What discussions has the Welsh Government had with Bridgend County Borough Council about how to improve Welsh-medium education in the county?
My officials are in regular contact with Bridgend County Borough Council education authority to discuss their planning of Welsh-medium education, with those discussions focused around their Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP).
These discussions take place with the Director of Education, his officers and also through the once-termly Welsh in Education Forum led by the authority. During 2019, my officials also facilitated on behalf of the authority tailored support by consultants specialising in Welsh education and language planning.
Following a review of Welsh-medium education planning by local authorities in 2017, new WESP legislation was introduced in 2019 aligning our expectations for the planning of Welsh-medium education with our ambitious target of one million Welsh speakers by 2050. I am in no doubt that by driving forward the proportion of learners accessing Welsh-medium education - and therefore the opportunity to becoming bilingual speakers - we can achieve that target.
Since the beginning of this year, my officials have met with the Directors of Education of all local authorities, including Bridgend, to discuss their vision for the development and growth of Welsh-medium education in their areas in line with our new expectations. In Bridgend, we have set the challenge for them to increase the proportion of year 1 learners in Welsh-medium education from around 8% as it is now, to between 14% - 18% by 2031/2. The authority has already begun to respond positively to that challenge with exciting plans on the horizon to develop provision in several key areas, such as Porthcawl. Like many local authorities at present, Bridgend education officers are jointly planning and discussing their new WESP with their Welsh Education Forum, which includes representation from education and language stakeholders.
Having said that, I am aware that a situation has arisen recently where families have been unable to secure a place for their child at their preferred Welsh-medium school, in this case, Ysgol Bro Ogwr. Following discussion between my officials and the authority on this issue, I am satisfied that the county has a solution to address the situation, with plans to expand Welsh-medium education provision in the Pencoed area already underway through capital support of our twenty-first century schools and colleges programme. However, this does not help those families referred to above who chose Welsh-medium education as their first choice school, and who have been left disappointed. I have therefore asked my officials to meet again with the Director of education to discuss.