2. How does the Welsh Government support the provision of Welsh-medium education and childcare across Bridgend? OQ58909

The Welsh Government is working with the local authority to deliver on its Welsh in education strategic plan commitments to expand provision of childcare and education through the medium of Welsh. Forty-two million, seven hundred thousand pounds of funding has been approved in principle through a combination of our childcare, Welsh-medium and Sustainable Communities for Learning capital grants and programmes.

Diolch, Minister. I am really pleased with the announcement that there will be more access for learners to receive their education through the medium of Welsh across my community and Wales; it’s been very much welcomed by my constituents. I just wanted to highlight some good news, really, which is that in Bridgend there are plans to build a replacement Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Ogwr school, and they have moved now a step closer. So, even though it’s only going to move a short distance, it is going to increase the amount of pupils from 378 to 525, aged four to 11 years. On top of that, Bridgend County Borough Council have approved to also co-locate Welsh-medium childcare provision at the site. And then in Porthcawl there is going to be a Welsh-medium seedling school and care provision on the land next to Porthcawl Primary School, and that’s going to offer full care from potentially zero to four years old as well as after-school and holiday provision, so, really offering that full wraparound care in the medium of Welsh. I know as well that we’re very keen in Bridgend to make sure that there’s that choice to have those transitions from childcare to early years, primary and secondary school. So, really my question is just that I know that they’re very keen in Bridgend if you would be able to come and visit and meet with some of the existing Welsh-medium schools, and that would be wonderful. So, that’s what I’d like to ask today, Minister. Thank you.

I thank Sarah Murphy for drawing attention to the positive developments happening in relation to Welsh-medium education in her area. I had a very productive meeting with both the leader of the council and the cabinet member for education a few weeks ago to discuss the Welsh in education strategic plan and their level of ambition and the importance of pursuing the proposals that are set out in the plan. The developments in Ysgol Bro Ogwr and the proposed, I think very exciting, seedling school in Porthcawl are positive, and I very much look forward to seeing them progress. That’s very much the message that I gave to the council leadership when I met with them very recently.

I’ll be visiting Ysgol Gyfun Llangynwyd next month, and, if arrangements can be made, that could provide a good opportunity to meet with cabinet members and with teachers from the Welsh-medium sector in the way that she suggests. We know that improving access to Welsh-medium education goes beyond the important question of planning school places; it requires effective co-operation across sectors, across organisations and Government at all levels, and from my part, I will certainly ensure that the communication channels, which are so vital to delivering that, remain open between my officials and the local authority.

Minister, although the new schools in Brackla and Porthcawl, which Sarah just mentioned, are worth welcoming, it’s important to remind ourselves where Bridgend County Borough Council is in terms of the provision of Welsh-medium school places. We know that Bridgend is one of the areas with the lowest numbers of Welsh speakers anywhere in Wales, and one of the reasons for that is that there are only five Welsh-medium primary schools in the county, as compared to 52 English-medium schools. This means that Bridgend county has fewer Welsh-medium primary schools than every one of its neighbours and the council has no real plans to close that gap swiftly. So, what steps is the Minister taking to ensure that councils take the language sufficiently seriously and what steps is he taking to ensure that every pupil can get a place in a Welsh-medium school in their community?

A very important question there from the Member, if I may say so. I believe, in the context of Bridgend particularly, one of the challenges is that there hasn’t been enough progress in the past, and that’s an important part of the context that he set out in his question. But I am clear from my discussions with the current leadership that they understand that and that there is a commitment to making progress in terms of what they have in their WESPs. And that includes four new childcare hubs—two have already opened—also increasing the number of Welsh-medium places in nursery provision, as well as plans in terms of Ysgol Bro Ogwr, Ysgol y Ferch o Sgêr, and looking at expanding Ysgol Gyfun Llangynwyd too. And if that happens as the plan sets out, then there will be a significant increase in the number of Welsh-medium school places, and that’s to be welcomed.

On the broader question, I’ve been clear with every authority that I’ve spoken to that I’m grateful for the level of ambition in all WESPs. Every county has taken on the challenge that we have set as a Government—and that's for the first time, by the way—and have accepted the range of progress that is needed in all counties. And if all councils deliver against what they’ve pledged, then we will certainly reach our targets in ‘Cymraeg 2050’. But it’s one thing to agree on what the document says; it’s another thing to deliver against that, and we need to ensure that that happens. Although this is a 10-year plan, we need progress every year, not just over a decade.

Of course I welcome the developments in terms of Porthcawl and Ysgol Bro Ogwr—my former primary school. It was a great pleasure for me to return to Bro Ogwr to see how they were providing free school meals. The classrooms felt a lot smaller than when I was a pupil there, but I don’t know what that means—maybe I’ve put a little bit of weight on since then.

Mention has been made that the former site of Bro Ogwr is going to be turned into an English-medium school. This causes some concern for people, particularly those campaigning for more Welsh-medium provision in Bridgend. So, could the Minister confirm that he will be contacting the council to ensure that the former Bro Ogwr site will remain a Welsh-medium school and won't be turned into an English-medium school?

Well, I have an opportunity to visit primary schools throughout Wales, as the Member described, and I have to say that I also feel that schools have got a lot smaller since I was a pupil, so I possibly share that concern with him.

What I'm committed to doing is ensuring that I insist that progress is made against what's contained in the WESP. They will have a partner in the Welsh Government to ensure that the necessary support is available to them, but there is also an expectation that they deliver against their plan, and I'm confident on the basis of the conversation that I've had that they intend to do that.