Welsh in Education Strategic Plan

To achieve the above developments, we will move all schools along the language continuum by:

• Working with schools to develop the curriculum, affording opportunities for more learners to have access to Welsh medium and bilingual teaching.
• Adopting a strategic approach to the subject offer
• Increasing the volume of learners pursuing Welsh medium and bilingual options and, ultimately, more progressing to take qualifications at 16 years of age

This will ensure that more learners will study for, and complete, assessed qualifications at statutory school leaving age and beyond, whilst also being assessed internally by schools at key points in their learning journey (such as ages 5,7,11 and 14).

The strategy to realise this outcome, can be pursued via the following framework:

• Curriculum Development: a strategic approach to increasing the proportion of Welsh medium subject delivery offered by all our schools.
• Secondary School Model (see table above): increasing the number of subjects available through the medium of Welsh, resulting in an increasing percentage of the curriculum offer available through Welsh, whilst also increasing the proportion of learners who opt for Welsh medium or bilingual subject tuition.
• Primary School Model: increasing the quanta of Welsh medium delivery can be similarly modelled.
• Expand our use of E-sgol towards the future, including how we can develop our Welsh-medium post-16 curricular offer in our 2B schools.
• Extend PAG thinking, and the operating principles, to include schools and other providers, which would involve maintaining a similar number of subjects across our schools. If this is realised, significant growth is anticipated in the County's Welsh-medium post-16 provision.

A Strategic Approach to increasing the Welsh-medium Subject Offer

Increasing the number of subjects available through the medium of Welsh can be achieved:

• In a practical manner, the subjects can be increased due to opportunities which exist within the present staffing cohort, such as a teacher already being able to deliver subject content through the medium of Welsh.
• In a planned approach, by:
  • Mapping out how many more staff can be encouraged to teach through the medium of Welsh by supporting them with bespoke professional development. Note: Every member of staff will be afforded opportunities to develop their bilingualism, if required, and it is our duty under this policy to offer that support)
  • Making staff appointments which assist with moving the school along the language continuum
  • In a strategic manner, with deference to how different subject areas can support schools at different stages of their linguistic journey.

Towards the medium term and beyond, we aim to offer positive input whilst developing Welsh as one continuum, including options in the medium term to dual register pupils at GCSE level in the relevant schools. Additionally, we wish to:

• develop and promote the contribution older students in 11-18 schools can make as role models and mentors
• extend the proficiency of the Youth Support Service, especially based in schools in order to promote informal use of Welsh and develop promotional material which shows the value placed on bilingualism by employers.

In addition, we will:

• Work with employers and higher education to promote bilingualism as a key skill for further education and the world of work.
• Promote improved skills for the lifelong use of the Welsh language (research into and develop a Professional Welsh module for post-16 students e.g., through Welsh Bac)
• We intend developing a strategy of recruiting more young people to study A Level/AS Level Welsh, especially boys. Changes in the exam papers need to be fully addressed to aid change. This is a national challenge, with a 24% fall in the number of A-level first language students in Wales between 2008/9 and 2020/21, and a 60% fall in Welsh Second Language numbers over the same period. As a result, it will be necessary to work alongside WJEC and subject teachers within and outside the County to deliver. Tracking the views of students and prospective students will be very important in understanding the reasons for the fall and how to go about reversing the situation.
• We also want to work cooperatively to develop a higher course in Professional Welsh. This course to be offered as an A/AS level course via free-standing modular elements that students can aim for, irrespective of whether they are studying Welsh to A Level e.g., Welsh in the workplace and translation.
• Post 16 certificate/accreditation in Welsh for Scientists - this can entail investigating further possibilities within the Welsh Bac by encouraging students who are not on academic Welsh routes to hone their skills e.g., towards proficiency regarding our skills framework.
• We will support the Welsh Government campaign to encourage young people to consider Welsh at A Level by referring students to the You Tube channel www.youtube.com/cymraeg as well as through the Welsh language social media channels.

By the end of the plan, we will have increased the numbers of learners who study for assessed qualifications in Welsh as a subject and be able to offer all subjects through the medium of Welsh within our Welsh medium and bilingual schools.

We will also strive to ensure linguistic choice within our English schools, which supports progress with pupils’ bilingualism (see table above).

The table includes an increase in the numbers and % studying subjects through the medium of Welsh in year 11. It must be remembered that outcome 4 also relates to pupils in years 10,12,13. So actual numbers will be higher.

The numbers and % of learners that study for Welsh qualification (as a subject) and subjects through the medium of Welsh.