Agenda item

To consider and comment on the contents of the draft Strategic Plan and to receive the observations of the Language Committee on the immersion education system towards 2032 and beyond.

 

 

To accept the report and to note the observations received.

 

To accept the report and to note the observations received.

 

The report by the Gwynedd Secondary Education Officer was presented – she shared information with the Committee about the draft plan as part of the informal consultation. 

 

She explained that this was a new chapter in terms of planning the Welsh language in education, and that the updated strategic plan would be operational from September 2022 onwards. She added that the most reliable model for creating Welsh speakers was immersion in the Welsh language through the education system, which was the aim of the Government's strategy; Cymraeg 2050: A Million Welsh Speakers. 

 

The vision of the Cabinet Member for Education together with the vision of the Head of Education Department were shared. The seven outcomes of the new Welsh in Education Strategic Plan for the next ten years were discussed, along with the timetable for the consultation. 

 

Members were invited to ask questions and offer observations. During the discussion, the following observations were noted:- 

·       A member commented on the need to extend the boundaries of the Welsh language beyond the classroom so that children continued to use it, and they asked how the Education Department could do this. 

·       It was noted that only two subjects through the medium of Welsh was very low, and were there plans to increase this?  

·       A member expressed that designated Welsh-medium schools were needed. 

·       The members gave thanks for the presentation. It was recognised that Gwynedd led the way in Welsh-medium education provision, however, concern was expressed that a high proportion of children who followed their education through Welsh decreased in KS4. 

·       A member enquired what the Council could do in a situation where the governing body did not share the same values in respect of education provision? 

 

In response, the following was noted: 

·       The document would become statutory in September 2022. 

·       The need to secure more teachers who were confident to teach through the medium of Welsh to stem the number of pupils who chose to study subjects through the medium of English in KS4 and beyond. 

·       The two subjects were only the minimum requirement in schools that currently offered no subjects at all. 

·       A need to raise awareness of the value of bilingualism amongst non-Welsh speaking parents, and that Welsh was not learned at the expense of English. 

·       If schools were identified as causing concern in respect of the Welsh-medium provision, there were actions in place to educate the Governors about their provision. 

·       It was added that this aspect was discussed regularly in meetings and was part of our Governors' training. 

·       Research was undertaken to ensure that we knew in advance in what language the course would be taught if the pupil was moving from KS4 to a further education college. 

 

 

 

     ii.Welsh in Education Strategic Plan 2022-2032: A new vision for the Immersion Education System towards 2032 and beyond  

 

 

The Head of Education Department provided a foreword, noting that he welcomed the opportunity to bring the item before the Language Committee as it was such an important item. 

 

The report by the Education Corporate Services Manager was presented, who referred to the vision of the Cabinet Member for Education. She also presented the objectives for realising the vision. 

 

She proceeded to explain to the committee exactly what the new provision of immersion education would involve, and also how they intended to fund it, namely through the EIG grant, the Education Department and also funding from the schools themselves. 

 

 

Members were invited to ask questions and offer observations. During the discussion, the following observations were noted:- 

·       Members welcomed the news that Bangor was receiving an immersion education unit, and were encouraged to see a primary and secondary unit being provided there. 

·       A member enquired how often the children would be able to access the Language Centres. 

·       They sought clarity around the staffing structure, what the ratio of teachers to children would be in the new centres, and what would be the role of the classroom assistant. 

·       They expressed pride in the Council for its pioneering approach in providing substantial investment to enable us to expand the number of sites available, since the south Meirionnydd area in particular faced significant challenges with regard to the Welsh language. 

·       Concerns were expressed regarding the aim for the learners to attend school for one day a week as this could lead to establishing English-speaking customs amongst peers that could then continue for the rest of the relationship. As a result, the member noted that they did not support the vision. 

·       What was the situation in terms of monitoring to identify the changes taking place?  

 

 

In response: 

·       The officer noted that under the new system, children would be admitted at the start of every term for a period of 8-10 weeks. She added that blended learning would  take place before they reached the site. 

·       She explained that there was a need to work through the details since the corporate system noted that employment matters were a matter for individual departments. 

·       As with any service, the department would review the service continuously in terms of quality assurance, and if the evidence indicated that improvements or adjustments were required, then measures would be put in place to ensure that.