Welsh language target faces classroom challenge as teacher numbers fall

Mark Mansfield

The Welsh Government faces a major challenge in delivering its ambition of reaching one million Welsh speakers, with new research warning that shortages of Welsh-speaking teachers and wider pressures on schools could hamper progress.

A new Senedd Research briefing says the education system will be central to achieving the goals set out in the Welsh Government’s flagship Cymraeg 2050 strategy, which aims to reverse a century of decline in Welsh language use.

The report highlights the importance of the Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025, which was passed unanimously by the Senedd last year. The legislation is designed to improve pupils’ Welsh language skills and ultimately ensure all young people leave school able to speak Welsh.

However, researchers warn that implementing the reforms will require significant investment, planning and support at a time when schools are already under pressure from budget constraints, teacher shortages and the ongoing impact of the pandemic.

One of the biggest concerns is the supply of teachers able to teach through the medium of Welsh.

According to school workforce data, 39% of teachers reported having intermediate Welsh language skills or higher in 2024, but only around a quarter were actually teaching Welsh or teaching through the medium of Welsh. Among teaching support staff, just 21% reported intermediate Welsh skills or above.

The report notes that the Welsh Government’s own figures suggest the number of teachers able to teach through Welsh has been falling, despite targets set under the Cymraeg 2050 strategy to increase those numbers.

Senedd researchers say reversing that trend will be critical if the ambitions of the 2025 Act are to be realised.

The briefing also points to wider challenges facing schools, including recruitment and retention difficulties, stretched budgets, falling attendance rates and growing demands on teachers to support pupils’ wellbeing.

Welsh-medium growth

The report says expanding Welsh-medium education remains one of the most important ways of increasing the number of fluent Welsh speakers.

Currently, 29% of schools in Wales are classified as Welsh-medium, while a further 5% are dual-language schools. However, only around one in five pupils attends a Welsh-medium school.

The Welsh Government has set targets to increase the proportion of pupils receiving Welsh-medium education to 30% by 2031 and 40% by 2050. But researchers note that progress has been slow.

In 2021, eight local authorities committed to moving 42 schools further along the Welsh language continuum. Since 2022, however, only eight schools across Wales have been the subject of consultations to change their language category.

The 2025 Act seeks to accelerate change by requiring schools to produce Welsh Language Education Delivery Plans and increasing the amount of Welsh language teaching provided, including a minimum requirement in some predominantly English-medium schools.

The report concludes that there is broad political support for increasing Welsh language use but raises questions about whether current levels of investment will be sufficient to deliver the step change needed.

It cites the Welsh Language Commissioner, who has argued that continuing to invest and operate in the same way as previous decades is unlikely to produce different outcomes.

Target

In response to the report, the Welsh Government said: The Welsh Government says: “We are committed to implementing the Welsh Language and Education Act to give every young person the opportunity to become an independent and confident Welsh speaker, with a clear target of at least one million Welsh speakers by 2050.

“As part of our 100-day plan, today we announced an increase in teacher training incentives for priority subjects – including Welsh – by £5,000 to £20,000 from September 2026.

“We will work closely with local authorities as we develop the National Framework for Welsh Language Education, setting out actions to ensure we have sufficient workforce based on understanding future needs.

“This will build on our investment in professional development and expanded Welsh language learning opportunities to build a strong, skilled education workforce, and our direct support for schools through the Cynllun Pontio conversion scheme and capacity building grant.”