Issue - meetings

To present information about the Department’s contribution to the Language Policy.

To accept the report and note the observations received.

The report was submitted by the Head of the Gwynedd Immersion Education System, in the absence of the Head of Education Department. ⁠Attention was drawn briefly to the following main points: 

A report was given on a number of events held by the department in order to raise the status of the Welsh language when enabling children and pupils to use the Welsh language at their schools and in the community. It was explained that the department had implemented a number of projects as part of the Welsh Government's Language Charter. It was explained that the Charter's new framework was part of new Welsh Government programmes which aim to increase the use of Welsh amongst children and young people.

It was confirmed that the Department shared this ambition of increasing the use of the Welsh language. It was noted that money was being allocated to every catchment area within the County to arrange activities to encourage the use of Welsh. It was noted that one of the conditions when allocating the money was that activities were being arranged for primary and secondary pupils to ensure that the Welsh language continued to be used as the pupils transferred to the secondary schools. It was emphasised that targeting this cohort of children was necessary to ensure that appealing and positive experiences in the secondary schools took place naturally through the medium of Welsh.

An update was shared of catchment area activities to draw attention to the opportunities that children and young people from all areas of Gwynedd were receiving.

It was explained that Language Forums were being established in every secondary school in Gwynedd which led on the Secondary Language Strategy and the importance of being bilingual was emphasised. It was detailed that the Forums were also holding Hybu Balchder mewn Cymreictod (Promoting Pride in Welshness) sessions.

It was reported that there had been an increase in the number of young people who chose to study and obtain qualifications or an acknowledged accreditation through the medium of Welsh. Attention was drawn to the figures below that had been gathered from the results of the Year 11 cohort in Gwynedd secondary schools at the end of the 2023 summer period:

·       ⁠71.7% of Year 11 pupils studied at least 3 KS4 subjects through the medium of Welsh as well as a Welsh First Language GCSE.

·       67.8% of Year 11 pupils studied at least 5 KS4 subjects through the medium of Welsh as well as a Welsh First Language GCSE.

·       ⁠87.1% of Year 11 pupils sat a GCSE Welsh First Language examination.

The Assistant Head of the Education Department: ⁠Secondary elaborated that this figure of 67.8% was relatively stable but it was acknowledged that it was necessary to increase the number of pupils who study at least 5 KS4 subjects through the medium of Welsh as well as a Welsh First Language GCSE. Nevertheless, it was acknowledged that this was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5