydd plant yn dechrau yn yr ysgol, a dangosydd newydd ym mlwyddyn 6, fel bod gan ysgolion ddealltwriaeth glir o ble mae plant a pha gymorth sydd ei angen arnyn nhw. Ar lefel Llywodraeth, byddwn ni'n sefydlu dangosyddion cenedlaethol i asesu ein cynnydd cyffredinol, wedi’u llywio gan dargedau clir. Bydd hyn yn ein galluogi ni i fonitro cynnydd flwyddyn ar ôl blwyddyn, heb orfod aros i PISA ddweud wrthym ni sut rŷn ni'n perfformio. Mae’r cynllun hefyd yn tanlinellu ein hymrwymiad i gefnogi ysgolion i osod targedau clir iddyn nhw eu hunain ac i’w dysgwyr. Byddwn ni'n gweithio’n agos gydag ysgolion ac awdurdodau lleol i wireddu hyn. Yn ogystal, disgwyliwn i fwy o ysgolion elwa ar CAL:ON Cymru, ein canolfan ragoriaeth genedlaethol newydd ar gyfer llythrennedd, sydd wedi cael croeso cadarnhaol gan athrawon ac sydd wrth wraidd y cynllun hwn. Bydd y cynllun hefyd yn cefnogi llythrennedd a rhifedd y tu hwnt i’r ystafell ddosbarth. Byddwn ni'n cryfhau ymgysylltiad gyda rhieni, yn hyrwyddo darllen a datblygiad iaith yn y cartref, yn ehangu mynediad at lyfrau drwy lyfrgelloedd ysgolion, ac yn mynd i’r afael â rhwystrau i ddysgu sy’n gysylltiedig â thlodi.
Official English translation
First, it establishes year-on-year expectations that give absolute clarity about what children should learn and when, ensuring greater consistency across Wales. We will publish this detail for consultation shortly, so that it becomes statutory guidance as soon as possible. We will also be unequivocal in our guidance about systematic synthetic phonics, which is an essential tool in teachers’ armoury when helping children to read, alongside developing other reading skills. We will work with Estyn, local authorities and Dysgu to ensure it is used effectively and consistently. And indeed, I welcome Estyn’s commitment to an enhanced focus on reading and the efforts by support partners, such as the strategic partnership with local government. Secondly, the plan will strengthen assessment and use of information. We will introduce a baseline assessment when children start school and a new indicator in year 6, so that schools have a clear understanding of where children are and of what support they need. At a Government level, we will establish national indicators to assess our progress overall, driven by clear targets. This will mean that we can monitor progress year on year, and not have to wait for PISA to tell us how we’re performing. The plan also underlines our commitment to supporting schools to set clear targets for themselves and for their learners. We will work closely with schools and local authorities to make this happen. In addition, we expect more schools to benefit from CAL:ON Cymru, our new national centre of excellence in literacy, which has been well received by teachers and which sits front and centre of our plan. The plan will also support literacy and numeracy beyond the classroom. We will strengthen parental engagement, promote reading and language development at home, increase access to books through school libraries, and address poverty-related barriers to learning.
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By the end of this Senedd term we want to see sustained improvement in literacy and numeracy for all children and young people; more children and young people making good progress from where they start; and more young people leaving education with better qualifications, ready for further study, training or work. The next set of PISA results will be focused on learners who will be 15 in 2029, and we will get those results in 2030. Naturally, I’m hoping to see an improvement in Wales’s scores in the next PISA round, but I'm mindful of the need to support learners who are in our system now, and that is precisely why this plan has been developed. Dirprwy Lywydd, we are a new Government with new ambition and make no apologies for setting the bar high. Wales is a proud educating nation whose rich history has been underpinned by a skillful workforce and a thoughtful civic society.
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Mae arnom ni ddyletswydd i gael llythrennedd a rhifedd yn iawn er lles cenedlaethau'r presennol a chenedlaethau'r dyfodol. Mae hyn yn golygu galluogi athrawon, arweinwyr a staff cymorth i ganolbwyntio ar yr hyn sydd bwysicaf: addysgu, dysgu a chefnogi dysgwyr i lwyddo. Ond bydd cyrraedd y fan lle rŷn ni eisiau bod yn gofyn am ymdrech ar y cyd, ac rydyn ni wedi ymrwymo i weithio gyda rhieni, gofalwyr, addysgwyr, ysgolion a phartneriaid cymorth i godi safonau ac, yn sgil hynny, wella cyfleoedd bywyd pob plentyn yng Nghymru. Diolch yn fawr.
Official English translation
We owe it to current and future generations to get literacy and numeracy right. This means allowing teachers, leaders and support staff to focus on what matters most: teaching, learning and supporting learners to succeed. But getting us to where we want to be will need to be a team effort, and we are committed to working with parents, carers, educators, schools and support partners to raise standards and, with that, improve the life chances of every child in Wales. Thank you very much.
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Diolch yn fawr iawn. I will try and answer as many of those questions as I can. In terms of the delivery, I want this to demonstrate progress in Wales before the end of this Senedd term. In order to do that, I think we need to be clear what delivery means, and that's why I've undertaken to set up a delivery board that will be expressly responsible for this. It will bring together all the key partners who have a stake and a responsibility in relation to this plan. I intend to chair it myself, and it will meet in the autumn term for the first time. So, I expect you to be asking me for the progress that has been made well before the next PISA round. The workload question you raised is obviously a pertinent one, and we've discussed this before. We have undertaken a workload assessment against this plan, and I'm very keen to keep an eye on whether this is adding, because my hope and intention is that the increased clarity around the expectations will actually be helpful in that regard. Because some of the feedback—well, quite a lot of the feedback, in fact—that I regularly have from teachers and headteachers is that that lack of clarity is in itself problematic in terms of workload. But workload, as you will know too, is part of a separate piece of work that we are doing, looking in detail at that and linked to behaviour and other issues in schools that are making that engagement with learners difficult. So, that is a discrete piece of work that I'm happy to update on at another time, but I am still considering these things in the round.
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In terms of identifying early intervention, I've already had conversations with the Deputy Prime Minister—First Minister, sorry—[Laughter.]—I translated in my head, didn't I—the Deputy First Minister, and the health Minister as well, because the key thing about this is that our childcare offer and health services, health visitors, and all the people who have key information about families and learners already exist in our system. The bringing together of that data and information to inform schools is a piece of work that we are doing. And interestingly—sorry, I've been waiting to share this all day—interestingly, one of the things we will need to identify is that baseline when learners are entering school, because a lot of the feedback from school is a concern around this. We are dealing with issues and needs that perhaps we haven't seen before. So, a clear understanding of that is a priority for us. So, we are looking to establish that baseline now for piloting then next year, as you will see in the planned timeline. I have, following PISA last week, also had conversations with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. And this one is of particular interest for jurisdictions across the world, because doing this well, in a way that isn't too onerous for the professionals that have to engage at a school level, but does give you an early insight into the support that that child needs and from whom—. But also it's a method, particularly in our primary schools, for them to be able to demonstrate, across that school, that pupil's journey, the value they have added. And the start—. It's important to understand the starting point if you have expectations of the end point. So, that will be key, and there's a clear timeline around that, as there is about the national indicator at year 6, for, essentially, the same reason: where are we now at the end of primary school education? These, though, are going to—. It brings us back to the workload point in a way. I want to develop these measures using data and information that is in the system already. We have a lot of data. Teachers are used to the personalised assessments, for example. These are familiar structures, familiar data that we can use and draw down to inform these baselines. That means no new things, because that was a key consideration as well, because these have been developed with our system in mind and with a workforce that is familiar with them in mind. You mentioned local authorities as well, and I have deliberately built this plan around five foundations. This is a way of bringing together, for the first time for nought to 16, all those who have a responsibility and knowledge of these children: families, parents and carers, local authorities, schools, support services—all those people who are part of our system, working together through a delivery board to show that we can make a difference to the learners in our system now. We can use data better. We will have targets that show us that our system is going in the right direction. I've already had many conversations, even before I started in this new role, with leaders and teachers in our education system. This will be not unfamiliar for them, but it will also give them the clarity that they seek and that they are asking for increasingly, for them to have the confidence and for us to have the confidence, that there is a consistent understanding of what our expectations are across all local authorities across Wales. When the detailed statutory guidance on those expectations is published later this term, you will see the level of detail in there, which I trust that people will find helpful. We will consult on that, because I intend it to be statutory guidance, but that is a significant piece of work that has been undertaken over the last four months, with the intention that it gives us as a system an understanding of the direction we're going in, what we need to see in classrooms across Wales, how do we give ourselves, all of us, confidence that we are going in the right direction, and bring teachers with us too. Diolch yn fawr.
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Thank you very much. Yes, a target for Government, that is what my intention is in establishing some of these expectations around, particularly, the year 6 indicator—that it is for us as a Government to assume the responsibility of Government around leadership of that improvement and be able—. We need to establish that baseline and then plot from there what a trajectory of progress will look like. And yes, I will be very happy to share that. On a school level, what I expect to happen is professional conversations between the schools and local authorities and that they draw as well on support by organisations like CAL:ON, using this plan to understand how the learners in their care are improving their skills. I'm not returning to standard assessment tests or league tables or any—. I know some people find them deeply attractive; I find them replete with unintended consequences. What we want is to make a genuine difference in classrooms across Wales and hold ourselves as a Government to account for the progress we are making. On TIMSS and PIRLS, yes, we are remaining in TIMSS and PIRLS at this point, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they show us when we have data from that. Because, obviously, if there is any data anywhere that will usefully inform us to do this better, then I'm very keen to interrogate that and use it. But I am also keen on intelligent accountability in our system and I'm sure that will resonate with a lot of the partners we have worked with over the years. Saying a thing doesn't make it so—you need to make it work at school level, you need to make it intelligently accountable, from their point of view and also from ours. We are trying to address issues in the Welsh system; importing things and applying them without thought does not work in that context. We need to make improvements here in our own context with our own learners. You asked about mental health, and I will have to come back to you on the update, because I can't quite remember. But mental health is a key priority, because we know this is one of the reasons that impacts, for example, attendance. So, if we are to make a difference to these learners around literacy and numeracy, they will need to be in school to be able to access that. They will need the support to be able to engage with the curriculum. So that remains, we know, a pressing priority. And particularly post COVID, some of these issues are very—what's the word—profound for a lot of learners and that support will need to be there, if they are to be well supported and benefit from the plans we have. There was a question then about reviewing the pupil development grant. I have made no decisions about that. But I am looking that everything we do supports the aims of this plan, and supports our workforce and every part of our education system to effect these improvements and to support them as individuals in it as well. Thank you.
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Oh, targeted review. Sorry, I knew there was something else. Sorry. It was the curriculum review. It will be targeted. I am very keen that nobody in the system hears any intent on my part to depart from Curriculum for Wales and start with a new clean sheet of paper and involve us in another 15 years of a new curriculum. I don't think we need that. I have seen Curriculum for Wales make a genuine difference. It's an engaging curriculum, it's appropriate in that it values the widest possible range of educational competencies. Including putting the same value on humanities and expressive arts and numeracy is important, I think, particularly now. Somebody mentioned AI earlier on; the human development aspect of education is important, and we want to preserve that. Having said that, literacy and numeracy is the gateway into doing well in all of these areas and I think there is a genuine call for a greater element of clarity around some aspects of the curriculum, and that's what I'm discussing, as I'm going to put together a group of experts—I've spoken to 12 so far and I'm going to select a smaller group than 12, otherwise we'll be at it for five years—to look at a targeted review that will be helpful in the system without breaking the intent of Curriculum for Wales, and that's what I'm asking them to undertake. Diolch yn fawr.
