Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

Cabinet Members and officers were welcomed to the meeting.

Apologies were received from Cllr Elin Walker Jones and Nia Jeffreys, the Cabinet Member for the Welsh Language.

To receive any declaration of personal interest

No declarations of personal interest were received from any members present.

To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for consideration

No urgent items were received.

The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on xxxx be signed as a true record  (attached)

The Chair signed the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 18 October, 2018 as a true record.

To receive an update by Cabinet Member

The Welsh Language Services Manager submitted the report in the absence of the Cabinet Member. It was noted that it had been a quiet period with promotion plans ongoing. It was stated that the Welsh Language Promotion plan was developing well and that an update would soon be brought before the Language Committee.

Attention was drawn to the 'Common Voice Cymraeg' plan that was currently being developed. It was noted that the plan was an attempt to create free data to identify voices, so that machines could understand what you tell them in order to respond. It was added that a campaign would be held in March to encourage people to contribute to the plan, the more variety of voices the machine received, the better it would be able to interpret them.

It was confirmed that HunanIaith had received a grant for the next two years and that a draft work programme had been created. It was reiterated that discussions were being held with Welsh Government in order to professionalise the field.

The assurance report is submitted in order for members to discuss its contents and consider any matters arising that could be relevant for Gwynedd Council and that could lead to actions in order to improve compliance.

Submitted - the report noting that another census would be conducted in two years. It was noted that the report had been submitted at the previous meeting but that a summary was required and a discussion held on the relevant features for Gwynedd. It was stated that the Welsh Language Commissioner published a report every year that was the subject of research by its officers on the successes of organisations in implementing and complying with Welsh language standards. It was added that they published the reports in order to offer an independent opinion to inform Welsh speakers, to draw the attention of organisations to successful practices and to provide evidence for politicians. It was stated that this report was a report on 2017/18, noting that development work had now been undertaken.

It was explained that the report highlighted three main challenges for organisations as noted below:

-        Develop their provision in order to ensure that Welsh services were available and of good quality, and that they did not treat the Welsh language less favourably than English

-        Improve understanding of the reasons for users' decisions, and take positive steps to promote and facilitate the use of Welsh language services

-        Give detailed and strategic consideration on how to increase opportunities to use Welsh.

The Welsh Language Services Manager stated that the report raised many points of interest, but that she would focus on three recommendations for organisations.

Recommendation 1 - Although user experiences were still improving, it was noted that consistency was required in order to give people faith that services were always available through the medium of Welsh, and that Welsh would not be treated less favourably than English. It was stated that Technology was the matter in question and that many developments had been seen after a survey on the self-service machines had been undertaken. However, although this was positive, it was reiterated that care needed to be taken with new apps to ensure that both languages worked. It was added that there was a need to look into creating apps ourselves rather than attempting to modify some that were already available in English.

Recommendation 2 - It was noted that the recommendation was for organisations to encourage the use of Welsh language services, make them easy to use, and to understand users' real experiences. It was stated that this recommendation had been discussed on more than one occasion, and that the evidence submitted did not raise any new concerns. It was noted there was a need to think about a way of dealing with the barriers. It was added that some Council departments had attempted to make more use of clear Welsh and to reduce the use of more technical words.

Forms were discussed noting that research in Bangor had shown that only half of participants had chosen to complete forms through the medium  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

To consider the contents of the progress report and offer observations

The report was submitted noting that the Head of Education Department would go through the seven outcomes that were part of the Strategic Plan in order to have a discussion on the fields.

Outcome 1 - More seven year old children educated through the medium of Welsh. The Head of Education Department stated that the target of 99.1% was a totally ambitious target and that the actual percentage was 97.9%. It was noted that one of the reasons for not reaching the target was children who were latecomers with no Welsh. It was added that one school in the Bangor catchment area had more linguistic independence as it was a religious school. Following new appointments to the school, it was noted that changes had been seen in the school's attitude towards the language.

Outcome 2 - More learners continuing to improve their Welsh language skills when transferring from primary to secondary school.  It was noted that the percentage was low and was 83.4% compared with the target of 84.7%. It was stated that this was because of  one secondary school in Bangor. It was stated that work was being undertaken with the school and that substantial improvement had been seen with an increase in the number of pupils using Welsh as their first language.

