Just AS the National Eisteddfod comes to Pontypridd, language campaigners have strongly criticised Rhondda Cynon Taf Council for the lack of growth in Welsh-medium education in the county, and have called for urgent action to reverse what they call “decades of inaction” by the Council.
Only 20% of the county’s children are educated in Welsh at present, and Rhondda Cynon Taf Council has not opened a single new Welsh-medium school since the Council itself was established in 1996, something campaigners say highlights the local authority’s serious lack of ambition.
In an open letter from Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s education group, the Council’s decision to close Ysgol Pont Siôn Norton was blasted, saying that “the right of families to have Welsh-medium education on their doorstep has disappeared overnight”. The group also criticised the “unexpected and damaging move to consult on changing Ysgol Dolau from a dual-language school to an English-medium school”.
Cymdeithas yr Iaith is calling instead for the Welsh-medium stream to be retained at Ysgol Dolau, and to increase the Welsh language provision of the whole school over time so that, in time, all the school’s children will receive their education in Welsh.
Toni Schiavone from Cymdeithas yr Iaith’s education group said: “Despite the rhetoric of Rhondda Cynon Taf Council, the story we hear about the growth of Welsh-medium education in the county is a myth. 80% of the county’s children are educated in English, and the overwhelming majority of those will leave school without being able to speak Welsh confidently.
“We know that young people want to become confident Welsh speakers, and Valleys children are being let down. There’s no sign that things are getting better either: recent decisions to close Ysgol Pont Siôn Norton and a proposed consultation on turning Ysgol Dolau into an English-medium school are two serious backward steps.”
Lowri Mared is a local parent who campaigned against the Council’s decision to close Ysgol Pont Siôn Norton.
She said: “It’s a real shame that the Council can’t see that the decision to move Ysgol Pont Siôn Norton out of the community of North Pontypridd was a backward step for the Welsh language here.
“In making this decision, the Council has completely disregarded the impact on the language. Some children will now have to pass seven English-medium schools on their way to the nearest Welsh-medium school. The areas of Cilfynydd, Glyncoch and Ynysybwl will lose the language because the Council has made Welsh-medium education an impossibility for many.”
Cymdeithas yr Iaith is campaigning for all children to receive Welsh-medium education by 2050. Statistical work commissioned by the group shows that, in order to ensure by 2050 that all children in Rhondda Cynon Taf receive their education in Welsh, 40.2% of the county’s primary pupils will need to receive Welsh-medium education by 2035. At present, only 16% of the county’s primary school children are at a Welsh-medium school.
The group says Welsh-medium education for everyone cannot happen overnight, but says ambitious action is needed to start the journey. The campaigners have proposed action to take to begin the process of a radical increase in provision:
- Transform existing plans in order to create rapid growth; identify the most urgent gaps in Welsh-medium education in the county; and of the schools currently teaching in English, identify the first ones to start the process of becoming Welsh-medium schools.
- Improve Welsh language provision for additional learning needs so that children are not lost from Welsh-medium education.
- Reduce the distance to qualify for free transport to secondary school from three miles to two.
Toni Schiavone from the Cymdeithas yr Iaith education group said: “Providing Welsh-medium education on the doorstep in all areas is the only way to ensure that everyone can become confident Welsh speakers.
“With the National Eisteddfod in Pontypridd this year, the Council has a great opportunity to think again about the language, to reverse its record of the last few decades and leave a legacy by getting serious about the journey towards giving every child in the county the gift of the Welsh language.”