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Diolch yn fawr. I put 'deliberately iterative' in there just to trip people, probably including myself. It comes back to an earlier point that you made. It is important to keep an eye on the data that feeds our system. That's not quite the same thing as introducing new, big policy areas and the scale of reform, perhaps, we've had over the last 15 years. The previous education Minister mentioned PIRLS and TIMSS. We would be missing an opportunity if, as, say, a delivery board, we didn't, when they came, think about whether they might inform what we are doing. But to give us more information and more data, rather, because the planning itself, the expectations year-on-year—I think that has already been drafted with our literacy expert panel, for example—will be quite clear. But we want to keep an eye on this as time goes on and feed information into the system appropriately and well in order that we can make the progress we want to during this Senedd term. Education is a complex field, and we need to keep that conversation going. But I do think that understanding data, gleaning information from the system to inform our plan will be helpful rather than otherwise. If it proves unhelpful, I'm sure somebody will ask me about it at a later date, but that's certainly my intention. Behaviour was touched on previously as well. Behaviour and support for learners are a key part of what we, as a Government, have prioritised in education. There is continued work that I can return to at a later date, perhaps, on the behaviour framework that seeks to bring services together to support schools as well, because some of those challenges can be difficult when you are also trying to focus on literacy and numeracy. So, that certainly will go hand in hand with this work as well. Parents, yes, I agree, are part of this as well. Education, the schools system, cannot do this on its own. But I think it's also important to support parents with teaching reading and reading with their children. People are very pressurised. It can be difficult to find the time, but giving parents support around that is a key part of this plan as well. I think, frankly, I and others probably could do a better job at modelling our own reading. I'm very conscious that I read now less than I did, perhaps, 10 years ago—well, I know I do—so, I think there is a social element to this as well and how we model to other parents, but also to children that we too can read a book and put our phones aside occasionally. Griffith Jones—coming back to Griffith Jones—is always a good thing. Catherine the Great, I think, took up his plans, didn't she, and exported them to Russia. A repeat of that would be really quite unsettling now. But I think this is an attempt as well to recharge. This is a social thing too. Everybody in our society needs to put a value on education if we're going to make a real difference. And I think allocating this responsibility just to schools, or just to parents, or any part of this system, is not going to be as powerful as everybody accepting that education is important—it is the thing that makes the difference to everybody in our society in Wales, and we all have a part to play in that. And we can thank Griffith Jones for showing us the way. Diolch yn fawr.
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Diolch yn fawr. Rwy'n falch eich bod chi wedi rhoi sylw i'r system ffoneg synthetig, oherwydd mae e'n gyfle i bwysleisio eto ein bod ni'n disgwyl y bydd hwn yn fodd a fydd yn cael ei ddefnyddio yn ein hysgolion ni. Dwi wedi trafod hyn hefyd gyda Estyn, sydd yn cydnabod bod y modd hwn yn rhan bwysig o'r modd y mae dysgwyr yn dysgu darllen, ac mae eu ffocws penodol nhw ar ddarllen hefyd yn digwydd nawr. Rŷn ni'n edrych hefyd ar ganllawiau'r cwricwlwm i wneud yn siŵr bod yna eglurder, achos mae diffyg eglurder weithiau wedi bod ynglŷn â defnyddio hwn, a byddwn ni wedyn yn rhoi canllawiau cenedlaethol i egluro hynny. O ran y gefnogaeth, mae hynny hefyd yn hanfodol bwysig, a dyna pam mae un o'r pum elfen sy'n dod at ei gilydd yn hwn yn ffocysu yn benodol ar gefnogaeth i athrawon ac i'r system yn ehangach. Felly, mi fydd yna adnoddau gyda CAL:ON, sydd yn arbenigwyr yn y maes hwn. Byddwn yn parhau hefyd i dynnu ar arbenigedd y panel llythrennedd arbenigol sydd gyda ni. Mae Adnodd yn ei le yn gweithio'n agos gyda Dysgu er mwyn creu'r adnoddau a fydd eu hangen i gefnogi'r cynllun hwn. Mae e, dwi'n credu, wedi bod yn galonogol bod y sefydliadau yma hefyd wedi gwneud datganiadau er cefnogi'r modd hwn o weithio. Felly, mae e'n mynd i fod yn bwysig bod y gefnogaeth yno. Mae gyda ni'r sefydliadau yn eu lle yn un o'r pum elfen sydd wedi ymrwymo i weithio i sicrhau bod y gefnogaeth honno yno. Ond hefyd, fel Llywodraeth, rŷn ni'n frwd i gael eglurder ynglŷn â'r disgwyliadau yna yn y system fel bod rhai o'r dadleuon parhaus rydyn ni wedi eu cael, efallai, yn y cyfnod diweddar yn llai llafar.
Official English translation
Thank you very much. I'm pleased that you focused on systematic synthetic phonics, because it is an opportunity to emphasise again that we do expect this to be an approach that will be adopted in our schools. I've discussed this with Estyn, who acknowledge that this approach is an important part of the way that learners do learn to read, and their particular focus on reading is also in place now. We are also looking at the curriculum guidance to ensure that there is clarity, because there has been some lack of clarity in terms of the use of this, and then we will put national guidance in place to explain that. In terms of the support, that is also crucially important, and that is why one of the five elements that come together here focuses specifically on the support provided to teachers and to the system more broadly. So, there will be resources available through CAL:ON, who are specialists in this area. We will also continue to draw on the expertise of the expert literacy panel that we have. Adnodd is also working closely with Dysgu in order to create the resources required to support this programme. I think it has been encouraging that all of these organisations have made statements in support of this approach. So, it will be important that that support is in place. We do have the organisations in place as one of the five elements that have committed to working to ensure that that support is available. But also, as a Government, we're eager to get clarity in terms of those expectations within the system so that some of the ongoing arguments that we've had recently are less prominent, perhaps.
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Thank you very much for your question. I think that you would find that there are other views of the Curriculum for Wales also in the system and expressed by teachers. And I don't think, in terms of the workload either—. Even if I weren't wedded to it, and I am, even if I weren't, I think that beginning again with a new curriculum would create a whole host of other workload problems over time that we would find equally unpalatable, because you can't proceed without one at all. I would say, though, that there are elements, which is why I've announced a review, that require greater clarity and more focus, and that is a lesson that has clearly come back from the system. But, having said all of that, I think—. And this is interesting in the PISA conversation as well, because I have tried to interrogate the OECD a little bit more deeply about what this tells us about what we should do next, and answer came there none to say, 'Abandon your curriculum', because there is genuine interest, particularly now, and again with AI and thinking about how we prepare learners for what will be a requirement to be curious and learning for the entirety of their lives. Gone, if ever they existed, are, 'I am now a finished product at 21; I've gone through university and I have all of the qualifications I will ever need.' That's not the position that our learners are in now, so a curriculum that encourages them to see a value in expressive arts and humanities alongside mathematics, numeracy, language, literacy, reading—. All of these things are really important. We haven't, perhaps, supported our workforce enough to be able to work confidently with this curriculum, and that's why I want a review, but I'm afraid I don't agree with you that starting again would be a better answer. Diolch yn fawr.
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I made a written statement on Monday, announcing my intention to consult after the summer holidays on a 3.5 per cent pay award for teachers and leaders, and a 5 per cent pay award for unqualified teachers. I will provide additional funding to support local authorities and schools with implementing the pay award.
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If I can take the point on the pay award timings first: yes, it would have been easier to consult at an earlier point. She may have noticed that there was an election. There was a period when these consultations could not have gone ahead, which is precisely why I made the announcement on the 3.5 per cent pay award for teachers and 5 per cent for unqualified teachers, because in representations to me, they said very clearly that an early indication—admitting the consultation would need now to happen in the autumn—early certainty, and an early certainty for local government that funding would be available to pay for these pay rises, was the desire of the workforce. That's why I made that statement at that point. On ALN, I think that we are revisiting a conversation from yesterday. As my colleague said earlier on, we are very aware of the pressures in funding on both local government and on schools, and I have no doubt that those will be continuing conversations. On ALN specifically, what we set out to do, in conversation with you—and I thought that we were talking about the same thing, which was how to arrive at a sustainable model for ALN. For a number of years, it has been clear that that is not where we are. We are constantly told, by parents, families, schools and local authorities, that the current system is facing significant difficulty, and it was on that basis that we presented an argument for £40 million this year, £40 million next year and at least £40 million in the third year, in order to bring us to a point where we had a sustainable ALN system that we could be proud of. You voted against that yesterday. On the trade dispute itself, I was obviously disappointed to receive a letter from the NAHT and the Association of School and College Leaders, entering into a trade dispute, given that we have been working together and I have been committed to the social partnership now and throughout my career. And I hope that we can move forward quickly to resolve these issues. I remain committed to the social partnership, and I'm currently considering the issues and the response.
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Diolch yn fawr, and I think she's quite right to point to the value we put on the teaching profession, and we are determined to work in partnership. I have existing relationships with teachers and school leaders across Wales, and I am in constant dialogue, formally and informally, with them, and we have a great deal that we want to do together around workload, around retaining and recruiting teachers, around the ideas we have on literacy and numeracy and clarity of expectation, looking at the curriculum. These are things that the teaching profession has welcomed, and it is a continuing dialogue that will touch on all the areas the Member mentioned. It will include the unions and as wide as possible an input from the people who deliver on the ground and who matter to us.
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Thank you, and I'm sure the former Minister will be grateful for your support. On the trade dispute, I am anxious to resolve this as quickly as possible, as I said earlier on, and I remain committed to working in social partnership with them. I think there is ground that we can build on here and I am determined to resolve that matter as quickly as I can.
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Thank you. I think we have rehearsed the reasons why the ALN funding for this year will be difficult in this particular context, but I am committed to working with my colleague the finance Minister on building the sustainable ALN system that we committed to in our manifesto and that I know has support across Wales. On schools funding more broadly, part of the announcement I made on Monday about the pay award was that we would provide local authorities with additional funding in order that that would not be an additional pressure on school budgets. But we remain committed too to making sure that school leaders and the wider school workforce do feel valued and consulted under this Government, and it is in that spirit that I propose to proceed.
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Diolch yn fawr, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Rwyf yma i amlinellu fy mlaenoriaethau cenedlaethol i a'r Llywodraeth hon ar gyfer y Gymraeg. Wrth wneud hynny, mae'n bwysig cofio nad trwy bolisi yn unig y mae iaith yn byw, ond trwy bobl a thrwy ddefnydd. Ac mae'r Gymraeg yn rhan o stori pob un ohonom ni. Mae fy stori i, er enghraifft, yn un ddwyieithog. Dysgodd fy mam Gymraeg fel oedolyn. Heddiw, mae’r Gymraeg a’r Saesneg yn cydblethu yn fy nheulu i gartref yn Grangetown, a sawl iaith arall i’w chlywed o’n cwmpas, a pheth braf iawn yw hynny.
Official English translation
Thank you very much, Dirprwy Lywydd. I am here to outline my national priorities and those of this Government for the Welsh language. In doing so, it's important to remember that language does not live solely through policy, but through people and through use. And the Welsh language is part of all our stories. My personal story, for example, is a bilingual one. My mother learned Welsh as an adult. Today, Welsh and English intertwine in my family at home in Grangetown, and several other languages can be heard around us, and that’s a good thing.
