Issue - meetings

To submit a report by the Director of Education, Skills an Young People.

It was resolved to approve the following –

·        The Welsh in Education Strategic Plan 2022-2032.

·        The definition of the role of Catchment Language Co-ordinators.

·        Authorisation of the relevant Officers in consultation with the Portfolio Member, to complete any further reviews of the draft strategy.

The report of the Director of Education, Skills and Young People incorporating the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan was presented for the Executive’s consideration.

The Portfolio Member for Education, Libraries, Culture and Youth said that Section 84 of the School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013 requires a local authority to prepare a Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP).  The purpose of these regulations is to improve opportunities for local authorities to plan Welsh medium education provision in order to support the current and future expectation for growth in Welsh-medium education. Improving the planning of Welsh-medium education will also support the long term national ambition for 1 Million Welsh speakers by 2050.

The Director of Education, Skills and Young People reported that the report is the vision for Welsh-medium and bilingual education for the next ten years.  The plan makes the learner central and considers the journey and experience of all learners through the journey of their education.  The Anglesey WESP complements and supports the Welsh Government’s strategy of a million Welsh speakers by 2050, by working strategically with schools, partners and WESP structures to ensure that there are opportunities at all stages of an individual’s education to learn and use the Welsh language.   

The Scrutiny Manger in the absence of the Chair of the Partnership and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee said that the Partnership and Regeneration Scrutiny Committee held on 9 November, 2021 raised as to whether the WEP can be adapted as it is a 10 year Plan.  Reference was made to the  challenges within the Secondary sector to attract teachers to be able to teach subjects through the Welsh language and concerns expressed that the percentage of subject taught through the medium of Welsh was 34.8%.  Questions were also raised as to what are the main challenges in the future in terms of the position of the Welsh language within education on a local level.  She noted that the Partnership and Scrutiny Committee recommended the approval of the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan 2022-2032.

It was resolved to approve the following –

·        The Welsh in Education Strategic Plan 2022-2032.

·        The definition of the role of Catchment Language Co-ordinators.

·        Authorisation of the relevant Officers in consultation with the Portfolio Member, to complete any further reviews of the draft strategy.