Welsh-medium education facts for kids
Welsh-medium education (which is Addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg in Welsh) is a way of learning in Wales where students are mainly taught in the Welsh language. English is also taught, but as a second language.
This type of education officially started in Wales in 1939. The first secondary school teaching mainly in Welsh opened in 1962. Since then, many more schools have adopted this method. The Welsh Government wants 30% of students to be taught this way by 2031, and 40% by 2050.
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Why Welsh-Medium Education Matters
In 1939, the very first primary school teaching in Welsh was set up in Aberystwyth. It was started by the Urdd, a youth movement, not by the government. Later, in 1956, Ysgol Glan Clwyd became the first official bilingual secondary school in Wales. Then, in 1962, Ysgol Garth Olwg (originally Ysgol Gyfun Rhydfelen) became the first Welsh-medium secondary school in South Wales.
The Welsh Government has big goals for Welsh-medium education. They want more and more students to learn through Welsh. In March 2023, they shared a plan called a "white paper" for a new law about Welsh language education. This plan aims to:
- Help reach the goal of 1 million Welsh speakers.
- Make it easier to learn Welsh at different levels.
- Create a clear system for how schools are grouped by the language they teach in.
- Improve Welsh language lessons in schools that don't mainly teach in Welsh.
- Require the Minister to create a plan for learning Welsh, reviewed regularly.
- Change how local councils plan for Welsh language teaching in schools.
- Require local councils to encourage Welsh-medium education.
Learning Welsh Early: Nurseries
The Mudiad Meithrin (which means 'Nursery Movement') helps very young children learn Welsh. They set up playgroups and nurseries all over Wales. Children learn Welsh by being completely surrounded by the language, which is called immersion.
This group is the main provider of Welsh-medium education for young children in Wales. In 2018–2019, over 12,700 children were in cylchoedd meithrin (Mudiad Meithrin playgroups) and day nurseries. The Welsh Mudiad Meithrin has even inspired similar movements in other countries, like Na Naíscoileanna Gaelacha in Ireland and Diwan in Brittany, France.
Welsh in Schools
A good number of students in Wales are taught mostly or entirely in Welsh. In 2014–2015, about 15.7% of children and young people had Welsh-medium education. Another 10% went to schools where a lot of the lessons were bilingual (in both Welsh and English).
Parents often choose Welsh-medium education because they want their children to connect with Welsh culture. They also believe it can help their children get better jobs in the future.
Schools that teach in Welsh can decide how much English to teach children before they turn seven. This allows younger children to be fully immersed in Welsh. In later primary school years, most subjects (70% or more) are still taught in Welsh. In secondary school, all subjects except English are taught in Welsh. However, as students get older, they take the same English language tests as students who are taught mainly in English. A study in 1998 found that the language a secondary school used didn't really affect how well students did in their GCSE exams.
Primary School Education
In 2019, Welsh Government numbers showed that 22.8% of 7-year-old students were tested in Welsh as their first language.
The table below shows how many primary school students have been learning mainly in Welsh each year.
| School year | Total pupils | Welsh-medium (main) | Welsh-medium (minor) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of pupils | % of total | Number of pupils | % of total | ||
| 2021–2022 | 266,574 | 59,305 | 22.25% | 3,480 | 1.31% |
| 2020–2021 | 272,339 | 60,770 | 22.31% | 3,760 | 1.38% |
| 2019–2020 | 271,323 | 60,555 | 22.32% | 3,735 | 1.38% |
| 2018–2019 | 274,799 | 61,260 | 22.29% | 3,485 | 1.27% |
| 2017–2018 | 277,095 | 61,665 | 22.25% | 4,160 | 1.50% |
| 2016–2017 | 276,940 | 61,390 | 22.17% | 4,370 | 1.58% |
| 2015–2016 | 276,954 | 60,725 | 21.93% | 4,700 | 1.70% |
| 2014–2015 | 273,400 | 60,615 | 22.17% | 4,335 | 1.59% |
| 2013–2014 | 269,421 | 58,985 | 21.89% | 3,510 | 1.30% |
| 2012–2013 | 264,186 | 57,430 | 21.74% | 3,705 | 1.40% |
| 2011–2012 | 262,144 | 56,785 | 21.66% | 3,120 | 1.19% |
| 2010–2011 | 259,189 | 55,235 | 21.31% | 2,915 | 1.12% |
| 2009–2010 | 257,445 | 54,120 | 21.02% | 3,110 | 1.21% |
| 2008–2009 | 258,314 | 53,480 | 20.70% | 4,475 | 1.73% |
| 2007–2008 | 261,607 | 53,820 | 20.57% | 3,185 | 1.22% |
| 2006–2007 | 263,261 | 53,340 | 20.26% | 845 | 0.32% |
| 2005–2006 | 265,724 | 53,235 | 20.03% | 1,075 | 0.40% |
| 2004–2005 | 270,311 | 52,855 | 19.55% | 1,685 | 0.62% |
| 2003–2004 | 273,961 | 52,065 | 19.00% | 2,360 | 0.86% |
Middle School Education
The table below shows the number of middle school students learning mainly in Welsh each year.