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Mae'r Gymraeg yn perthyn, mewn ffyrdd gwahanol, i ni i gyd. Yn blant bach ac yn bobl ifanc, yn rhieni, yn fam-gu neu'n dad-cu. I’r byd digidol ac i’r byd go iawn. I Effi o Blaenau a Lloyd Lewis o Gwmbrân. O Walchmai i Gaerdydd. Mae 86 y cant ohonon ni yn credu bod yr iaith yn rhywbeth i fod yn falch ohoni. Mae 82 y cant o'r rhai rhwng 18 a 24 mlwydd oed yn dweud ei bod hi’n bwysig i’n plant ddysgu’r Gymraeg. Cyfle teg i bawb ddysgu a mwynhau’r Gymraeg—dyna ddyhead clir pobl Cymru, a’n pobl ifanc ni yn arbennig. Hoffwn ddiolch, yn y cyd-destun hwn, i holl Aelodau’r Senedd ddiwethaf—mae nifer ohonoch chi yma heddiw—am bleidleisio’n unfrydol i basio Deddf y Gymraeg ac Addysg (Cymru) 2025 a rhoi cyfle teg i bob plentyn yng Nghymru siarad Cymraeg—cyfle inni fynd ymhell y tu hwnt i'r miliwn o siaradwyr dros amser. Mae’n bryd inni roi’r gorau i weld ein hunain fel 'Cymry Cymraeg' a 'Chymry di-Gymraeg'. Rŷn ni i gyd rhywle ar yr un daith, ac mae croeso i bawb. Fi yw’r Gweinidog sy’n gyfrifol am y Gymraeg, ond mae’r iaith yn perthyn i ni i gyd ac yn gyfrifoldeb i ni i gyd fel Cabinet hefyd. Mae angen dathlu’r ffaith fod y Gymraeg yn dal yn fyw bob dydd, ond rŷn ni’n ymwybodol o faint y dasg o’n blaenau ni hefyd. Mae’r blynyddoedd nesaf yma yn dyngedfennol. Rŷn ni’n gwybod bod rhaid gweithredu Deddf y Gymraeg ac addysg yn llawn. Ac rŷn ni’n gwybod hefyd fod angen—i fenthyg slogan Cymdeithas yr Iaith dros y penwythnos—troi'r llanw ar drai’r Gymraeg yn nifer o’n cymunedau ni. Dyw cyrraedd miliwn a mwy o siaradwyr na chynyddu defnydd llawr gwlad yn mynd i fod yn hawdd. Fel Llywodraeth, mae gyda ni dair prif flaenoriaeth. Y cyntaf: dysgu. Rwyf wedi bod yn glir pa mor bwysig yw creu llwybrau cydlynus ym myd addysg. Gyda’r Dirprwy Brif Weinidog, dwi wedi dechrau gweithio gyda’r sector blynyddoedd cynnar, gan gynnwys y Mudiad Meithrin, i ehangu'r ddarpariaeth Gymraeg i’n plant lleiaf. Ein cynnig gofal plant fydd y mwyaf hael yn unrhyw le yn y Deyrnas Unedig, a bydd y Gymraeg wrth ei wraidd. Mae adolygiad brys o’r cynlluniau Cymraeg mewn addysg ar waith hefyd. Bydd hwn yn sail i’r fframwaith cenedlaethol ar gyfer addysg Gymraeg a dysgu Cymraeg a fydd yn rhoi cadernid strategol i gam nesaf pob plentyn ar ei siwrnai. Gallaf gadarnhau y bydd y fframwaith hwn yn amlinellu’n glir ein hymrwymiad i sicrhau bod hanner plant Cymru yn cychwyn eu siwrnai mewn addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg erbyn 2050. Dwi a’r Dirprwy Weinidog dros Sgiliau ac Addysg Drydyddol am sicrhau bod ein pobl ifanc ni yn gallu parhau i ddysgu, defnyddio, gweithio a mwynhau yn y Gymraeg ar ôl 16 hefyd. Yn ail: ein cymunedau ni. Rŷn ni’n gwybod bod y sefyllfa’n argyfyngus mewn rhai bröydd. Rŷn ni’n gwybod hefyd fod cynaliadwyedd cymunedau dwysedd uwch yn greiddiol i ddyfodol y Gymraeg, a bydd ein polisïau cyhoeddus yn adlewyrchu hynny o ran polisi economaidd, tai, cynllunio gwlad a thref, cyfiawnder cymdeithasol, iechyd, diwylliant ac addysg. Does dim amser i’w golli. Er mwyn cyflawni hyn, byddwn yn defnyddio’r pwerau sydd gennym eisoes i sicrhau bod y Gymraeg yn gyrru ffyniant ac yn grymuso’r cymunedau hyn nawr, ac yn edrych ar bob dull gweithredu deddfwriaethol ac anneddfwriaethol i gael y maen i’r wal a chynnal momentwm. Mae'r gwaith wedi cychwyn er mwyn cydweithio ag awdurdodau lleol i bennu siẁd i ddynodi’r ardaloedd dwysedd uwch, a byddaf i’n cydweithio’n agos â’r Gweinidog Cabinet dros Lywodraeth Leol, Tai a Chynllunio i hwyluso hynny. Trwy ddynodi cymunedau o ddwysedd uwch o siaradwyr Cymraeg, nid creu pocedi o Gymraeg yw’r nod; y gwrthwyneb, yn wir, yw’r bwriad. Mae diogelu cymunedau dwysedd uwch yn greiddiol i’r gwaith o gefnogi’r Gymraeg ymhob cymuned, a byddwn ni'n gweithredu ym mhob rhan o Gymru, a byddaf i'n cyfarfod gyda chadeiryddion y Comisiwn Cymunedau Cymraeg yr wythnos hon—yfory, mewn gwirionedd—i ddiolch am eu gwaith a thrafod eu hargymhellion ar gyfer gweddill Cymru. Dwi hefyd yn cydweithio gyda’r Gweinidog Cabinet dros Ddiwylliant a Chwaraeon i sicrhau lle blaenllaw i’r Gymraeg yn y strategaeth ddiwylliant a chyhoeddi cynlluniau cyffrous ym maes chwaraeon a’r maes digidol. A bydd gwaith yn digwydd ar draws pob portffolio. Mae mor bwysig sicrhau, er enghraifft, fod cleifion yn cael gofal mewn iaith maen nhw’n gysurus ynddi. A’r flaenoriaeth olaf yw seilwaith, y sylfeini sy’n cynnal yr iaith. Byddwn yn mynd ati i ehangu safonau’r Gymraeg i sectorau newydd, gan gynnwys cyrff Llywodraeth y Deyrnas Unedig, a dwi eisoes wedi cyfarfod gyda Chomisiynydd y Gymraeg i drafod hynny. Ac rydyn ni wedi dechrau ystyried deddfu er gwarchod yr enwau llefydd sy’n rhan mor hanfodol o’n hunaniaeth ni i gyd. O enwau hynafol i dechnoleg arloesol, rŷn ni’n arwain y ffordd. Yng Nghymru, er enghraifft, mae cyfarfodydd dwyieithog yn arferol. Mae’r Cabinet newydd yn cynnal cyfarfodydd dwyieithog am y tro cyntaf ers datganoli. A Chymru yw’r lle cyntaf yn y byd i allu trawsgrifio cyfarfodydd yn ddwyieithog ar Microsoft Teams. Dwi wrthi’n ysgrifennu nawr at gwmnïau technoleg mawr am y camau nesaf, gan gynnwys gwaith ar ddeallusrwydd artiffisial. Mae momentwm, felly, o ran pob un o’n hymrwymiadau 100 diwrnod, a mwy. Ond mae Cymru a’r byd yn newid. Mae gallu bod yma heddiw yn siarad gyda chymaint o optimistiaeth am y Gymraeg, gyda chefnogaeth pobl Cymru, yn un o’n llwyddiannau mwyaf, efallai, fel cenedl fach yn y byd mawr. Bues i'n ddigon lwcus i fynychu digwyddiad gyda phartneriaid rhyngwladol yn ddiweddar a gweld cymaint o ddiddordeb sydd yna gan ymwelwyr o bedwar ban yn y Gymraeg. Mae'n cyfnerthu cydweithio diwylliannol, ac mae'n gaffaeliad, yn fantais ac yn fraint wrth edrych mas at y byd, a hynny i bob un ohonon ni, a hynny hefyd yn gwbl groes i farn rhai o’n cyndeidiau, efallai, gan gynnwys rhai o’m rhai i fy hunan. Byddwn ni’n gosod cyfeiriad clir gyda strategaeth newydd, gref, gydlynus ar gyfer y Gymraeg, ac yn rhannu hon gyda chi yn yr hydref. Ond yn y cyfamser, mae angen parhau i weithredu, felly dros yr haf byddwn ni’n cynnal sgyrsiau 'miliwn a mwy' gyda’n partneriaid i ailddiffinio’r cyfeiriad, symbylu cydweithio creadigol a chyflawni’n gyflym. Ac fel y soniais i, mae dyfodol y Gymraeg yn dibynnu ar bobl yn ogystal â pholisi. Felly, dyma alw ar bobl Cymru i ddefnyddio’r Gymraeg sydd gyda chi ac i gefnogi’n gilydd bob amser i ddysgu a mwynhau ein hiaith. Mae heriau, ond gyda mwy o bobl yn dysgu Cymraeg nag erioed o’r blaen a chynnydd cyffredinol dros ddegawd a mwy nawr yn nifer y plant ym mlwyddyn 1 ein hysgolion Cymraeg, dwi’n argyhoeddedig bod y momentwm yn ddi-droi-nôl. Dechreuais y datganiad yma yn sôn am fy mam, a ddysgodd Gymraeg yn oedolyn. Gaf i gwpla, i'w wneud e'n dwt, gan sôn am fy nhad, a gredai nad ydym eto wedi gweld Cymru yn ei llawnder? Ac mae’r un peth yn wir, gellir dadlau, am y Gymraeg yn y Gymru fodern, ond gyda’n gilydd gallwn ni gyrraedd y llawnder hwnnw. Dyma ein cyfle ni i sicrhau bod ein dwy iaith yn gyrru ein dyfodol—yn gymunedol, yn ddigidol, yn addysgol ac yn economaidd, a’r Gymraeg yn cyfrannu at greu Cymru hyderus, groesawgar, ddwy- ac aml-ieithog, a llewyrchus i ni i gyd. Diolch yn fawr.
Official English translation
The Welsh language belongs, in different ways, to all of us. As toddlers and teenagers, parents and grandparents. It belongs to the digital world and the real world. To Effi from Blaenau and Lloyd Lewis from Cwmbran. From Gwalchmai to Cardiff. Some 86 per cent of us believe the Welsh language is something to be proud of. And 82 per cent of those between 18 and 24 years of age say it’s important for children to learn Welsh. A fair opportunity for everyone to learn and enjoy Welsh—that’s the clear aspiration of the people of Wales, especially our young people. I’d like to thank, in this context, all those Members of the previous Senedd—many of you are here today—for voting unanimously to pass the Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025, giving a fair opportunity for every child in Wales to speak Welsh—an opportunity for us to go far beyond a million speakers over time. It’s high time we stopped seeing ourselves as 'Welsh speakers' and 'non-Welsh speakers'. We're all somewhere on the same journey, and everyone’s welcome. I’m the Minister responsible for the Welsh language, but it belongs to all of us, and it's a responsibility for us all as a Cabinet too. We do need to celebrate the fact that the Welsh language is still alive every day, but we’re fully aware of the size of the task ahead as well. These next few years are crucial. We know that the Welsh language and education Act must be implemented fully. And we know that we need—to borrow a slogan used by Cymdeithas yr Iaith over the weekend—to turn the tide on the ebb of the language in many of our communities. Reaching a million speakers and more and increasing everyday use at grass-roots level isn't going to be easy. As a Government, we have three main priorities. The first one: learning. I’ve been clear on how important it is to create coherent pathways in education. Along with the Deputy First Minister, I’ve started working with the early years sector, including Mudiad Meithrin, to expand Welsh-medium provision for our youngest children. Our childcare offer will be the most generous anywhere in the UK, and the Welsh language will be at its heart. A rapid review of the Welsh in education strategic plans is also under way. This will form the basis of the national framework for Welsh language education and learning Welsh, which will put each child’s next step on their journey on a solid strategic footing. I can confirm that this framework will clearly outline our commitment to ensuring that half of Wales's children will begin their school journey in Welsh-medium education by 2050. I, along with the Deputy Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education, want to make sure that our young people can continue to learn, to use, to work in and enjoy the Welsh language after 16 years of age as well. Secondly: our communities. We know that the situation is particularly urgent in some areas. We also know that the sustainability of higher density communities is essential to the Welsh language's future, and our public policies will reflect this in terms of economic policy, housing, town and country planning, social justice, health, culture and education. There’s no time to lose. In order to achieve this, we’ll use the powers that we already have to ensure that the Welsh language drives prosperity and empowers these communities now, and we'll look at all other legislative and non-legislative approaches to achieve our goals and maintain momentum. The work has started in order to collaborate with local authorities to determine how to designate the higher density areas, and I will be working closely with the Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning to facilitate this. By designating communities with a higher density of Welsh speakers, the aim isn't to create pockets of Welsh language; in fact, the opposite is the intention. Safeguarding communities of higher linguistic density is core to the work of supporting the Welsh language in every community, and we'll be taking steps in every part of Wales, and I'll be meeting with the chairs of the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities this week—tomorrow, really—to thank them for their work and to discuss their recommendations for the rest of Wales. I'm also working with the Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport to ensure a prominent place for Welsh in the culture strategy and to announce exciting plans in terms of sport and the digital world. And work will happen across every portfolio. It's so important, for example, to ensure that patients can access care in a language in which they feel comfortable. And the final priority is infrastructure, the foundations that support the language. We'll be proceeding to expand the Welsh language standards to new sectors, including UK Government bodies, and I've already met with the Welsh Language Commissioner to discuss that. And we've started considering legislation to protect place names, which are such an essential part of our identity. From ancient names to pioneering technology, we're leading the way. In Wales, for example, it's quite normal to have bilingual meetings. The new Cabinet is conducting bilingual meetings for the first time since devolution. And Wales is the first place in the world where bilingual transcription is possible in Microsoft Teams. I'm now writing to big tech companies to discuss the next steps, including work on AI. There's momentum, therefore, on all of our first 100 days commitments, and more. But Wales and the world are changing. Being able to be here today talking with such optimism about the Welsh language, with the support of the people of Wales, is one of our biggest success stories, perhaps, as a small nation on the world stage. I was fortunate enough recently to attend an event with international partners and to see how much interest there is amongst visitors from all over the world in Welsh. It strengthens cultural co-operation, and it is an asset, an advantage and a privilege as we look out to the world, and that is for every one of us and also entirely contrary to the views of some of our forebears, including some of my own. We'll set a clear direction of travel with a strong, cohesive new strategy for the Welsh language, and we will share this with you in the autumn. In the meantime, we must continue to act, so, over the summer, we'll be conducting 'a million and more' conversations with our partners to redefine the direction of travel, to stimulate creative co-operation and achieve our goals quickly. And as I mentioned, the future of the Welsh language depends on people as well as policy. So, this is a call to the people of Wales to use the Welsh that you have and to support one another at all times to learn and enjoy our language. There are challenges, but with more people learning Welsh than ever and an overall increase over a decade now in the number of children in year 1 in our Welsh-medium schools, I'm convinced that the momentum is unstoppable. I started this statement by mentioning my mother, who learned Welsh as an adult. May I end, tidily, by talking about my father, who believed that we haven't yet seen Wales in its fullness? And the same, it could be argued, is true of Welsh in modern Wales, but, together, we can make sure that we see that fullness. This is our opportunity to ensure that our two languages drive our future—in the community, digitally, in education and in the economy, and with the Welsh language contributing to making a welcoming, confident, bilingual and multilingual country for us all. Thank you.
