A plan to improve Welsh language education in Powys is set to go out to a public consultation.

Powys County Council's learning and skills scrutiny committee met on Wednesday to look over a plan for improving Welsh language skills across the county over the next 10 years.

The Welsh in Education Strategic Plan, or Wesp, covers education all the way from early years to opportunities for pupils to use Welsh informally inside and outside of school.

Education consultant Geraint Rees said: “This is a long-term plan; we are aiming for a significant increase to go from 22.2 per cent of our youngest children receiving their education through Welsh to the 32 to 36 per cent bracket.

“Historically while in the rest of Wales have moved forward with their language provision, Powys has stayed still or even gone backwards.

“We have a significant education transformation agenda under way and the Welsh language is a key element of this.”

He added: “We have 82 per cent of our pupils who were taught in Welsh at primary school, studying in Welsh in Secondary School.

“That’s low, and it means that nearly 20 per cent of our pupils are leaving the Welsh stream to join the English stream and means their level of bilingual language development is liable to stay still.”

Mr Rees wanted to see this figure rise and that the council should be aiming at “more than 100 per cent.”

He explained that to do this “late-comers” to Welsh language education would be crucial to this ambition.

County Times:

Cllr Pete Roberts

Providing “immersion” or intensive Welsh lessons to children who arrive from outside Powys to equip them for life in a Welsh medium school or stream will also be key.

Mr Rees also said that another challenge would be how to train and entice more teachers with the ability to teach in Welsh.

Following a discussion of nearly two and a half hours committee chairman Cllr Pete Roberts said: "We are strongly encouraging the team use the consultation process to gain additional information and that the final document that goes to the Welsh Government is more robust and based on a little bit more data gathering on the ground.”

Next Tuesday, September 21, the council's cabinet will decide whether to allow the Wesp to go out for an eight-week consultation period.

The seven outcomes are:

  • More nursery children/ three-year-olds receive their education through the medium of Welsh
  • More reception class children/ five-year-olds receive their education through the medium of Welsh
  • More children to continue to improve their Welsh language skills when transferring from one stage of their statutory education to another.
  • More pupils to study for assessed qualifications in Welsh (as a subject) and subjects through the medium of Welsh.
  • An increase in the provision of Welsh-medium education for pupils with additional learning needs (ALN).
  • Increase the number of teaching staff able to teach Welsh (as a subject) and teach through the medium of Welsh.