Will the Cabinet Secretary confirm whether each local authority in Wales is legally required to offer education in Welsh and English to primary and secondary aged pupils living in their authority area?
The Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021 specifies that both Welsh and English are mandatory elements of the curriculum. This applies to all pupils at maintained schools, whatever the school’s language category.
The School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Act 2013 requires each local authority to prepare a Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) setting out its 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. All 22 plans have been in place since 2022 and local authorities have been proactive in their implementation.