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Diolch yn fawr am y sylwadau hynny, ac rwyf i'n credu nid yn unig bod gyda ni brofiadau yn ein teuluoedd o ran caffael iaith a'r Gymraeg yn mynd a dod dros y cenedlaethau, ond ŷn ni'n cytuno hefyd ar ei phwysigrwydd i Gymru, a hefyd ein perchnogaeth ohoni fel pobl, waeth bynnag faint o Gymraeg sydd gyda ni ar hyn o bryd. Fel roedd fy nghyn gydweithiwr, a bellach yn archdderwydd—dyw hwnna ddim yn frawddeg mae pob Senedd yn gallu ei chlywed bob dydd ar draws y byd—yn arfer dweud, 'Mae pawb ar y bilingualism bus', ac mae hwnna'n derbyn rhywfaint o Wenglish ar adegau wrth i bobl arfer yr iaith. Felly, byddwn i'n cytuno gyda hynny ac yn gresynu, braidd, fy mod i erioed wedi dod ar draws Silgwyn Weston, sy'n swnio'n dipyn o seren, mae'n rhaid cyfaddef. Sut byddwn ni yn egluro ac yn rhannu gyda'r Senedd hon mai cyfrifoldeb i'r Cabinet cyfan ydy hyn? Rŷn ni eisoes yn gweithio gyda'n gilydd i adnabod y blaenoriaethau—y gweithrediadau, os liciwch chi—ar draws pob portffolio sy'n berthnasol i'r Gymraeg, ac mi fyddwn ni wedyn yn adnabod pwy sy'n gyfrifol am y rheini. Y tebygrwydd yw mai fi fydd yn siarad â'r Senedd, gan mai fy nghyfrifoldeb i yw'r Gymraeg, ond mi fydd y meysydd polisi penodol hynny yn rhan fwriadus a gofalus o'r gwaith rŷn ni'n ei wneud, ac mae yna frwdfrydedd i wneud hynny, yn ogystal â gofyn. Mae mesur defnydd, fel rŷch chi'n sôn, yn llawn mor bwysig i ni ag yw cefnogi'r gwaith yn yr ysgolion, er enghraifft, a'r niferoedd parthed hynny. Ac rwy'n credu mai'r egwyddor sylfaenol rŷn ni'n gweithio arno fe yw na ddylai pobl orfod chwilio am gyfleoedd i ddefnyddio'r Gymraeg. Dyna, yn y bôn, yw neges yr ail gomisiwn ar yr iaith. Byddwn ni'n ymateb i hwnnw'n fwy ffurfiol dros y misoedd nesaf, ac yn sicr cyn diwedd y flwyddyn, ond mae'r argymhellion fanna wedyn yn cwmpasu pethau fel addysg blynyddoedd cynnar, ydyn, ond hefyd technoleg, gweithleoedd, chwaraeon, diwylliant, cynllunio, ymchwil, ac arweinyddiaeth yn ein cymunedau ni hefyd—felly, mae e lot ehangach nag addysg, er mor bwysig yw honna—a'n bod ni wedyn yn cynnal y defnydd hwnnw, a'n bod ni i gyd yn annog ein gilydd i ddefnyddio'r Gymraeg sydd gyda ni. Fel, mae'n rhaid i fi ddweud, rwyf wedi clywed ar draws y Siambr ac wrth fynd i'r lifft, a mynd i'r—. Mae mwy o Gymraeg i'w chlywed, a faint bynnag sydd gan bobl, ŷn ni'n frwd iawn i'w hannog nhw i'w defnyddio hi. Felly, diolch yn fawr iawn iddi.
Official English translation
Thank you very much for those comments, and I think not only do we have experiences in our families in terms of acquiring the Welsh language, and the Welsh language coming and going over generations, but we also agree on its importance to Wales, and also our ownership of the language as people, however much Welsh we have currently. As my former colleague, who is now the archdruid—that's not a sentence that every Parliament across the world will hear every day—used to say, 'Everybody's on the bilingualism bus', and that does accept some element of Wenglish as people learn and use the language. So, I would agree with that and regret a little that I've never come across Silgwyn Weston, who sounds quite a character and star. How will we explain and share with this Senedd that this is the responsibility of the whole Cabinet? We are already working together to identify the priorities—the actions, if you like—across every portfolio that are relevant to the Welsh language, and we will then be identifying who's responsible for those. The likelihood is that I will be speaking to the Senedd, because my responsibility is the Welsh language, but those specific policy areas will be an intentional and careful part of the work that we're doing, and there is enthusiasm to do that, as well as a requirement. Measuring the use of the language, as you mentioned, is as important to us as supporting the work in schools, for example, and the numbers in that regard. And I think the basic principle that we're working on is that people shouldn't have to look for opportunities to use the Welsh language. That, essentially, is the message of the second commission on the language. We will be responding to that more formally over the next few months, and certainly before the end of the year, but the recommendations there encompass things like early years education, yes, but also technology, workplaces, sport, culture, planning, research, and leadership in our communities as well—so, it's much broader than education, even though that is important—and that we then maintain that use, and we all encourage each other to use the Welsh that we have. As, I have to say, I've heard across the Chamber and going to the lift, and here and there—. There is more Welsh to be heard, and however much people have, we're very keen to encourage them to use it. So, thank you very much.
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Diolch yn fawr. Rwy'n gwerthfawrogi hefyd eich bod chi'n barod i'n cefnogi ni a'n gwthio ni, achos mae hwn, fel roeddwn i'n dweud yn y datganiad, yn gyfrifoldeb mae'n amlwg ein bod ni i gyd yn ei rannu, ac felly yn barod i weithio gyda'n gilydd. Mae'n bosib byddaf i ddim wedi nodi mor ofalus ag y gallwn i bob un o'r cwestiynau, ond rwy'n mynd i ymdrechu i wneud. Sonioch chi am lwyddiant Caerdydd, ac mae'n siŵr y byddwn i, a fe, yn wreiddiol o Geredigion, yn cydnabod efallai ein cyfraniad ni'n hunain at dyfu niferoedd y siaradwyr Cymraeg yn y brif ddinas. Ac roeddwn i'n ymddiddori'n fawr yn beth ddywedodd e amboutu ei fod e wedi cael sgyrsiau gyda phobl yn Nulyn am y llwyddiant hwnnw. Byddwn i'n fodlon datgan nawr, os oes yna wersi i'w dysgu o Gaerdydd, ac rwy'n gweld bod yna, byddwn i'n barod iawn i wneud hynny, ac efallai bod hwnna yn sgwrs gallwn ni ei chael hefyd ar wahân. Wedyn, ar y cymunedau dwysedd uchel, dwysedd uwch, rŷn ni wedi gwneud rhywfaint o waith ar hyn yn barod. Rŷn ni wedi dechrau cynllunio gydag awdurdodau lleol i weld siẁd i bennu a beth wedyn fydd yn dilyn o ran polisïau fyddai'n effeithio ar—. Rwy'n credu gwnaeth e sôn yn benodol am dai yn yr ardaloedd rheini, ac mae yna oblygiadau hefyd i'r portffolios economi a gwytnwch gwledig, er enghraifft. Felly, rŷn ni'n dechrau gwneud y gwaith manwl hwnnw, a byddwn ni yn dychwelyd at hynny oherwydd, fel dywedais i yn y datganiad, mae pob un o'r meysydd polisi—. Ac mae perthynas arbennig o agos yn hyn o beth gyda'r Gweinidog llywodraeth leol, tai a chynllunio. Y pwynt a wnaethpwyd am ofal plant a'r cynnig gofal plant, mae darparu gofal plant drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg yn amlwg yn flaenoriaeth—ddim yn flaenoriaeth, mae e'n greiddiol i siẁd ŷn ni wedi datblygu'r syniad am ofal plant. Rydym ni eisoes wedi bod yn siarad gyda Mudiad Meithrin am hynny. Dwi'n credu efallai fod hwnna'n darlunio unwaith eto nad ŷn ni'n ystyried y Gymraeg yn faes polisi y tu fas i bopeth arall, ond wedi ei wreiddio trwy bob peth. Mae e'n iawn hefyd i dynnu sylw at yr heriau sydd gyda ni o ran datblygu'r gweithlu. Mae yna gynllun yn ei le er hwyluso hynny, ond mi fydd angen gwaith manwl a hyrwyddo manwl i sicrhau ein bod ni'n cyrraedd y nod yn hynny o beth. Soniodd e hefyd am ddyblu defnydd, ac mae e'n iawn i feddwl, debyg iawn, ein bod ni wedi mynd i'r arfer o siarad yn gyson amboutu'r 1 filiwn o siaradwyr, ond efallai ddim yr ail gymal, sef dyblu defnydd. Dwi'n credu, yn arbennig yng nghyd-destun y comisiwn ar ardaloedd lle mae'r defnydd o'r Gymraeg yn is a chanolig, fod yna lot o syniadau pwysig y byddwn ni yn gweithio arnyn nhw i sicrhau ein bod ni yn symud ar hynny. Technoleg: mae gen i nifer o gyfarfodydd yn dod nawr. Dwi'n credu bod y Gymraeg ar flaen y gad yn trafod gyda chwmnïau technoleg. Mae e'n faes sydd yn gwbl newydd i fi o ran trafodaethau manwl gyda nhw, ond mae hwnna yn mynd i fod yn dilyn parodrwydd mwy nag efallai y byddai rhywun wedi'i ddisgwyl o ran y cwmnïau yma i weithio gyda ni o safbwynt darparu gwasanaethau yn Gymraeg. Siarad â'r undebau: byddwn ni wastad yn barod ac yn frwd i siarad a chael wrthyn nhw eu barn a'u harbenigedd ar siẁd mae gweithredu yn unol â beth sy'n amlwg yn ddyhead gan y Siambr hon. O ran cynllunio addysg ac ysgolion dros gyfnod a heriau demograffig, mae lot i'w drafod yn hynny o beth. Yn amlwg, ŷn ni'n edrych ar hyn o bryd ar adolygu cynlluniau Cymraeg mewn addysg a fydd yn edrych ar y twf yn y niferoedd. Ond mi fydd yna sgyrsiau ynglŷn ag i ba gyfeiriad mae niferoedd disgyblion yn mynd hefyd. Bydd hwnna yn ganolog i hynny. Dwi'n gobeithio fy mod i wedi sôn am y rhan fwyaf o bethau a gododd e, ond dwi'n hapus iawn i gael sgwrs bellach os ydw i wedi methu rhywbeth. Diolch yn fawr.
