Welsh Language and Education Bill aims to give all children in Wales opportunity to speak Welsh
A new Welsh Language and Education Bill has been published today that aims to ensure that no child misses out on the opportunity to become a confident Welsh speaker, but campaigners say the Bill fails to go far enough.
The Welsh Government has today published the new Welsh Language and Education Bill, aimed at giving every child in Wales a fair opportunity to speak Welsh independently and confidently, whatever their background or schooling.
Currently, pupils’ ability to speak Welsh varies significantly depending on which school they attend- the Bill sets out to close this gap.
Widespread support
Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Energy, and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles, said: “The Welsh language belongs to us all, and these proposals are about giving children and young people a fairer chance to become Welsh speakers.
“There is widespread support for our vision of one million Welsh speakers, and today, we’re taking a crucial step towards realising that ambition.
“As a government, we’re committed to building a Wales where the Welsh language thrives in every community, and where all can be proud of their bilingual or multilingual heritage and skills.”
Universal availability
The Bill also proposes making Welsh language immersion education universally available across Wales.
Cabinet Secretary for Education, Lynne Neagle, added: “Our approach to immersing learners in the Welsh language is unique to us in Wales, and I take pride in what our teachers and educational practitioners do every day.
“The Bill is a long-term project and we’ll continue to support our schools to introduce more Welsh into their activities.”
Support for schools includes working with the sector to increase the number of staff able to work through the medium of Welsh, developing the language skills of the existing workforce, and providing Welsh language learning materials.
Lisa Jenkins, Senior Assistant Headteacher at Ysgol Stanwell School, said: “We are fully committed to making our learners proficient in the Welsh language and have invested significantly in promoting the benefits of bilingualism. Since 2023 it has been one of our school improvement priorities and is a focus of much of our work regarding standards, values and skills development. We have adapted our timetable to increase the number of Welsh lessons in Years 7 and 8 to ensure they are immersed in the language more frequently and are continually looking to recruit Welsh speakers to support us in our long term vision.
“This new Bill is intended to build on these foundations and we are supportive of any measures that support schools to achieve this.”
“Envious”
American-born Isabella Colby Browne moved to Flintshire at a young age, shared her experience: “For a while as a Welsh learner, I was envious of my friends who had gone to Welsh-medium schools.
“After going to an English-medium school and then deciding to learn Welsh later, I’ve had my own unique and exciting experience of learning the language.”
The Bill introduces a standard method for describing people of all ages’ ability in Welsh, a move welcomed by business leaders. Siân Goodson, Founder & Managing Director of Goodson Thomas executive search company said: “We recognise the value of enabling young people to be independent and confident Welsh speakers by the time they leave school. We often have conversations with candidates who underestimate their language skills and work with them to bridge the gap between their perceived abilities with the expectations of our clients.
Lisa Jenkins, Senior Assistant Headteacher at Ysgol Stanwell school: “We are fully committed to making our learners proficient in the Welsh language and have invested significantly in promoting the benefits of bilingualism.
“Since 2023 it has been one of our school improvement priorities and is a focus of much of our work regarding standards, values and skills development.
“We have adapted our timetable to increase the number of Welsh lessons in Years 7 and 8 to ensure they are immersed in the language more frequently and are continually looking to recruit Welsh speakers to support us in our long term vision.
“In addition, our dedicated Welsh teachers are currently working with our primary feeder schools to deliver Welsh lessons to Year 6 pupils in their schools to develop confidence and vocabulary. We have successfully achieved the Siarter Iath (Welsh Language Charter) Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards and will continue to ensure our learners have the necessary skills and confidence to contribute to the local and global community.
“This new Bill is intended to build on these foundations and we are supportive of any measures that support schools to achieve this.”
Dedication
Siân Goodson, Founder & Managing Director, Goodson Thomas: “As a bilingual executive search company based in Wales, we recognise the value of enabling young people to be independent and confident Welsh speakers by the time they leave school.
“We often have conversations with candidates who underestimate their language skills and work with them to bridge the gap between their perceived abilities with the expectations of our clients.
“With over half of our team fluent in Welsh, the language is a fundamental aspect of our work and culture and we are dedicated to working with organisations across the public, private and third sectors in Wales to ensure their linguistic needs are met efficiently.”
