Welsh-medium education: Valleys children being ‘let down’ by council
As this year’s National Eisteddfod takes place in Pontypridd, language campaigners have criticised Rhondda Cynon Taf Council for the lack of growth in Welsh-medium education in the county, calling for urgent action to reverse what they call “decades of inaction” by the Council.
Only 20% of the county’s children are educated in Welsh at present, and Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has not opened a single new Welsh-medium school since the Council itself was established in 1996, something campaigners say highlights the local authority’s serious lack of ambition.
In an open letter from Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s education group, the Council’s decision to close Ysgol Pont Siôn Norton was blasted, saying that “the right of families to have Welsh-medium education on their doorstep has disappeared overnight”.
The group also criticised the “unexpected and damaging move to consult on changing Ysgol Dolau from a dual-language school to an English-medium school”.
Cymdeithas yr Iaith is calling instead for the Welsh-medium stream to be retained at Ysgol Dolau, and to increase the Welsh language provision of the whole school over time so that, in time, all the school’s children will receive their education in Welsh.
“Myth”
Toni Schiavone from Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s education group said “Despite the rhetoric of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, the story we hear about the growth of Welsh-medium education in the county is a myth.
“80% of the county’s children are educated in English, and the overwhelming majority of those will leave school without being able to speak Welsh confidently.
“We know that young people want to become confident Welsh speakers, and Valleys children are being let down. There’s no sign that things are getting better either: recent decisions to close Ysgol Pont Siôn Norton and a proposed consultation on turning Ysgol Dolau into an English-medium school are two serious backward steps.”
Lowri Mared is a local parent who campaigned against the Council’s decision to close Ysgol Pont Siôn Norton. She said: “It’s a real shame that the Council can’t see that the decision to move Ysgol Pont Siôn Norton out of the community of North Pontypridd was a backward step for the Welsh language here.
“In making this decision, the Council has completely disregarded the impact on the language. Some children will now have to pass seven English-medium schools on their way to the nearest Welsh-medium school.
“The areas of Cilfynydd, Glyncoch and Ynysybwl will lose the language because the Council has made Welsh-medium education an impossibility for many.”
Welsh-medium education for all?
Cymdeithas yr Iaith is campaigning for all children to receive Welsh-medium education by 2050. Statistical work commissioned by the group shows that, in order to ensure by 2050 that all children in Rhondda Cynon Taf receive their education in Welsh, 40.2% of the county’s primary pupils will need to receive Welsh-medium education by 2035.
At present, only 16% of the county’s primary school children are at a Welsh-medium school.
The group says Welsh-medium education for everyone cannot happen overnight, but says ambitious action is needed to start the journey. The campaigners have proposed action to take to begin the process of a radical increase in provision:
- Transform existing plans in order to create rapid growth; identify the most urgent gaps in Welsh-medium education in the county; and of the schools currently teaching in English, identify the first ones to start the process of becoming Welsh-medium schools.
- Improve Welsh language provision for additional learning needs so that children are not lost from Welsh-medium education.
- Reduce the distance to qualify for free transport to secondary school from three miles to two.
Toni Schiavone from the Cymdeithas yr Iaith education group said, “Providing Welsh-medium education on the doorstep in all areas is the only way to ensure that everyone can become confident Welsh speakers.
“With the National Eisteddfod in Pontypridd this year, the Council has a great opportunity to think again about the language, to reverse its record of the last few decades and leave a legacy by getting serious about the journey towards giving every child in the county the gift of the Welsh language.”
Response
A spokesperson for Rhondda Cynon Taf Council said: “The Council is fully-committed to Welsh Medium education, to achieve the outcomes set out in our ambitious 10-year Welsh in Education Strategic Plan – and Welsh Government’s own Cymraeg 2050 commitment.
“This has been reflected in the significant recent investment in Welsh Medium education facilities for Rhondda Cynon Taf, despite there being an overall 26% surplus capacity in the Welsh Medium sector, with our current provision more than sufficient to meet demand.
“We’ve recently delivered a joint investment of £15.5m in the Cynon Valley, to construct brand new teaching accommodation at Ysgol Gyfun Rhydywaun and a significant extension at Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Aberdâr – creating brand new facilities and, importantly, increasing the Welsh Medium capacity for the area.
“In September 2024, a new 21st Century Welsh Medium school will open in Rhydyfelin following a £14m investment. Ysgol Awel Taf is a brand new build with capacity for 540 learners that will enable us to grow Welsh Medium education in the area.
“We’re also currently constructing a new replacement school for Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Llyn y Forwyn in Ferndale – replacing ageing facilities with a state-of-the-art £18m development on a fit-for-purpose site. The new site is on course to open its doors in the 2024/25 academic year and will also include a new Welsh medium early years setting.
“There has also been recent investment of around £6m into early years, to improve existing provisions and establish new Welsh Medium settings. The projects have been delivered at YGG Ynyswen, Ysgol Llanhari, YGG Aberdâr, YGG Abercynon, YGG Evan James and YGGG Llantrisant.
“This figure includes £1.5M for improvements to YGG Castellau and £850,000 for a community building next door to Ysgol Penderyn, to further improve Welsh medium early years provision. We are committed to achieving our target of growing the number of Welsh Medium early years learners by 10% over the next eight years.
“Investment in Additional Learning Needs is also a priority, and we have two new Welsh Medium learning support classes planned to open in September, on top of the secondary Welsh Medium provision which opened last year.
“Finally, in the last two weeks, Cabinet Members have agreed to consult on plans to build a brand new Welsh Medium primary school as part of its work to provide a suitable education provision to serve the future Llanilid housing development. The exciting proposals provide an opportunity to grow the Welsh Medium provision in the local area and will be formally consulted upon from September.
“Our future aim is to build upon our significant achievements to date – we’ll be continuing to prioritise Welsh Medium education and aiming to secure a further investment programme through the rolling Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme by Welsh Government.”
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Don’t expect any Labour administration to be in favour of Welsh-medium education. If they are serious about a million Welsh speakers by 2050, then Swansea for example with one tenth of the Welsh population would have 100,000 Welsh speakers by that date. There is a massive residential area stretching from Townhill to Fforestfach/Blaenymaes/Gendros/Cwmbwrla/Brynhyfryd/Hafod/Landore with no Welsh-medium school. With no new Welsh medium schools in the Rhondda since 1996, Labour are making it clear that they are opposed to any significant increase in the numbers able to speak Welsh. ‘Not on their watch’. Spokesmen can use any statistics that they want.
Question. Would you prefer your child / grandchild to be totally fluent in English or Welsh? If English, then that child / grandchild can be employed worldwide as English is, in effect, the universal language. If Welsh then the child / grandchild would be solely employable in parts of Wales. I know my answer…
The answer is simple. Children that attend Welsh medium schools are fluent in BOTH English and Welsh. Question – is it more ‘international’ to be monoglot English or to be able to speak more than one language?
My daughters speak 3 languages, one of which is English, they are fluent in it. Who has more opportunities, the monoglot or the trilingual person?
I dont know if you are resident in our country or posting from outside, but children who get their education in Welsh medium schools, are also fluent in English, it is both , not either or, there is not a single school in Cymru where a child does not learn English, unless you know different.
For more than 90% of the population bilingualism is a huge benefit in expanding the brain, allowing them to progress to add French and Spanish as they’re more similar to Cymraeg. It’s no coincidence that many of the WelshNotOutsider monoglot bigots come from the lower sector.
It reminds me of someone in a hire car office, demanding the one car they’ve only ever driven and becoming increasingly bitter when other customers drive off in any car offered to them.