Official English translation
Thank you very much. I appreciate also the fact that you're willing to support us and push us, because this, as I said in the statement, is clearly a responsibility that we all share, and therefore are willing to work together. It's possible that I won't have noted as carefully as I could have each one of your questions, but I'm going to try and answer and address them. You mentioned the success of Cardiff, and I'm sure that I, and he, who is originally from Ceredigion, would acknowledge our own contribution to increasing the numbers of Welsh speakers in the capital city. And I was very interested in what he said about having conversations with people in Dublin regarding that success. I would be willing to state now that if there are lessons to be learned from Cardiff, and I see that there are, I would be very willing to do so, and perhaps that's a conversation we could also have. Then, on the high-density communities, the higher density communities, we have done some work on this already. We have started to plan with local authorities to see how to identify these and then what will follow in terms of policies that would affect—. I think he mentioned housing specifically in those areas, and there are implications also for the economy portfolio and rural resilience, for example. So, we are starting to do that detailed work, and we will be returning to that because, as I said in the statement, each one of those policy areas—. And there's a special relationship in this regard with the local government, housing and planning Minister. The point that was made with regard to childcare and the childcare offer, providing childcare through the medium of Welsh clearly is a priority—not a priority, it is at the core of how we've developed the idea of childcare. We've already been talking with Mudiad Meithrin about that. I think perhaps that illustrates once more that we don't consider the Welsh language as a policy area outside of everything else, but embedded in everything. He is right to draw attention to the challenges that we have in terms of developing the workforce. There is a plan in place to facilitate that, but there will be a need for detailed work and detailed promotion to reach that aim. He also mentioned about doubling the use of the language, and he's right to think that we've gone into the habit of talking about the 1 million Welsh speakers, but not that second phrase of doubling the use. I think, particularly in the context of the commission with regards to communities where there's lower density of Welsh spoken, there are many important things that we'll be working on to ensure that we move on that. Technology: I have a number of meetings coming up. I think the Welsh language is at the forefront in terms of being in discussion with technology companies. It is an area that is completely new to me in terms of detailed discussions with them, but it is going to be following on from the willingness that perhaps people wouldn't have expected in terms of these companies to work with us in terms of providing services through the medium of Welsh. In terms of speaking with unions, we would always be willing to speak to the unions and get their views and their expertise on how to act in terms of what is obviously an aspiration of this Chamber. In terms of planning education and schools over a period of time with demographic challenges, there's a lot to discuss in that regard. Obviously, we're looking currently at reviewing the Welsh in education strategic plans that will look at the growth in numbers. But there will be conversations regarding in which direction the numbers of pupils are going. That will also be central to that. I hope that I have covered most of the issues he raised, but I'm very happy to have a further conversation with him if I have missed something. Thank you very much.
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Diolch yn fawr iawn. Os caf i gymryd y cwestiynau tuag yn ôl, achos dwi ddim yn moyn colli'r cyfle i annog pawb i fynd i Eisteddfod y Garreg Las. Es i—roedd y Gweinidog Cabinet dros Gyllid yno hefyd—i Aberteifi yn ddiweddar, i un o'r dathliadau 850 o flynyddoedd ers yr Eisteddfod gyntaf, ac mae'n rhaid i fi gyfaddef, roedd e y peth mwyaf godidog a bonkers dwi wedi ei weld ers amser maith, a gwnaethom ni fwynhau yn arw. Roedd creadigrwydd ar ddangos ym mhob maes y gallwch chi ddychmygu—roedd yna ganu, roedd yna adrodd, roedd yna farddoni, roedd yna bypedau, roedd yna elfennau theatrig iawn iddo fe. A dwi wedi bod yn dymuno ers amser i wneud cais, os oes modd o gwbl, i ddatgan bod Eddie Ladd yn drysor cenedlaethol nawr; efallai mai dyma'r cyfle i ddweud hynny hefyd, achos roedd hi hefyd yn wych. Hefyd, rwy'n credu efallai bod hwn yn darlunio rhywbeth mwy difrifol, yn darlunio pa mor bwysig yw'r Gymraeg i ni achos, wrth gwrs, mae hi'n berfformwraig ryngwladol lwyddiannus iawn, ond yn dweud mai'r gynulleidfa o wal castell Aberteifi yw'r un bwysicaf iddi hyd at heddiw. Roeddwn i'n ymddiddori yn beth ddywedoch chi ynglŷn â'r Gymraeg yn y gweithle a'r syniad am hyrwyddwyr busnes. Mae gennym ni gynllun yn barod ar arweinyddiaeth ddwyieithog, ac mae'n bosibl bod yna rhyw sgwrs y gallwn ni ei chael i gyfuno'r ddau syniad hynny. Byddwn i'n hapus iawn i wneud hynny. Rwyf wedi bod yn y swydd ers cwpl o fisoedd yn unig, felly dechrau ar y gwaith ydw i ar hyn o bryd, yn enwedig ar yr elfennau technoleg a deallusrwydd artiffisial. Ond rwy’n ymgymryd yn frwd â’r sgyrsiau hynny. Pan fydd gyda fi fwy i’w rannu, byddwn i’n barod iawn i wneud hynny. O ran cymdeithasu yn y Gymraeg, mae’n mynd â fi nôl at y pwynt roeddwn i’n ei wneud bod yn rhaid inni greu amgylchedd lle nad yw pobl yn gorfod chwilio am gyfleoedd i ddefnyddio'r Gymraeg. Fel y sonioch chi, mae’r cyfleoedd sy'n cael eu cynnig drwy’r mentrau iaith yn allweddol i sicrhau bod y cyfleoedd yna ar gael. O ran ail gam y comisiwn, rŷn ni wrthi yn mynd trwy'r argymhellion hynny i gyd. Rwyf wedi ymrwymo i ymateb yn llawn erbyn diwedd y flwyddyn fan bellaf. Bydd ymateb i hwnnw hefyd yn golygu edrych ar oblygiadau ei roi ar waith o ran adnoddau o bob math. O ran datblygu'r gweithlu, roeddwn i’n falch eich bod chi wedi cyfeirio at Cwlwm, sy'n gwneud cyfraniad pwysig. Rwy’n credu hefyd ei bod yn ein hatgoffa ni i gyd bod yr athrofa yn mynd i fod ar waith o 2027, gyda rôl penodol o ran dysgu Cymraeg. Fe welais i nhw yn Tafwyl, fel mae’n digwydd, yn cyffroi yn fawr ynglŷn â'r niferoedd sydd erbyn hyn yn dod atyn nhw. Felly, diolch yn fawr am y cwestiynau hynny. Mae'n amlwg bod yna sgyrsiau pellach a chefnogaeth bellach y gallwn ni weithio arno.
Official English translation
Thank you very much. If I could take the questions back to front, because I don't want to miss the opportunity to encourage everybody to attend the National Eisteddfod, Eisteddfod y Garreg Las. I went to Cardigan recently—the Cabinet Minister for Finance was there too—to one of the 850-year celebrations since the first Eisteddfod, and I must admit that it was the most splendid and bonkers thing that I'd seen for a very long time, and we really enjoyed the experience. Creativity was exhibited in every area that you could imagine—there was singing, there was recitation, there was poetry, there was puppetry, and there were very theatrical elements to it. And I have been wanting for a very long time to make a request, if possible, to state that Eddie Ladd is a national treasure now; perhaps this is the opportunity to do so, because she was also excellent. Also, I think perhaps this illustrates something more serious, it illustrates how important the Welsh language is to us because, of course, she is a very successful international performer, but she says that the audience from the wall of Cardigan castle is the most important one for her to date. I was interested in what you said regarding the Welsh language in the workplace and this idea of business champions. We do have a scheme already on bilingual leadership, and it's possible that there's some conversation we could have to combine both ideas. I'd be very happy to have that conversation. I have been in post for only a couple of months, so I'm only just starting the work at the moment, particularly on the technology elements and artificial intelligence. But I am very enthusiastic about those conversations. When I have more to share, I'd be very happy to do so. In terms of socialising through the medium of Welsh, that takes me back to the point that I was making that we need to create the environment where people don't have to look for opportunities to use the Welsh language. As you mentioned, the opportunities provided through the mentrau iaith are key to ensure that those opportunities are available. On the second phase of the commission, we are going through those recommendations now. I have committed to respond fully by the end of the year at the latest. The response to that will also mean looking at the implications of implementing that in terms of resources of all kinds. On developing the workforce, I was pleased that you referred to Cwlwm, which is making an important contribution. I think it also reminds us all that the athrofa is going to be up and running from 2027, with a specific role in terms of learning Welsh. I saw them in Tafwyl, as it happens, and they are very excited about the numbers that are now coming through. So, thank you very much for those questions. It’s clear that there are further conversations and further support that we can work on.
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Diolch yn fawr. Yn amlwg, mae cryfhau hawliau siaradwyr Cymraeg a sicrhau bod mwy o gyfleoedd i bobl ddefnyddio'r Gymraeg yn bwysig i ni i gyd, ac mae'r safonau yn rhan o hynny. Rŷn ni'n gweithio ar estyn y safonau i ragor o gyrff a sectorau, ac yn edrych ar hyn o bryd ar y rhaglen waith parthed hynny. Rŷn ni wedi dechrau ystyried pa gamau bydd angen eu cymryd i estyn y safonau i'r sectorau sydd wedi'u cynnwys yn ein cynllun 100 diwrnod, ac wedyn bydd hwnna yn rhan cychwynnol o'r gwaith. Mae'r rhai o'r sectorau hynny eisoes wedi'u crybwyll ym Mesur y Gymraeg (Cymru) 2011, ond bydd angen edrych ar ychwanegu sectorau eraill cyn gallu gwneud safonau ar eu cyfer nhw. Mae'n debyg bod angen cydsyniad Ysgrifennydd Gwladol cyn gwneud safonau i Weinidogion y Goron, felly bydd angen gweithio ar hwnnw yn fuan hefyd. Rwyf hefyd yn frwd, yn dilyn fy sgwrs gyda Chomisiynydd y Gymraeg, ein bod ni'n edrych ar y gwasanaethau mae unigolion yn cael mynediad atyn nhw. Mae ystod ohonyn nhw, ac ar hyn o bryd dyw’r safonau ddim wastad yn gyson, felly dyw pobl ddim wastad yn gwybod beth yw eu hawliau yn y meysydd gwahanol. Rwy'n credu bod hwnna'n rhywbeth mae eisiau delio ag ef ar fyrder.
Official English translation
Thank you very much. Clearly, strengthening the rights of Welsh speakers and ensuring that there are more opportunities for people to use the Welsh language is important to us all, and these standards are part of that. We are working at extending the standards to other sectors and bodies, and we are currently looking at the work programme in relation to that. We've started to consider what steps will need to be taken in order to extend standards to those sectors that are included in our 100-day plan, and then that will be an initial part of the work. Some of those sectors are already mentioned in the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, but we will need to look at adding other sectors before we can draw up standards for them. It seems that we need Secretary of State consent before making standards for Ministers of the Crown, so we will need to work on that, too. I'm also enthusiastic, following my conversation with the Welsh Language Commissioner, that we should look at the services that individuals access. There is a range of them, and at the moment these standards aren't always consistent, so people don't always know what their rights are in different areas. I do think that that is something that we need to address as a matter of urgency.
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Diolch yn fawr. I can assure her that access, because this is a particularly key demographic post 16, and their access to educational opportunity through the medium of Welsh, but also the opportunities to use their Welsh—. I'd be very interested in looking at the work that she has done previously around learner travel. I'm already having discussions and prioritising this area with my colleague the Deputy Minister for Transport. I know that the Deputy Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education is focusing very clearly on this too. So while it may have been fleeting in my statement, it isn't fleeting in the programme of work that we have before us.
