Four Carmarthenshire primary schools will teach new pupils only through Welsh from next year.
The council’s Plaid Cymru leaders have said the change to the foundation phase will boost bilingualism and a statutory 28-day notice of the change will now be published.
Education in English or Welsh will be offered from the age of seven at the schools in Carmarthen, Newcastle Emlyn, St Clears and Whitland.
The schools concerned – Ysgol Llangynnwr in Carmarthen, Ysgol y Ddwylan in Newcastle Emlyn, Ysgol Griffith Jones in St Clears and Ysgol Llys Hywel in Whitland – are currently dual stream, where parents can choose whether their children are taught through the medium of English or Welsh.
Councillor Glynog Davies, the cabinet member for education, saidhe was ‘disappointed’ with the lack of response to the consultation, but claimed pupils in the four schools were happy with the changes. Consultation had shown some objections from parents who feared a lack of choice and claimed their children’s English skills could suffer.
Meanwhile, another dual stream primary school – Ysgol Rhys Prichard in Llandovery – will become entirely Welsh medium in an effort to increase the nuber of Welsh speakers in the country for the years to come.
Add Comment