New Welsh medium school for Cardiff ruled out

Emily Price

Cardiff Council has argued that a drop in the birth rate in Wales’ capital means there are not enough pupils to sustain a fourth Welsh medium secondary school despite calls from frustrated parents.

The city authority made the statement after a group campaigning for Welsh-medium education in the south of the city called for a long term plan to tackle geographic inequalities.

There are currently three Welsh-medium secondary schools in Cardiff – Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf in Llandaff, Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Plasmawr in Fairwater and Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Edern in Penylan.

‘Discrimination’

Members of the ‘Ysgol De Caerdydd’ group say that because the council’s school admissions criteria include distance – parental school preferences exceed places available leading to discrimination against families in areas such as Butetown and Grangetown

Parents wrote to the city council in July with concerns after children in the Ysgol Glantaf catchment area were refused places.

At a recent meeting, Cabinet Member for Education Sarah Merry said that before the council can establish a fourth Welsh school, they have to be certain there would be enough pupils to sustain it.

She said: “We are facing a drop in the birth rate in the city – we’ve got fewer children in the primary schools.

“So there’s a bulge last year, then actually the numbers drop in the next two years going into Welsh medium secondary schools.”

‘Intakes’

Cardiff Council says there are “sufficient places planned and available” in the city’s three Welsh-medium secondary schools to support learners until at least 2031/32 – with “sufficient flexibility” to accommodate targeted growth.

It is planning to temporarily increase capacity to support the projected “bulge” intake in 2027/28 but after this, projected intakes “fall significantly and will remain at lower levels” until at least 2031/32.

Carl Morris, a member of Ysgol De Caerdydd, says the council’s comments reflect a “lack of aspiration” for Welsh language in the city.

He said: “Cardiff Council and the Labour party in Cardiff are not looking at the expansion of dedicated Welsh-medium provision with due seriousness at the moment.

“The cabinet members need to read their own strategy, the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan, in which they commit to increasing provision and promoting growth in numbers.

“While dragging their feet as a council on the questions regarding the future of Welsh-medium secondary education in the city, they have also been warning parents in Butetown, Grangetown, and surrounding areas that they should not assume that there will be a place for their children in the catchment school next year, which is Ysgol Glantaf.

“If Welsh-medium education is to thrive in the way that the council’s strategy sets out, the need for a dedicated Welsh-medium high school in the south of the city will only grow and grow.

“It’s time for Cardiff Council to wake up and show aspiration for growing dedicated Welsh-medium education in our city.”

Bilingualism

Cardiff Council says its ‘Stronger, Fairer, Greener’ aims include commitments to develop a community focussed schools programme and to promote bilingualism, expanding uptake in Welsh-medium education in line with Cymraeg 2050.

A spokesperson said: “Making such significant changes to education in Cardiff inevitably comes with many challenges, and requires significant and continuous commitment and investment from the Council over many years.

“This investment comes in many forms, not least in our school infrastructure, but also in the recruitment, training and retention of staff and leadership professionals at the core of Cardiff’s learning offer, and in ensuring learners have good access to a travel network for their home to school journey.

“We know that there are some parents who would like to have a Welsh Medium Secondary School closer to where they live and we understand that, but expanding Welsh-medium provision – indeed any expansion of school provision, English or Welsh – must be carefully planned to ensure all provision is able to operate effectively and sustainably and assurances made so that any proposals would not undermine the sustainability of existing schools.

“The Council’s Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) 2022-2031 covers a wide range of commitments including the progression of strategic plans to increase the permanent capacity of Welsh-medium secondary provision over the ten-year period.

“All information currently available indicates that aside from one intake in 2027/28, there are surplus places projected city-wide in all other years.

“The Council continues to work closely with partner organisations to promote the benefits of a bilingual education to grow the Welsh language and the number of learners entering Welsh primary education, and in turn support future expansion of Welsh secondary provision.”

‘Step change’

Liberal Democrat Councillor, Rhys Taylor says the local authority will miss its own Cymraeg 2050 targets without a real step change in its approach.

He said: “It shouldn’t take this long for the leadership of Cardiff Council to provide parents and communities with a response to the genuine concerns they raise about the council’s short- and long-term plan for Welsh-medium secondary education in the south of the city.

Despite the council’s own commitments to expansion, there’s still no detailed plan to address the significant inequalities children and families in the south of the city face in accessing Welsh-medium education.

“This administration has committed itself to significantly increasing the number of children in Welsh medium education in the city over the next few years. The reality is that without a real step change in the approach, they will miss their own targets, Cymraeg 2050 targets, and continue to leave children in the south of the city at a disadvantage in accessing a Welsh-medium education.”