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Diolch yn fawr iawn am y cwestiwn. Rôn i'n gwybod y byddai'r Aelod yn diddori yn hanes Merthyr a chyd-destun ieithyddol Merthyr, felly es i ati i wneud rhywfaint o ymchwil a darganfod bod Merthyr yn y bedwaredd ganrif ar bymtheg yn ferw o ddiwylliant y Gymraeg. Felly, dwi'n ei llongyfarch hi a phobl Merthyr yn ehangach am y gwaith maen nhw wedi'i wneud i adfer y berw hwnnw dros y blynyddoedd diweddar. O ran y gwaith, mi fydd hi'n diddori'n arbennig, rwy'n siŵr, yn ein hymateb ni i'r ail gomisiwn ar ardaloedd o ddwysedd is a chanolig, a'r sgwrs dwi'n ei chael yfory gydag awduron y comisiynau hynny. Mae yna elfennau, fel rôn i'n sôn, lle rŷn ni'n moyn ffocysu yn benodol, a'r rheini yw addysg a blynyddoedd cynnar, technoleg, gweithleoedd, chwaraeon a diwylliant, ac arweinyddiaeth leol hefyd. Ond rwy'n credu y byddwn i hefyd eisiau gweithio'n ofalus gyda'r mentrau iaith lleol—cyfeiriodd rhywun arall at y rheini; mae modelau gwahanol gyda ni ar draws Cymru—ac wedyn mudiad sydd yn dod â'r arbenigedd yna at ei gilydd. Ac felly, wrth ymateb i'r comisiwn a rhoi cynlluniau yn eu lle, byddwn i'n frwd iawn i dynnu ar ei harbenigedd hi a'r mentrau iaith yn ehangach i hwyluso hynny.
Official English translation
Thank you very much for that question. I knew that the Member would take a great interest in the history of Merthyr and the linguistic context there. I did some research and I found that Merthyr in the nineteenth century was alive with Welsh language culture. So, I congratulate her and the people of Merthyr more broadly for the work that they have done to restore that cultural vibrancy in recent years. In terms of the work, she will be particularly interested, I'm sure, in our response to the second commission on areas of lower and medium-density Welsh speakers, and the conversation I'll have tomorrow with the authors of those commissions' reports. There are elements, as I mentioned, where we want to focus specifically, and those include education and early years, technology, workplaces, sport and culture, and local leadership too. But I do think that we would also want to work closely with the mentrau iaith at a local level—someone else mentioned those; there are different models across Wales—and then an overarching organisation bringing together all of that expertise. So, in responding to the commission and putting plans in place, we would be very enthusiastic about drawing on her expertise and the mentrau iaith more broadly to facilitate that.
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Diolch yn fawr iawn. Rydw i wastad yn croesawu'r cyfle i siarad am Bowys. Roeddwn yn arfer tynnu coes rhagflaenydd yr Aelod, gan ddweud mai cyfandir, nid etholaeth, oedd Powys. Dyna oedd rhywun yn ei deimlo wrth yrru o’r gwaelod i’r top. Rwy’n falch iawn i glywed am y cynnydd sydd yna ym Mhowys o ran ysgolion, yn enwedig yr ysgolion pob oed. Rwy’n credu bod y rheini’n ddatblygiad diddorol yn y cyd-destun hwn. Beth gallaf ei ddweud wrthi ar hyn o bryd yw y byddwn ni, wrth edrych ar y comisiynau yma a’r argymhellion, yn edrych yn fanwl ar eu heffaith nhw ar gymunedau a datblygu’r Gymraeg ym mhob rhan o Gymru. Dyna’r pwynt a’r bwriad. Wedyn, byddwn yn edrych ar beth yw goblygiadau hynny o ran adnoddau, i gael y maen i’r wal ym Mhowys ac ym mhob man.
Official English translation
Thank you very much. I always welcome the opportunity to talk about Powys. I used the pull the leg of the Member's predecessor by saying that Powys was a continent and not a constituency. It certainly felt that way when driving from the bottom to the top of the county. I'm very pleased to hear about the progress that's being made in Powys in relation to schools, particularly the through schools. I do think that this is an interesting development in this context. What I can tell her at the moment is that, in looking at the recommendations of the commission, we will be looking in detail at their impact on communities and developing the Welsh language in all parts of Wales. That's the point and that's the intention. Then, we will look at the implications of that in relation to resources, so that we can deliver in Powys and elsewhere.
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Diolch yn fawr. Rwy'n gallu clywed y rhwystredigaeth a'r rhuglder yn y cwestiwn hwnnw. O safbwynt dysgu'r Gymraeg o fewn ein hysgolion ni, rŷn ni'n mynd ati i edrych yn ofalus ar gynyddu'r nifer o ddisgyblion sydd yn cael mynediad at addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg, a'r targed hwnnw o 50 y cant ym mlwyddyn un erbyn 2050. Ond rydym hefyd yn atgyfnerthu'r Gymraeg yn ein hysgolion drwyddi draw, a fydd yn mynd i'r afael, rwy'n credu, â pheth o'r rhwystredigaeth yr oedd yr Aelod yn sôn amdani yn ei chwestiynau hi. Hefyd, mae’n bwysig ffocysu ar y gefnogaeth sydd ar gael i ddysgwyr sy'n oedolion. Rŷn ni'n gweithio gyda'r ganolfan, a fydd yn dyfod yn athrofa y flwyddyn nesaf, i sicrhau bod cymaint o bobl â phosib yn gallu cael mynediad at wersi Cymraeg di-dâl, sef y pwynt arall yr oedd yr Aelod yn ei wneud. Mae'r rhaglen waith yn cynnig hyfforddiant amrywiol a hyblyg iawn hefyd. Mae'n bwysig cofio bod nifer ohonom ni yn gwybod am bobl sydd yn manteisio ar gyfleoedd mewn gweithleoedd ar draws Cymru hefyd i ddysgu Cymraeg. Mae mwy o waith i'w wneud, ond rwy'n credu—neu'n gobeithio, beth bynnag—ein bod ni'n darlunio pwysigrwydd gwneud y gwaith hwn, a'n hawydd ni i symud yn gyflym i'w gyflawni.
Official English translation
Thank you very much. I can hear the frustration and the fluency in the question there. In terms of learning Welsh in our schools, we are looking closely and carefully at increasing the number of pupils who have access to Welsh-medium education, and that target of 50 per cent in year one by 2050. But also, we are strengthening the Welsh language throughout our schools, which will address some of the frustration that the Member mentioned there. Also, it is important to focus on the support available to adult learners. We are working with the centre, which will become the athrofa next year, to ensure that as many people as possible have access to Welsh lessons that are free, which is the point that the Member was making there. The programme of work offers very flexible and varied training. It's important to remember that a number of us know of people who take advantage of opportunities in workplaces across Wales to learn Welsh. There's more work to be done, but I think—or I hope, anyway—that we are illustrating the importance of doing this work and our aspiration and desire to move swiftly on this.
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Our 100-day plan will tackle the root causes of behavioural challenges, including attendance, well-being and wider needs, through a co-ordinated, whole-system approach. By enabling early intervention and aligning support services, our approach will enhance learning environments, boost engagement and attainment, while reducing workforce pressures and building confidence and well-being.
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As I mentioned in my earlier answer, we are working on a national framework around these issues. Every learner has the right to feel safe and know they belong in a school, are able to attend, participate and achieve. The same is true of members of staff, and ensuring the safety and well-being of our school workforce is equally a priority for us. As part of this, we will be looking in detail at how incidents are managed and reported to understand the issues we are facing in significant detail. We are also working, as he may already know, with the four police forces across Wales and the pan-Wales weapons in schools programme to strengthen preventative approaches, intelligence sharing and early intervention to support safer, more positive behaviour across schools. And it's worth reiterating again that it is a criminal offence to carry a knife in a school.
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Thank you. I think the points that you have raised there are exactly the reasons why this programme will look at well-being, attendance and wider needs through a co-ordinated whole-system approach. She touches on ALN; that is a wider issue in our system, and that's precisely why we want to bring all of these areas together and to recognise the barriers to learning that are part of this area of concern for us. That's why we have framed our response in this way.
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Rwyf am weld y Gymraeg yn perthyn i bawb yn Afan Ogwr Rhondda—bod modd cael mynediad i'r Gymraeg, defnyddio'r Gymraeg a sicrhau mynediad teg at addysg Gymraeg, a chydweithio â phartneriaid lleol. Byddaf i hefyd yn ymateb i adroddiad ail gam y Comisiwn Cymunedau Cymraeg erbyn diwedd y flwyddyn.
Official English translation
I want the Welsh language to belong to everyone in Afan Ogwr Rhondda. I want there to be access to the Welsh language, opportunity to use the Welsh language, and fair access to Welsh-medium education, working together with local partners. I will also respond to the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities' second phase report by the end of the year.
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Diolch yn fawr. Rwyf wedi gwneud nodyn i fy hunan i lawrlwytho’r ap ar ôl y sesiwn hon. Rwyf yn croesawu'r cyfle i siarad am bwysigrwydd ei gwneud hi'n hawdd ac yn hwylus i ddod o hyd i gyfleoedd yn lleol i siarad Cymraeg bob dydd. Mae hwn yn cyd-fynd â’r hyn rydym ni'n moyn ei gweld fel rhan o ‘Cymraeg 2050’. Fe wnaf i ofyn i fy swyddogion hefyd edrych ar yr ap arbennig hwn ac ystyried beth rŷn ni'n gallu ei ddysgu o'i ddefnydd e. Mae'n bwysig hefyd nodi bod y Comisiwn Cymunedau Cymraeg hefyd yn annog a phwysleisio cyfleoedd HAPUS i ddefnyddio'r Gymraeg—hynny yw, hawdd, amserol, pleserus a sbort. Byddwn yn hanner amau fod y ddau air olaf yna yr un peth, mewn gwirionedd, ond mae’n acronym da, achos rŷn ni'n moyn i bobl fwynhau'r profiad o ddefnyddio'r Gymraeg yn eu cymunedau a chael mynediad rhwydd i'r cyfleoedd hynny. Felly, fe fyddaf i yn edrych ar yr ap yn rhan o hynny. Ond rwyf hefyd, rwy'n credu, yn moyn pwysleisio ein bod ni'n moyn sicrhau bod y Gymraeg wirioneddol yn perthyn i ni i gyd, ac nad slogan yw hwnna, ond rhywbeth fydd yn teimlo fel realiti bob dydd, dim ots ble yng Nghymru rŷch chi'n byw. A dyna pam rŷn ni eisoes wedi dechrau cynnal adolygiad, er enghraifft, o'r pethau sydd yn rhwystro mynediad teg at addysg Gymraeg, a dyna pam hefyd ein bod ni wedi mynd ati mor fwriadus a'n bod mor benderfynol taw gwaith trawslywodraethol yw hwn sy'n perthyn i ni i gyd fel Llywodraeth, fel y mae e i bawb yng Nghymru.
Official English translation
Thank you very much. I've made a note to download that app, and I'll do so after this session. I do welcome the opportunity to talk about the importance of making it easy and accessible to find opportunities locally to use the Welsh language on a daily basis. This of course aligns with what we want to see as part of ‘Cymraeg 2050’. I will also ask my officials to look at that particular app and to consider any lessons that we can learn from it. It's also important to note that the Commission for Welsh-Speaking Communities is encouraging and emphasising fun opportunities to use the Welsh language, ones that are easy and pleasurable for people to use. HAPUS is a good acronym in Welsh, because we want people to enjoy the experience of using the Welsh language in their communities and have easy access to those opportunities. So, I will look at the app as part of that. But I also want to emphasise, I think, that we do want to ensure that the Welsh language truly belongs to us all, and that that isn't just a slogan, but something that will feel like a lived reality, wherever in Wales you happen to live. And that is why we have already started to conduct a review, for example, into barriers to fair access to Welsh-medium education, and that is why, too, we have been so determined that this work is cross-governmental and that it belongs to us all as a Government, as it belongs to everyone in Wales.
