Education Secretary praises Welsh language immersion centres

The Cabinet Secretary for Education Lynne Neagle has praised the work of immersion centres as demand for late immersion provision continues to grow – with Wales seen as a world leader in the field.

Late immersion provision is an intensive Welsh language learning programme for young learners, which provides an alternative route to  access Welsh-medium education for those who may have missed out on early Welsh language immersion opportunities in childcare, nursery settings and school.

Learners with little or no Welsh can engage with the programme for up to twelve weeks, during which they continue to maintain contact with their home school, and the curriculum, until they’re ready to continue their education through the medium of Welsh.

Increase

This year has seen an increase in the number of year one learners learning through the media of Welsh. Immersion centres play a unique role in creating new Welsh speakers.

To date the Welsh Government has invested £8.8 million to support the establishment of late immersion provision in local authorities as well as to continue to support already established provisions (centres or units),in Wales, with a total of 26 centres supporting primary school aged learners, 16 centres supporting secondary school aged learners as well as well as teachers visiting individual schools to support the delivery of immersion provision.

The funding has helped recruit late immersion teachers as well as enabling creative use of technology to enrich the learning experience, as seen in centres across Gwynedd, Ceredigion and Powys amongst others.

Across Wales, those benefiting from immersion centres is increasing. In 2024 Cardiff  welcomed its largest ever cohort of learners to its immersion centre in Ysgol Gynradd Groes Wen. In the north of the country, Wrexham has supported over 600 learners since its centre opened in 2022.

Report

A recent Estyn report also acknowledged the role late immersion centres play in developing effective Welsh language skills amongst learners who transfer from the English-medium sector.

The Cabinet Secretary recently visited Ysgol Gynradd Groes Wen, where she met  Guadalupe, aged 5. Her family moved from Colombia during the Summer Term and she has attended the Language Immersion Unit since early September. Settling in well and enjoying practising speaking Welsh in the role-playing area.

Cabinet Secretary for Education Lynne Neagle said: “Welsh belongs to us all and late immersion centres are helping to ensure our beautiful language continues to thrive.

“To date over 4,000 learners have had the opportunity to benefit from late immersion programmes to develop their Welsh language skills since the grant became available in 2021.

“How we immerse children in the Welsh language is unique to us in Wales and we are fast becoming world leaders in late immersion provision. Academics from Quebec are keen to work in partnership with us and learn from our best practices in this field.

“I am incredibly proud of learners and schools across Wales, who are championing immersive learning and developing language skills, that will benefit young people for a lifetime.”