Chapter 5:

Welsh

 
The Welsh language is perhaps the most distinctive feature of the education system in Wales. Education is essential to the furtherance of the language to which the Government is committed. Our aim is to ensure that every young person has the opportunity to learn the language and to extend opportunities to be educated through the medium of Welsh.

1  Education has been at the heart of the encouraging growth in the number of young people speaking Welsh. It will remain the single most important element in the Government's policy of continuing support for the Welsh language in the future. For many pupils, Welsh is their first language and it is quite natural that it should feature prominently in their school studies. But if we are serious about giving every young person a real opportunity of experiencing, and contributing to, the rich and rewarding cultural heritage of Wales, we must face the challenge of ensuring that every pupil of school age is given a chance to learn Welsh, and to use it.

2  We are committed to a strong system of Welsh-medium education. Parents who want their children to be educated in Welsh should have every opportunity to exercise that choice. We will expect LEAs to publish clear policies in that regard as required by the Welsh Language Act. We are also committed to ensuring that all pupils in Wales are given the opportunity to learn Welsh at whatever school they attend. We expect schools to conform to the requirement that Welsh should become a compulsory part of the National Curriculum for 14-16 year olds from 1999.

Question for consultation: What do you regard as the principal priority for the development of Welsh language teaching over the next decade?
 
 
Welsh in the National Curriculum

3  Ensuring that every pupil has the opportunity to learn Welsh has been one of the major challenges facing the education system in Wales over the past 10 years. There are encouraging signs of success. In particular, OHMCI reports confirm that standards are improving:

• standards of oral work are satisfactory or better in well over four out of five classes at Key Stage 1, but more needs to be done to develop reading and writing skills;

• standards of oral work are satisfactory or better in seven out of ten classes at Key Stage 2, but as with Key Stage 1, reading and writing skills require more attention;

• at Key Stage 3 standards of oral work, reading and writing are satisfactory or better in four out of five classes; and

• at Key Stage 4 standards of oral work, reading and writing are satisfactory or better in three quarters of all classes.

4  The fact that Welsh has become so well embedded into school life in Wales is a testimony to the commitment of teachers; to the enthusiasm they have engendered in their pupils; to the responsiveness of initial teacher training institutions in Wales; and to the encouragement of parents and local authorities. We must draw on the good-will towards the language to lift standards still further and to promote achievement in primary and secondary schools.

5  We regard it as essential that all schools should now be preparing themselves actively for full implementation of National Curriculum requirements at Key Stage 4 from September 1999. The regulations to make Welsh a compulsory part of the curriculum in non-Welsh-speaking schools for 14-16 year olds from that date are already in place. All secondary school development plans or prospectuses should now set out what will be done to meet the statutory obligation to provide Welsh for 14-16 year olds from 1999.

6  However, there are 10 secondary schools in Wales for which it will be necessary to make specific statutory provision if Welsh is to be compulsory at Key Stage 4. Our intention is that these 10 schools should be brought into line with all other English-medium schools from 1999. ACAC will consult on these proposals in line with statutory requirements.

7  Though the balance of investment will evolve over time, the Government will continue to provide support for schools to give effect to this commitment. Provision for in-service teacher training will remain a priority within GEST. ACAC will continue to develop its programme of producing Welsh language curriculum materials. And the essential support which Athrawon Bro provide to individual schools will continue to be funded through the Welsh Language Board.
 
 
Welsh-medium education

8  We will pursue a coherent policy of support for Welsh medium education that extends across every sector. Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin has long had an important role in preparing children for Welsh-medium schooling. We shall expect to see equally clear routes of progression between all phases of education. Wherever possible this will include responding to the encouraging demands from young people to undertake further education and training through the medium of Welsh.

9  Further strengthening the Welsh medium sector is crucially dependent on fostering a partnership between schools and parents and the other agencies involved at every stage of education. LEAs will have a central role. Our proposals for early years forums will encourage the statutory and voluntary sectors to work together. That will ensure that suitable provision for Welsh-medium nursery education exists where there is demand for it and that there are sensible routes of progression into the Welsh-medium primary sector.

10  LEAs have the lead responsibility for planning primary and secondary provision. We envisage that in some areas authorities will wish to work together so as to maximise opportunities for young people who are keen to pursue their studies in Welsh. Plans for developing Welsh-medium education will need to be submitted to the Welsh Language Board. The LEAs' Welsh Language schemes will need to demonstrate that the reasonable demands of parents are being taken into account and that planning for expected future levels of demand is taking place.

11  Our support for Welsh-medium education is as much a reflection of the quality of education that Welsh-medium schools provide as it is of our support for the Welsh language and culture more generally. Standards in Welsh-medium secondary schools compare very favourably with standards in their English language counterparts. Our drive to improve standards will, nevertheless, apply to all schools irrespective of the language of instruction. Improving standards of spoken and written Welsh will also be an important element of the Government's emphasis on improving standards of literacy and numeracy across the board.

12  The Government will look to ACAC working with the Welsh Language Board to keep the position of the Welsh language in education under review. We are currently reviewing the Welsh Language Board's responsibility for taking a strategic overview of Welsh-medium education across every sector. The Government considers that the Board should continue to have responsibility for taking such an overall view. At the same time it is important that the roles of each of the organisations with a part to play should be as clearly defined as possible. The Government will announce the outcome of the review in the autumn.
 
 

Summary By the year 2000: Welsh will have been a flourishing and compulsory part of the National Curriculum at Key Stage 4 for over two years; much clearer cross sectoral linkages will be in place to support Welsh language education; a mechanism for providing a regular strategic overview of welsh language education and training will be well established     Issue for consultaion What do you regard as the principle priority for the development of welsh language teaching over the next decade?