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Diolch yn fawr. I'm glad that he too respects the Welsh language and its place in our national life. I too am keen that every Welsh pound delivers value for the people of Wales, and that's why we have committed to making sure that learners in our country can access the Welsh language, become bilingual learners, leave school able to use Welsh. That's why too we're looking at opportunities to build the rural economy, to offer jobs in communities where people can use their Welsh. That is part and parcel of it being yn perthyn i ni i gyd—it belongs to us all. And I would invite him as well to look at some of the statistics I've been looking at about the support that there is in Welsh communities for those opportunities to learn Welsh, and to use it and to value it, particularly amongst young people aged 18-24. This is at around 80 per cent to 85 per cent. We are building for the future here, respecting our language and making sure it can be used everywhere.
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Retention—you are quite right, retention is a key issue for us, and it will be the focus of a lot of our work. Recruitment tends to be the thing that gains the headlines. Retention is also crucially important. I agree with her that it does vary at the moment, which is why we are working so closely with partners in schools and local authorities to develop a framework that works and builds on what has been effective practice in schools across Wales. I agree with her too that every student has the right to feel safe at school, as I was saying earlier on, and equally that the workforce needs to feel safe at work. These are considerations that will feed into our framework. I am willing to look at anything that makes this work. At the moment, we are looking at this framework, because we do have good practice and good knowledge and good research to build on, and that's where I'm determined to start.
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Diolch. As I said at the time that we launched an intention to issue guidance and consultation on this, I am keen that all headteachers hear that I will support them if they want to introduce restrictions on the use of mobile phones, including restrictions across the school site. And if, after we have issued this guidance, we find that we need to go further and need to legislate, I'm also willing to look at that. I think there are some restrictions, particularly around monitoring medical conditions and that kind of thing, where we need to be sure that we don't close off that option. So, as we issue that guidance and consult on that guidance, I'd welcome feedback from schools, but I think the starting point for me was that there wasn't guidance, there wasn't consistency, there wasn't a clear national message, and now there is.
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Our manifesto commitment is quite explicit that, in this Senedd, we will introduce a library in all primary schools, but I'm glad that my fellow Member, whoever that was, has an ambition also to include this in secondary schools. Because one of the key things, particularly around reading, that we have to make sure is that there is joy in it and that an ability to follow your delight in terms of reading, if you like, transfers particularly from year 6 in primary school to year 7 in secondary school. So, it's an interesting idea that I'm looking forward to discussing further.
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Diolch yn fawr. I don't think she should consider my remarks as some antipathy towards the idea of counselling in schools, but I am keen, as a very new Minister, to understand in detail the implications of the work that I am doing. And I'm focusing, in the first instance, as you'd expect, on the first 100 days' priorities, which is not to indicate at all that mental health, particularly of young people—. And I wish her well in completing that qualification—more school councillors, I think, is what we would all like to see. But mental health is a key part, too, of the behaviour framework I was mentioning earlier on. These things come as a group of issues we need to deal with in a thoughtful manner. And building on the well-being framework that I know has been well received in schools is something that I want to look at. Diolch yn fawr.
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Thank you. And I have had a number of—. Oh, they're not there. I have had a number of meetings, particularly with both Deputy Ministers involved in health. And this is an area that I'm interested in pursuing. I'm also particularly interested in looking at some of the models at a local authority level, where there has been a determined and careful effort to bring together education services and social services, and health services, to look in the round at what individual learners and schools need. I think there's a lot to build on there, which plays very well, I think, in this area of concern for her, and, I know, for schools, parents and learners across the country as well.
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Diolch. Improving educational outcomes in Sir Gaerfyrddin, and, indeed, in every school across Wales, is a core mission of this Government. Our new literacy and numeracy plan will provide clarity on what children should learn and when, strengthening progression across the system.
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I think one key part of this is the way we tend to talk about teaching. I tend to say it is the most important job that anybody can enter into in our society. If more of us talked in those terms of teachers, I think the environment in which people made their career choices might well change. That isn't to say that there aren't challenges, particularly post COVID, in our schools, around well-being, around ALN, behaviour and workload. Now, these are all issues that are priority areas for us. We've made some announcements already in relation to our 100-day plan. I've had several meetings with unions over the last few days, and acknowledged that we have been talking particularly about workload for a very long time. I think these issues are so interconnected that we all have to understand the various elements that contribute to a profession people want to join and stay in, and those things that are a disincentive for so doing, and being honest about those and tackling them. But I think a very good step would be to acknowledge the importance of teachers in our society.
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We are progressing the development of a new foundational literacy and numeracy plan in line with our commitment. I will issue a statement on the plan and timelines before the end of the school term. I will also write to schools, settings and local authorities to update them.
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Diolch for the question. I think, as I said in my original statement around my priorities, this is a problem that isn't with our learners. Our learners are able to achieve and have potential comparable to anywhere in the world. It isn't the lack of a willing workforce either. It is, I think, a lack of understanding of the expectations around progression in literacy and numeracy, and that's precisely why we are introducing this literacy and numeracy foundational plan. We need to understand the skills and aptitudes that learners have when they enter the school system. We need to understand how to support them to achieve as we would like them to throughout that journey, and that is what this plan is designed to do. We are working on the detail now. I think the Member is asking for speed. I think, on day two as Minister, I wrote to schools saying, 'We are working on this plan now. We will update you by the end of the summer term and the framework will be introduced in the autumn.' I hope that reassures him that we are working, as we are fond to say, at pace.
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I think that is a fair point. There's a lot of expertise in the system and in Wales to support learners with their reading. I would refer back also to my earlier answer about the understanding, as learners embark on their career at school, to understand at that point what they need and how we can ensure their progress in reading but also in the wider skills that they will need.
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Diolch yn fawr. Learning about the climate and nature emergency is mandatory, giving children a strong platform to learn about nature, biodiversity and the environment. Nine out of 10 schools in Wales take part in the Eco-Schools programme, helping to provide rich, outdoor and locally relevant learning experiences to learners across Wales.
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Diolch yn fawr, and I think the Member makes a very persuasive argument for Wales being the best location, potentially, for an open-air classroom anywhere in the world. It is an interesting development around that GCSE in England, and I agree that young people need to develop an appreciation and understanding of their local environment and that we need to think of that in the context of practical skills and scientific understanding and environmental awareness that will support the kinds of jobs that the Minister for enterprise, infrastructure and connectivity laid out earlier on. There's an interesting link there—. And he's not there now, so, if I got the title the wrong way around, it doesn't matter. [Laughter.] But there is a valuable link there as well to our economic plans and prospects. So, I would say, though, that the opportunities for learners to engage with the natural world, sustainability and climate change issues are already embedded across the Curriculum for Wales and find expression in our GCSE geography and sciences GCSEs. While these qualifications are kept under constant review, and that conversation is one that I'd happily have with him, I am also keen that these crucial considerations, this crucial knowledge, both for the future of the planet and for the future of the economy, are also present in the wider curriculum and not just housed in one part of it.
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Diolch yn fawr am araith ddiddorol iawn. Doeddwn i ddim yn disgwyl cwpla heddiw yn trafod 'Canu Heledd', ond gallaf i ddim dweud wrthot ti faint o bleser mae e wedi rhoi i fi i ddarganfod mai hynny sydd wedi digwydd. Ond bydd yn rhaid iddo fe ddisgwyl gwrthwynebiad brwd wrth Aelod etholedig dros Gaerdydd os ydyw e'n moyn ein herio ni am statws prifddinas Cymru. [Chwerthin.] Mae yna bethau diddorol iawn wedi cael eu codi yn fanna, ac fel rŷn ni'n dweud yn gyson—a dwi'n credu bod hwn yn un o'r cyfleoedd mwyaf pendant i ategu hynny eto—mae'r Gymraeg yn perthyn i ni i gyd, gan gynnwys pobl Syswallt, o bosib, a chan gynnwys, yn sicr, y plant a'r rhieni sy'n byw ar hyd pob rhan o'r ffin sy'n dymuno dysgu a mwynhau'r iaith. Ac mae'r cyfeiriadau at 'diriogaeth draddodiadol' yn rhywbeth rwy'n credu y byddaf i'n dychwelyd ato fe, i edrych arno fe. Mae hwnna'n ddiddorol yn ei hunan. Ac mae'r cyfeiriad at y Cylch Ti a Fi o dan arweiniad y Mudiad Meithrin yn nhre Croesoswallt yn sir Amwythig yn dangos yn glir nad rhywbeth hanesyddol yn unig mo'r gydberthynas hon, ond rhywbeth sy'n parhau i fod yn beth byw iawn heddiw hefyd. Ac rwy'n falch, fel y soniaist ti, fod y Comisiwn Cymunedau Cymraeg yn ymweld â Chroesoswallt yr wythnos nesaf er mwyn archwilio'r cymunedau Cymraeg hynny sy'n byw tu fas i Gymru a sut y gallwn ni ddod â'r egni a'r brwdfrydedd hwnnw a manteisio arno fe er budd y Gymraeg a dyfodol Cymru. Ac fe fydd e'n diddori hefyd fy mod i'n cwrdd yn fuan gydag awduron y comisiwn i drafod rhai o'r elfennau yma ymhellach.
Official English translation
Thank you very much for a very interesting contribution. I hadn't intended to finish today discussing 'The Songs of Heledd', but I can't tell you how much pleasure it's given me to discover that that is actually the case. But he will have to expect real opposition from an elected Member from Cardiff if he wants to challenge us for the status of the capital city of Wales. [Laughter.] There have been some very interesting points raised there, and as we say regularly—and I think that this is a clear opportunity to echo that once again—the Welsh language does belong to us all, including the people of Oswestry, or Syswallt, as you called it, including, certainly, those children and parents who live along all parts of our border who wish to learn and enjoy the language. And the references to 'traditional territories' is something that I will return to and will look at. That's interesting in and of itself. And the reference to the Cylch Ti a Fi run by Mudiad Meithrin in Oswestry in Shropshire shows clearly that this is not just a historical issue, but that this relationship continues and is very much alive today. And I am pleased, as you mentioned, that the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities will be visiting Oswestry next week to look at those Welsh-speaking communities outside of Wales and how we can bring that energy and enthusiasm and to benefit from it for the benefit of the Welsh language and the future of Wales. And it will interest him too that I will be meeting with the authors of the commission's reports shortly to discuss these issues further.
