Welsh-medium Education

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:10 pm on 22 June 2021.

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Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 2:10, 22 June 2021

(Translated)

Thank you for the question. I am aware of the issues that the Member has raised, because I've had an opportunity to talk to the local Member in Bridgend about the future of Welsh-medium education in that area. In all parts of Wales, I'm sure every Member here will be representing people who can't access a place in the school of their choice. I do it as a Member in Cardiff West virtually every year with children who want to access English-medium education in the city. We all work with such individuals, and we have been working hard and working closely with Bridgend council in order to develop the number of places that they have available in school in the area that are available through the medium of Welsh. They do have plans now that will increase the numbers that can access Welsh-medium education over the next decade—practical steps. For example, they want to do more in Ysgol y Ferch o'r Sgêr, they are going to move a school to the heart of Bridgend in order to give access to more people, and they are going to provide more spaces at Ysgol Bro Ogwr. There is more work to be done in Bridgend, I am aware of that, but I am sure that the council, with the plans that it has in place and the funding that we provide as a Government to assist them, are on the right track in helping us all to reach the point by 2050 where we will have 1 million Welsh speakers here in Wales.