Outcomes 3 and 4 - More students aged 14-16 studying subjects through the medium of Welsh and More learners aged 14-19 studying subjects through the medium of Welsh in Schools, Colleges and through Work-based Learning.It was noted that there was encouraging data for the 14-19 pathway. It was noted that it was difficult to give a full quantification of how many sat their examinations through the medium of Welsh. In 2016-17, it was noted that 79% had registered to sit GCSE Welsh First Language. It was noted that the department continued to work with the schools to ensure conditional courses through the medium of Welsh.

Outcome 5 - More learners with higher skills in Welsh. It was noted that the first target - namely that 77.2% of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 achieved A* Grades in GCSE was a challenging target. It was stated that Gwynedd's percentage was higher than the percentage of many counties. It was stated there had been a drop in percentages this year which corresponded with the national drop in results. It was expressed that the results of this outcome corresponded with the county's investment in immersing young people in the language.  

Outcome 6 – Welsh-medium Provision for Learners with Additional Learning Needs. It was noted that no targets were available for additional learning needs provision and that this was a result of the fact that bilingual provision was available for all pupils.

Outcome 7 - Workforce Planning and Continuous Professional Development. It was noted that this was a matter that had been raised specifically on a regional level. The reason being as a high quality workforce needed to be ensured in order to reach the target of a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

Presentation by the Eduducation Department

The Head of Education Department submitted information on the re-structuring of the Language Centres in Gwynedd.  In accordance with correct procedure, the Head of Education emphasised that we would only be briefing today. It was noted that four options for consideration had been discussed following consultative processes between the Human Resources Department, Education staff, direct staff and the Union in October 2018.

It was noted that a consultative discussion had taken place in October 2018 to respond to the department's financial position for 2019/20 which anticipated a deficit of £96,000.  It was noted that the Education service could not justify the cost of providing match funding.

It was noted that the best way forward, without causing a defective cut to teaching standards and to protect the workplace, was to employ two people for every centre. The current framework and employment structure of the Language Centres was examined questioning the best way to proceed.  With inflation in the salaries and pensions of employed workers already, it was stated that cost effectiveness would be considered prior to implementing any cuts; the four options by the department were expanded upon.

Before submitting the options, it was emphasised that the service had examined the budgetary aspect, the impact on the standard of teaching Welsh, and ensuring safety within the centres (i.e. a minimum of two people for every centre).

The following options were outlined:

Option 1:

·         Close one Primary Language Centre.

·         Increase the capacity of every Language Centre to 19 learners.

·         A staffing structure of a Leader and a Teacher at every Language Centre.

Option 2:

·         Every Language Centre to remain open.

·         The capacity of the Dolgellau Language Centre increased to 16. The capacity of every other Language Centre to remain the same.

·         A staffing structure of a Leader and a Teacher at every Language Centre.

Option 3:

·         Every Language Centre to remain open.

·         The capacity of the Dolgellau Language Centre increased to 16. The capacity of every other Language Centre to remain the same.

·         One Leader for all Primary Language Centres, a staffing structure of a Teacher and an Assistant at every Language Centre (where the Leader is not based).

·         A staffing structure of a Leader and an Assistant at the Secondary Language Centre

Option 4:

·         Every Language Centre to remain open.

·         The capacity of the Dolgellau Language Centre increased to 16. The capacity of every other Language Centre to remain the same.

·         One Leader for all Primary and Secondary Language Centres, a staffing structure of a Teacher and an Assistant at every Language Centre (where the Leader is not based).

Observations were received from Members and a reference was made to the objection to the options provided by the Education service.  Concern was noted about the quality of the education if one of the above options would have to be chosen.  Members felt that they would prefer to hold a further discussion with teachers regarding the options.  In response, the Head of Education Department noted that legal discussions had been held with  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To receive an update from the Language Development Officer

The item was submitted noting that there was no written report. It was stated that a full report would be included at the next meeting. It was explained that the main item for discussion was staff’s out-of-office messages, internal messages in particular, as all members were now included as Council staff. It was noted that a complaint had been raised that all out-of-office messages sent internally were in Welsh only. It was questioned whether or not they should be bilingual; it was resolved that it needed to remain in Welsh only and to explain to the member who had raised the matter.