Written question WQ96226
- Asked by
- Natasha AsgharConservative
- To be answered by
- Cabinet Secretary for Education
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 7 days
Question
Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm the Welsh Government’s position on local authorities only having monolingual schools?
Answer
Answered by Cabinet Secretary for Education
The responsibility for the planning of school places rests with local authorities. Local authorities have to keep under review the extent to which their existing pattern of school provision meets current and forecast demand for school places and the requirements of delivering the modern curriculum.
Local authorities must ensure that there are sufficient schools providing primary and secondary education for their area. Schools are regarded as sufficient if they are sufficient in number, character and equipment to provide for all pupils the opportunity of appropriate education, this includes the provision and access to Welsh medium education. In order to fulfil these duties, local authorities must ensure that they plan thoroughly and engage fully with relevant partners.
The School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013 requires local authorities to prepare a Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) setting out a local authority’s proposals on how it will carry out its education functions to improve the planning of the provision of education through the medium of Welsh in its area; improve the standards of Welsh-medium education; and of the teaching of Welsh in its area. New Welsh in Education Strategic Plans regulations were made in 2019, introducing targets to reflect the Welsh Government’s Cymraeg 2050 strategy for a million Welsh speakers and the role of local education authorities in supporting that ambition. All 22 plans have been in place since 2022 and local authorities have been proactive in their implementation.
The Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021 specifies that both English and Welsh are mandatory elements of the curriculum for learners aged three to sixteen. This applies to all schools, whatever their language category. The Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Bill sets an ambition for all pupils in Wales to become confident, independent Welsh language users by the end of compulsory school age. This will give all pupils the opportunity to become bilingual, opening doors beyond education.