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Diolch hefyd am gyfeirio at Eisteddfod Maldwyn Meirionnydd yn 2027. Rwy'n bersonol—ac rwy'n siŵr bod eraill hefyd—yn edrych ymlaen yn fawr at fynychu dathliadau 850 mlynedd o'r Eisteddfod dros yr wythnosau nesaf yma. Ac rwy'n credu fy mod i wedi cytuno i ddilyn yr Arglwydd Rhys i rywle fel rhan o'r dathliadau hynny. Ac fel pob Eisteddfod, bydd Eisteddfod 2027 yn gyfle arall i groesawu pobl o bob rhan o Gymru a thu hwnt i ddathlu creadigrwydd Cymru ar ei orau ac adeiladu cydberthnasau newydd ar hyd ac ar draws y ffin, a chreu gwaddol ar gyfer dyfodol cadarnach ar gyfer y Gymraeg ymhob rhan o dalaith Powys. Dydy e ddim yn dweud 'talaith' yn yr araith, gyda llaw—fi sy'n teimlo hynny bob tro rwy'n gyrru trwyddi hi. Mae hyn oll eto yn adlewyrchu pa mor ddwfn mae'r Gymraeg wedi ymwreiddio yn yr ardal bwysig hon, ac yn rhan, felly, o'i dyfodol. Ac mae rhoi cyfle teg i blant a phobl ifanc gael yr addysg orau posibl, a thrwy hynny ddysgu a mwynhau'r Gymraeg, ar hyd y ffin a thrwy Gymru gyfan, yn flaenoriaeth greiddiol i ni fel Llywodraeth, fel mae sawl un ohonom ni wedi cyfeirio ato fe yn areithiau'r wythnosau diwethaf yma. A dyna pam mae'r Llywodraeth hon wedi gwneud addysg yn flaenoriaeth genedlaethol a rhoi'r Gymraeg wrth galon y portffolio hwnnw. Rŷn ni'n dymuno sicrhau cyfle teg at addysg Gymraeg a llwybr addysgol cryf, clir a dirwystr o'r blynyddoedd cynharaf at addysg bellach, uwch a gydol oes. Ac mae codi safonau yn ein hysgolion a sicrhau'r amodau gorau ar gyfer dysgu ac addysgu yn eithriadol o bwysig i ni. Gwnes i gyfeirio ar y dechrau bod y Gymraeg yn perthyn i ni i gyd, ac mae honno yn egwyddor sydd wedi'i sefydlu yn gadarn erbyn hyn, ac mae'r Llywodraeth hon am weithredu i sicrhau mai dyna'r realiti ymhob cwr o Gymru. Mae arolwg diweddar, ac rwy'n credu ei bod hi'n bwysig inni gyfeirio at hyn, yn gyson yn dangos bod 82 y cant o bobl Cymru sydd rhwng 18 a 24 mlwydd oed yn cefnogi'r ymdrechion i sicrhau bod plant yng Nghymru yn cael dysgu Cymraeg, ac felly mae angen inni weithredu ar hynny. Ac fel mae'r Aelod yn gwybod, mae Powys, fel pob sir arall yng Nghymru, yn gweithredu cynllun strategol Cymraeg mewn addysg—CSCA i'w garedigion—a cafodd y disgwyliadau cenedlaethol eu cryfhau yn dilyn adolygiad brys o'r cynlluniau yma nôl yn 2017, cam sydd wedi gyrru ymddygiad a phenderfyniadau polisi gwell, ac mae arwyddion o hynny yn sicr i'w gweld ym Mhowys. Mae'r sir wedi gweld cynnydd o ychydig dros 2 y cant hyd yn hyn mewn addysg Gymraeg ers dechrau gweithredu eu cynllun strategol nhw, sy'n adlewyrchu'r hyn sydd i'w weld ar draws Cymru. Cafodd Ysgol Pennant, Pen-y-bont-fawr, fuddsoddiad i estyn yr ysgol a chynyddu darpariaeth cyfrwng Cymraeg, a chafodd Ysgol Gymraeg y Trallwng fuddsoddiad i adeiladu ysgol newydd ar leoliad mwy, i alluogi'r ysgol honno i dyfu. Ac mae'r niferoedd wedi cynyddu'n sylweddol ers hynny, ac mae cynlluniau i estyn yr ysgol ymhellach i ateb galw brwd am addysg Gymraeg yn yr ardal yna. Ac mae nifer o ddatblygiadau eraill ar droed ym Mhowys hefyd, fel y bydd e'n gwybod yn iawn, megis yr ysgol newydd ym Mhontsenni, Ysgol Calon Cymru yn Llanfair-ym-Muallt, a Bro Hyddgen ym Machynlleth, ac mae gan y sir hefyd ddwy ganolfan drochi hwyr erbyn hyn sy'n cynnig llwybr ychwanegol i ddysgwyr gael mynediad at addysg Gymraeg. Ac mae'r cyngor sir wedi cymryd safiad i sicrhau y bydd addysg uwchradd cyfrwng Cymraeg ar gael ym mhob rhan o'r sir, gydag Ysgol Bro Hyddgen, Ysgol Bro Caereinion ac Ysgol Calon Cymru oll ar siwrnai i drosi i fod yn ysgolion cyfrwng Cymraeg. Mae'n bwysig dathlu'r llwyddiannau yma a chefnogi’r momentwm a gweithio gyda'n gilydd i wneud cynnydd pellach. Ond mae yna rwystrau hefyd yn y system, ac mae'n rhaid i ni ddeall yn well beth sydd wrth wraidd y rhwystrau hynny. Rŷn ni wedi ymrwymo, fel rhan o'n cynllun 100 diwrnod cyntaf, i gynnal adolygiad brys o'r cynlluniau strategol Cymraeg mewn addysg, yn cynnwys un Powys, ac mae'r gwaith hwnnw yn digwydd ar hyn o bryd. A bydd yr Aelod yn falch iawn o glywed mai ein bwriad yw ystyried materion cludiant a'r Gymraeg, gan gysylltu gyda'n hymrwymiad fel Llywodraeth i gynnal adolygiad brys o Fesur Teithio gan Ddysgwyr (Cymru) 2008. Ac mae'r trafodaethau gydag adran y Dirprwy Weinidog dros Drafnidiaeth wedi dechrau eisoes. Hoffwn i gadarnhau hefyd i'r Aelod ein hymrwymiad i drafod y mater y mae e wedi'i godi heddiw gyda Chyngor Sir Powys. Rwy'n gwybod ei fod eisoes mewn trafodaethau gyda chyngor swydd Amwythig. Felly, fel mae'r Aelod wedi nodi, mae yna deuluoedd o Gymru sydd yn byw ar y ffin sy'n dymuno addysg Gymraeg i'w plant, ac fe ddylai hynny fod yn bosibl. Rŷn ni a'r sir yn gytûn bod angen dod o hyd i ddatrysiad cynaliadwy i ddysgwyr ar y ffin sydd am gael mynediad i ysgolion Cymraeg, ac mae hyn yn cynnwys dysgwyr dros y ffin hefyd, os ydyn nhw'n dymuno dysgu'r Gymraeg yng Nghymru a bod lle iddynt, wrth gwrs, yn yr ysgolion lleol. Felly, bydd yr adolygiad o'r cynlluniau strategol Cymraeg mewn addysg, sydd yn ein cynllun 100 diwrnod, yn ystyried y mater yma, ac yn cyfrannu'n fwy cyffredinol at ein gwaith strategol, hirdymor i wireddu Deddf y Gymraeg ac Addysg (Cymru) 2025, a bydd yn sicrhau cyfle teg i gael addysg Gymraeg. Ac mae hynny'n cynnwys mwy o gyfleoedd i ddysgu Cymraeg hefyd, wrth gwrs, mewn ysgolion Saesneg a dwy iaith, ac rŷn ni hefyd wedi rhannu uchelgais i sicrhau cyfle i hanner plant Cymru fynychu ysgolion cyfrwng Cymraeg erbyn 2050. Mae yna heriau, ond yr hyn sy'n fy nghalonogi i, a'r Aelod hefyd, gobeithio, yw clywed am y negeseuon sydd eisoes yn dod oddi wrth awdurdodau lleol ac ysgolion. Mae'r rhai rhwystrau systemig, oes, ac mae yna gyfleoedd weithiau'n cael eu colli, ond mae yna awydd i wneud y Gymraeg yn well, fel y dywedwyd wrth rai o'n swyddogion ni oedd yn ymwneud â hyn—pobl mewn ysgolion cyfrwng Saesneg ar hyn o bryd oedd yn dymuno i hyn ddigwydd. Mae dathlu cynnydd yng ngallu dysgwyr yn y Gymraeg yn rhywbeth lle mae yna rannu ar draws Cymru, ac mae'n wych clywed bod hynny'n wir ar draws yr ochr arall i'r ffin hefyd. Mae gyda ni waith i wneud, does dim amheuaeth i gael am hynny, ond beth rwyf eisoes wedi dechrau ei weld yw, gydag uchelgais gyffredin rŷn ni wedi'i gyfleu yma heddiw a dros yr wythnosau diwethaf, fod yna awydd i gydweithio ar draws Cymru â chefnogaeth briodol. Felly, mae gweithredu yn bosibl os ydyn ni'n ei wneud e gyda'n gilydd er gwell. Diolch yn fawr.
Official English translation
Thank you for also referring to the Maldwyn Meirionnydd Eisteddfod in 2027. I am personally—and I'm sure others are too—very much looking forward to attending the eight hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Eisteddfod over the next few weeks. And I think that I have agreed to follow Lord Rhys somewhere as part of those celebrations. And like every Eisteddfod, the 2027 Eisteddfod will be another opportunity to welcome people from all parts of Wales and beyond to celebrate the creativity of Wales at its very best and to build new relationships along and across the border, and to create a legacy for a more robust future for the Welsh language in all parts of the province of Powys. It doesn't use that terminology in the speech by the way—I just feel that every time I drive through Powys. This all again reflects how deeply embedded the Welsh language is in this important area, and is therefore a part of its future. And providing fair access for children and young people to get the best possible education, and through that to learn and enjoy the Welsh language, along the border and throughout Wales, is a core priority for us as a Government, as many of us have mentioned in our contributions in these past few weeks. And that's why this Government has made education a national priority and has placed the Welsh language at the very heart of that portfolio. We do wish to ensure fair opportunity for Welsh education and a robust, clear pathway that is unhindered from the earliest years through to further, higher and lifelong education. And raising standards in our schools and getting the best conditions for learning and teaching is extremely important to us. I referred at the outset that the Welsh language belongs to us all, and that is a principle that is firmly established now, and this Government wants to take action to ensure that that is the reality in all parts of Wales. A recent survey, and I think it's important that we refer to this, has consistently shown that 82 per cent of the people of Wales between 18 and 24 years of age support efforts to ensure that children in Wales do learn Welsh and have that opportunity, and therefore we need to take action in that area. And as the Member will know, Powys, like every other county in Wales, is operating a Welsh in education strategic plan—a WESP—and these national expectations were strengthened following an urgent review of these plans back in 2017, a step that has driven better policy decisions, and there are certainly signs of that in Powys. The county has seen an increase of a little over 2 per cent to date in Welsh-medium education since their WESP was introduced, which reflects what is seen across Wales. Ysgol Pennant in Pen-y-bont-fawr received investment to expand the school and to enhance Welsh-medium provision, and Ysgol Gymraeg y Trallwng received investment to build a new site on a larger plot, to enable that school to grow. And the numbers have increased substantially since then, and there are plans to expand the school further to respond to high demand for Welsh-medium education in that area. And there are a number of other developments afoot in Powys too, as he will well know, such as the new school in Sennybridge, Ysgol Calon Cymru in Builth Wells, and Bro Hyddgen in Machynlleth, and the county also has two late immersion centres that provide an additional pathway for learners to access Welsh-medium education. And the local authority has taken a stance to ensure that secondary Welsh-medium education will be available in all parts of the county, with Ysgol Bro Hyddgen, Ysgol Bro Caereinion and Ysgol Calon Cymru all on a journey to transition to being Welsh-medium schools. It's important to celebrate these successes and to support the momentum and to work together in order to make further progress. But there are barriers in the system too, and we must better understand what causes those barriers. We have committed, as part of our first 100 days plan, to conducting an emergency review of the Welsh in education strategic plans, including the one in Powys, and that work is currently ongoing. The Member will be delighted to hear that it's our intention to consider transport issues in relation to the Welsh language, linking it to our commitment as a Government to carry out an urgent review of the Learner Travel (Wales) Measure 2008. The discussions with the Deputy Minister for Transport's department have already started. I would also like to confirm to the Member our commitment to discuss the issue that he has raised today with Powys Council. I know that he is already in discussions with Shropshire Council. So, as the Member has noted, there are families from Wales that do live on the border and do want Welsh-medium education for their children, and that should be possible. We and the county are agreed that we need to find a sustainable resolution for learners on the border who want to access Welsh-medium schools, and this includes those living over the border if they wish to learn Welsh in Wales and that there is room for them, of course, in those local schools. So, the review of the Welsh in education strategic plans, which is contained within our 100-day plan, will consider this issue, and will contribute more generally to our strategic work in the long term to deliver the Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025, and will ensure equal opportunity in accessing Welsh-medium education. And that includes more opportunities to learn Welsh too, of course, in English-medium and bilingual schools, and we have also shared the ambition of ensuring an opportunity for half the children of Wales to attend Welsh-medium schools by 2050. There are challenges, but what encourages me, and the Member too, hopefully, is to hear about the messages that are already being heard from local authorities and schools. There are some systemic barriers, yes, and some opportunities are lost, but there is a desire to improve the delivery of the Welsh language, as was explained to some of my officials, particularly by those in English-medium schools at the moment who wanted to see that happen. Celebrating progress of pupils in the Welsh language is something that is shared across Wales, and it's wonderful to hear that that is true over the border too. We do have work to do, there's no doubt about that, but what I've already started to see is that, with the shared ambition that we have conveyed here today and over the past few weeks, there is a desire to collaborate across Wales and with appropriate support for that. Therefore, action is possible if we do that together for the benefit of everyone. Thank you.
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