Agenda item

This report provides the Committee with an opportunity to review the draft Cabinet Report setting out the Welsh in Education Strategy for Cardiff 2017 – 2020.

(a)  Councillor Sarah Merry (Cabinet Member for Education) will be in attendance and may wish to make a statement;

(b)  Nick Batchelar (Director, Education and Lifelong Learning) and Officers from the Education Directorate will present the report and be available to answer any questions members may have; and

(c)   Questions from Committee Members

The way forward for this item will be considered at the end of the meeting.

The report provided the Committee with the opportunity to review and appraise the draft cabinet report on the Welsh in Education Strategy 2017-2020, which included a summary of the consultation responses.  Further minor amendments had been made to the Strategy which would be highlighted during the meeting.  The Strategy together with any comments provided by this Committee would be considered at Cabinet on 16 March 2017.

The Chairperson welcomed Councillor Merry, Cabinet Member for Education to make a statement.

Councillor Merry explained that Cardiff’s new WESP would cover the period 2017-2020.  The plan was underpinned and informed by Welsh Government’s current Welsh-medium Education Strategy and policy statement and the Welsh Governments draft strategy.  A Million Welsh Speakers 2050.

Nick Batchelor advised this was a strategy to strengthen the Welsh Teaching Forum and promotion of the Welsh Language.  The Welsh Government Framework had the same set of priorities as the Council.  This was a city wide commitment which included key school place planning.  This Council ambition would develop and train future leadership in Welsh-medium education.

The Chairperson invited the Committee to ask questions.

Members of the Committee showed some concern that in some areas of Cardiff there were high volumes of ethnic minorities attending primary schools and enforcing the Welsh Language would be slightly difficult to implement. 

The Officers advised that in Primary School’s the Welsh Language was being promoted, but it was recognised as a challenge.  Multilingual Cardiff was recognised for its range of linguistics in schools and how this was being taken forward to support all languages.

The Committee recognised the progress Cardiff had made and asked if a Welsh Emersion Unit was being established.  English Emersion Units were currently supporting children learning English in schools and the inclusion of a Welsh Emersion Unit would support and improve Welsh-medium.

The Committee was informed of the effective use of the Emersion setting and how this supported a child’s development.  It was also recognised that a significant percentage of children chose to speak English at home as supposed to Welsh.  There was a high demand for Emersion Units and these were seen as cost effective.

Members of the Committee felt that children who learnt Welsh in primary school seemed to use very little of the language in secondary school or later life.  The use of Welsh after school was vital to support this agenda and improve the figures for Welsh speakers.

The Committee discussed the approach to learning Welsh.  After school clubs and external provisions supporting the language added value to the progress.  There was also concern at the numbers of pupils attending Welsh-medium as some schools, Bro Edyn for example were not full to capacity.

The Officers explained that pupil attendance at Welsh-medium was consistent with other state schools.  Higher year groups were becoming fuller and the Council was confident the schools would be full.

The Committee was directed towards “Outcome 7 – Workforce planning & continuing professional development:

• Leadership Roles
• Teaching Practitioners
• Student Involvement

This Outcome was developed to attract teaching into Welsh-medium.

Members were informed that elements of enhanced funding into Welsh-medium support had been addressed.  However, it was noted that support in Maths related teaching was also seen as a priority.

AGREED –  that the Chairperson writes on the Committee’s behalf to the Cabinet Member to convey their comments and observations.