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  • Agenda item

    A PRESENTATION ON THE MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE SECONDARY SECTOR LANGUAGE STRATEGY (DRAFT)

    • Meeting of Language Committee, Tuesday, 28th February, 2017 2.00 pm (Item 6.)

    To accept the comments of the members of the Language Committee

    Minutes:

    The Area Education Officer provided the background.   It was noted that Primary School children had been part of the Language Charter for three years and the intention was to build upon this.     The work of creating a strategy by 31 March 2017 was ongoing, and the strategy was to be implemented from 1 April 2017 onwards.

     

    Carys Lake, Leader of the Ysgol Eifionydd Language Centre, was welcomed to the meeting and it was explained that she had been working on a commission to create the strategy jointly with the Education Department. 

     

    The Leader of the Ysgol Eifionydd Language Centre presented the main objectives of the Secondary Language Strategy (draft) and provided the local context to the work:

     

    •          Trywydd Report

    •          Welsh-Medium Education Scrutiny Investigation Report

    •          Alun Charles Report

    •          Strategic Plan – Welsh in Education

    •          Gwynedd Language Strategy 2014-2017

    •          The Council’s Strategic Plan

     

    It was noted that all of the abovementioned reports stated that there was a need to ensure progression of the work with the Welsh language from the Primary to the Secondary.

     

    In terms of the national context and to meet the “Million Welsh Speakers by 2050" target and ensure that the Welsh language thrives there was a need to get all stakeholders involved in the plan e.g. all the staff.

     

    The aim of the Secondary Language Strategy was to promote social use of Welsh among children and young people and to develop it as an effective medium for all aspects of  school life.  It was noted that there were two elements to this aim, namely the curriculum and social.  Experiences in lessons influenced the social element.

     

    The next step would be to give a presentation to a working group of representatives from amongst Headteachers who had met twice to discuss the draft aims.   The following eight aims were agreed upon:

     

                       i.        Leadership and expectations

                      ii.        Ethos

                     iii.        The voice and ownership of young people

                    iv.        Training requirements

                     v.        The role of the Language Department and the School (guidance from the Language Department and getting young people to study subjects through the medium of Welsh)

                    vi.        Curricular experiences

                   vii.        Bridge learners (turn learners into Welsh-speakers to enable them to learn through Welsh)

                  viii.        The School and the Community (link the school with businesses and the community)

     

    It was reported that it was intended to use the above eight aims to set criteria to monitor paths of progression.   The criteria would ask for evidence to prove achievement.  It was reported that work was ongoing in setting the criteria and the evidence required and it was acknowledged that there was a need to be ambitious.  

     

    It was noted that Gwynedd Council led in this field and that the rest of Wales looked at what was happening here in Gwynedd for guidance on the way forward.   Additionally, it was noted that Council Officers met regularly with Welsh Government to discuss the way forward. 

     

    A member observed that the schools were not familiar or were not able to identify the problem why children and young people spoke English outside school.   In response, it was reported that there was a need to work with young people to spread the message socially.  An observation was made that Sports Clubs were a crucial part of the answer to getting children and young people to use the Welsh Language socially.  It was noted that social media was a challenge and that the Welsh language had to be made relevant to the work and lives of children and young people.

     

    A member reported that there was a need for every school to adopt an action plan. 

     

    The Leader of the Ysgol Eifionydd Language Centre was thanked for the presentation and the work.

     

    RESOLVED to note the contents of the presentation and to incorporate the additional observations.

     

     

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