| School year | Total pupils | Welsh-medium (main) | Welsh-medium (minor) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of pupils | % of total | Number of pupils | % of total | ||
| 2021–2022 | 22,516 | 8,185 | 36.35% | 535 | 2.38% |
| 2020–2021 | 22,308 | 7,905 | 35.44% | 685 | 3.07% |
| 2019–2020 | 20,746 | 7,350 | 35.43% | 580 | 2.80% |
| 2018–2019 | 17,661 | 5,245 | 29.70% | 850 | 4.81% |
| 2017–2018 | 12,153 | 5,045 | 41.51% | 715 | 5.88% |
| 2016–2017 | 9,163 | 3,025 | 33.01% | 480 | 5.24% |
| 2015–2016 | 5,371 | 2,225 | 41.43% | 520 | 9.68% |
| 2014–2015 | 4,376 | 1,360 | 31.08% | 575 | 13.14% |
| 2013–2014 | 3,542 | 870 | 24.56% | 365 | 10.30% |
| 2012–2013 | 3,648 | 765 | 20.97% | 220 | 6.03% |
Secondary School Education
In 2019, Welsh Government numbers showed that 18.5% of 14-year-old students were tested in Welsh as their first language.
The table below shows the number of secondary school students learning mainly in Welsh each year.
| School year | Total pupils | Welsh-medium (main) | Welsh-medium (minor) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of pupils | % of total | Number of pupils | % of total | ||
| 2021–2022 | 175,957 | 23,225 | 13.20% | 5,985 | 3.40% |
| 2020–2021 | 174,133 | 22,715 | 13.04% | 5,905 | 3.39% |
| 2019–2020 | 171,271 | 22,065 | 12.88% | 7,780 | 4.54% |
| 2018–2019 | 170,277 | 22,990 | 13.50% | 7,165 | 4.21% |
| 2017–2018 | 172,218 | 22,440 | 13.03% | 7,570 | 4.40% |
| 2016–2017 | 174,812 | 22,045 | 12.61% | 6,820 | 3.90% |
| 2015–2016 | 178,669 | 22,460 | 12.57% | 8,800 | 4.93% |
| 2014–2015 | 182,408 | 22,670 | 12.43% | 7,065 | 3.87% |
| 2013–2014 | 186,427 | 24,805 | 13.31% | 4,980 | 2.67% |
| 2012–2013 | 191,279 | 24,330 | 12.72% | 5,595 | 2.93% |
| 2011–2012 | 198,015 | 24,115 | 12.18% | 6,995 | 3.53% |
| 2010–2011 | 201,230 | 23,410 | 11.63% | 7,530 | 3.74% |
| 2009–2010 | 203,907 | 24,010 | 11.77% | 7,380 | 3.62% |
| 2008–2009 | 205,421 | 23,210 | 11.30% | 6,950 | 3.38% |
| 2007–2008 | 206,936 | 22,935 | 11.08% | 7,330 | 3.54% |
| 2006–2007 | 210,353 | 24,320 | 11.56% | 2,935 | 1.40% |
| 2005–2006 | 213,045 | 24,500 | 11.50% | 2,595 | 1.22% |
| 2004–2005 | 214,626 | 24,245 | 11.30% | 2,090 | 0.97% |
| 2003–2004 | 215,609 | 26,290 | 12.19% | 2,265 | 1.05% |
Learning Welsh After School: Further Education
Further education is learning that happens after secondary school but before university. In 2015–2016, about 7.8% of learning activities in this sector included some Welsh. Only a small part (0.29%) was taught completely in Welsh. Subjects like Retail, Farming, and Business had the most Welsh content.
Welsh at University: Higher Education
Higher education means learning at universities. In 2014–2015, the number of university students learning at least some of their course in Welsh reached a record high of 6,355 students. This was about 5.1% of all students at Welsh universities. More than half (53%) of these students were taught entirely in Welsh. By 2020–2021, the number grew to 6,940 students, which was 5% of all university students in Wales.
In 2020–2021, the University of Wales Trinity Saint David had the most students (3,510) learning in Welsh. It also had the highest percentage (24%) of its students learning in Welsh. On the other hand, Wrexham Glyndŵr University and the University of South Wales had the lowest percentage (0%) of students learning in Welsh.
Most students learning in Welsh at university (69%) were at Bangor University and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
In 2020–2021, 10,345 university students in Wales could speak Welsh fluently. Another 10,485 students said they could speak Welsh but were not fluent. Cardiff University had the most fluent Welsh-speaking students, with 1,670. Bangor University had the highest percentage of fluent Welsh speakers (38%), followed by Aberystwyth University (30%) and Swansea University (17%).
See also
- Education in Wales
- Welsh-speaking population
- Welsh language
- Scottish Gaelic-medium education
- Gaelscoil – Irish-medium education
