WRITTEN STATEMENT
BY
THE WELSH GOVERNMENT
TITLE
Welsh-medium Education Strategy: Next Steps
DATE
10 March 2016
BY
Carwyn Jones AS, First Minister of Wales and Huw Lewis
AS, Minister for Education and Skills
Today, the final evaluation report of the Welsh-medium Education Strategy is being
published. The aim of the evaluation was to measure the effectiveness and influence of
the Strategy, and to assess the extent to which it has achieved its expected aims,
objectives and outcomes. The report includes 21 recommendations for the Welsh
Government and its stakeholders. The Welsh Government welcomes the report and will
give full consideration to the recommendations as we continue to develop our policies.
The full report can be seen here: http://gov.wales/statistics-and-research/welshmedium-education-strategy/?lang=en
We are pleased to note that, on the basis of the evidence collected, the report
concludes that there is support for the vision and aims of the Strategy amongst
stakeholders and practitioners at a national and local level. The report also concludes
that the Strategy has led to some positive outcomes and has provided a framework for a
more focussed, strategic approach to planning Welsh-medium provision. It has also,
through some of the programmes implemented in its name, brought benefits to targeted
groups.
However, there are challenges that we need to address. Although steps have been
taken to strengthen planning processes, there is a need to ensure that these processes
are embedded; there is also a need to improve the way that we plan the workforce to
ensure that we have a sufficient number of practitioners with high-level Welsh-language
skills; and we need to ensure that our learners recognise that the Welsh language
extends beyond the classroom into the community and the workplace and that we
support them to use the language in all contexts. We are, therefore, pleased to
announce that the Welsh language charter, developed by Gwynedd Council, will be
extended to all Welsh-medium primary schools to provide a clear framework to promote
and increase the use of Welsh by children and young people in social contexts.
Welsh Government has previously acknowledged that it is disappointing that we have
not met all the 2015 targets in the Strategy. It is pleasing to note that progress has been
made, and the highest ever number of seven year old children now receive Welshmedium education. However, it is important to remember that different models of
provision exist in Wales, and meeting “national” targets is dependent on performance by
local authorities and providers.
It is also important to bear in mind that the Strategy sits alongside the Welsh
Government’s Welsh Language Strategy (A living language; a language for living,
2012). There is a clear interdependence between the two as the education and skills
sector has an important contribution to make to supporting the wider aim of seeing the
Welsh language thrive and increasing Welsh language acquisition and use.
The Welsh Government is fully committed to the continued development of Welshmedium education. Therefore, to coincide with the publication of the evaluation report,
today, we are outlining the priorities for the development of Welsh-medium and Welsh
language education for the next 12 months. During this period, the Welsh Government
will work with its stakeholders, giving full consideration to the recommendations of the
evaluation and other reports, to set out the long-term direction for Welsh-medium and
Welsh language education as part of the development of the Welsh language strategy.
A copy of the policy statement can be seen here:
http://gov.wales/topics/educationandskills/publications/guidance/welshmededstrat/?skip
=1&lang=en.