Contents of the Bill
- Provide a statutory basis for the target of having one million Welsh speakers by 2050, as well as other targets relating to the use of the language, including in the workplace and socially;
- Establish a standard method for describing ability in Welsh based on the common reference levels of the European Common Reference Framework on Languages;
- Make provision about the designation of statutory language categories for schools, together with requirements for the amount of Welsh language education provided (including minimum), and Welsh language learning goals attached to the categories;
- Linking the language planning undertaken at national level (by imposing a duty on Welsh Ministers to produce a National Framework on Welsh Education and Learning Welsh), at local authority level (by imposing a duty on local authorities to produce Welsh in Education Local Strategic Plans), and at school level (by imposing a duty on schools to produce Welsh language education delivery plans);
- The establishment of a statutory body, the National Institute of Learning Welsh, will be responsible for supporting people (of all ages) to learn Welsh.
Language campaigners have expressed their disappointment that the Welsh Language Education Bill doesn’t have a goal to teach all children in Wales through the medium of Welsh.
Following the publication of the Welsh Language and Education Bill today, Cymdeithas yr Iaith have said that the Government is missing “a once-in-a-generation opportunity” to set a long-term goal that all children will receive Welsh-medium education.
Priority
The group’s priority in the coming months will be to strengthen the legislation during its journey through the Senedd.
Osian Rhys from Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s education group said: “For us, the goal is clear: Welsh-medium education for everyone, so that every child leaves school confident in speaking the language.
The Bill in its current form misses a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make Welsh-medium education for everyone a long-term goal, and to set statutory targets that will ensure that local councils are obliged to work towards that straight away.”
Toni Schiavone from Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s education group added: “Cymdeithas yr Iaith has long campaigned for a Welsh language education act, so we welcome the publication of the Bill, and we also welcome the aim that all pupils should leave school confident in speaking Welsh.
“But if that’s the Government’s aim, their Bill should ensure that 100% of our children will receive a Welsh-medium education by 2050, with clear targets and strong financial commitments for that set out in statute.
“Now is the time to invest in our education system and in our children and young people.
“Our priority in the coming months will be to strengthen the Bill by encouraging amendments to it during its journey through the Senedd, to ensure that, in the future, no child is left behind.”
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Note Llanrug School. Percentage of pupils speaking Welsh at home has dropped from 95 to 90 to 85 on the last few years. Estyn. This process is accelerating as more English people move into the area. Priority to locals on housing lists and available jobs is needed. Look after that and the language will look after itself. That requires political will.
Totally agree Gruff. There has to be an holistic approach to this with far greater emphasis by Welsh Government on supporting our communities and putting locals first. That will never happen, of course, as it will be seen to be too politically sensitive and will be challenged by those seeking retirement and second homes.
And what about Ysgol Beddgelert. Now under 50% of children from Welsh-speaking homes. Much more must be done to safeguard the heartlands (or ex-heartlands!). Without that, Cymraeg will just be like algebra – something that kids learn in the classroom but the remainder of their lives totally English and Anglo-centric. And the remaining kids left from Welsh speaking families will either go with the flow and become anglicised, or become increasingly more exiled in their own land.
Not just Beddgelert what a out Lerpwl. There were 100 Welsh chapels there and they have just about all gone.
An attempt to deflect from an issue you are not sympathetic to by referring with faux concern to a non issue you are also not sympathetic to, perhaps.
It is routine in the anti Welsh language play book though.
Yes, indeed. I believe “Welsh Patriot” also falls into this category.
“Welsh Language and Education Bill aims to give all children in Wales opportunity to speak Welsh”I don’t think it needs a bill to achieve this, if people want to speak Welsh, then there is nothing stopping them at the moment as far as I can see.
There is as there are plenty of examples where a service has to provide or says it provides a Welsh speaking option for clients/customers but the client/customer is prevented from speaking Welsh as the service has no Welsh speaker available.
What sort of Welsh patriot can’t see that far?
We’re in the midst of what is known as the “Latinization” of Cymraeg. The example being that Latin died as a community language but was preserved as a liturgical and academic language. We are losing Cymraeg because we are not building Cymraeg speaking communities. Schooing alone is insufficient. As a wise colleague of mine pointed out, we are adept at turning out young adults with a decent knowledge of our language but it’s a bit of a stretch to describe them as “speakers” in the active sense of the word. I grew up in an era when there was a… Read more »
If people want to speak Welsh then great, but sadly if the viewing figures for S4C and listening figures for Radio Cymru are anything to go by, people are learning Welsh yes, but not actually using it in day to day life.
There are opportunities to use Welsh at cash machines to call centres, but the actual data shows a tiny tiny minority are using Welsh to interact.
Apart from making the speaking of any other language illegal I’m not sure what your plan would be?