AIBU to expect my kids to not to told off for speaking English in a welsh medium school?

[Hairyfairy01]

I have 2 dc in year 3 and 6 who attend a welsh medium primary school and have been taught in the welsh medium since they started school. However both dc are brought up in an english speaking household. English medium education at primary level is not available in this area of wales. Both dc have reported to me that they get told off for speaking English in the classroom, corridors, lunchtime and playtime by both teachers and pupil members of the school 'welsh' council. Now I have no issues with encouraging the welsh language and totally support their scheme of rewarding pupils for speaking welsh in social situations. However I do have an issue of telling kids off for speaking english, not so much in lesson time, but more at lunchtime / playtime. Surely at these 'downtime' occasions kids should be able to speak whatever language they like, be it French, Chinese or whatever. I can only imagine that this is what happens in other primary schools where children's home / first language is different to the main language of the school occurs? Are they all told off for speaking French / Chinese etc? Feeling furious but not sure if iabu?

Imagine if an English language school told two siblings from Zimbabwe to not speak Shona. It would be denounced as xenophobic nonsense. Same here for the Welsh. Too precious about their language to see the humans learning it.

scottishdiem
English medium schools here in Italy do not allow languages other than English to be spoken within school grounds.

It's part of the social English they need to learn. Social interaction is a big part of any language

Here is a lovely piece about the Welsh written by Richard Osman

www.walesonline.co.uk/lifestyle/tv/pointless-presenter-richard-osman-written-12672718

It is standard in Welsh medium schools. If you aren't happy there must be a solution such as, perhaps, moving or driving them to an English language school or even home schooling?
Welsh medium primary schools teach welsh through immersion- whether the mother younger is English, French or Esperanto.
It was like this 41 years ago when I went into a Welsh medium primary from an English language home and it is now that my daughter is in the education system.

I have asked pupils to speak English in class (EU language spoken) as I teach English. I told them they can speak their mother tongue outside but the best way to learn and become fluent in English is to speak it in class. These pupils were not new to the country but had been here for years.
I was very proud when they passed their English GCSE.
It wasn't racist for me to do so but a wish that they improve their fluency in English.

YABU. As many pp have said, it’s about immersion. And that comes from someone who was educated through the medium of Welsh and used to hate being told off for speaking English in the corridors! As an adult, now, I can totally see why those rules were in place. I speak English with family (although DM does speak Welsh) and DH doesn’t speak English, and even though I only left school 12 years ago, my written skills in particular are already a bit rusty (and I do use it through work, a bit). Schools do all they can to keep it alive. SIL taught in an International school in Spain, and the children were expected to speak English there. This is no different.

It is a shame if you would’ve chosen an English medium school though, and there aren’t any available. Your heart won’t be in it as it’s not your first choice.

Seren that is a lovely piece.

Seriously though, friends have children who became Doctors, consultants, scientists, vets, they live from Canada/Australia to just up the road. If your child is unhappy then of course move them, speaking a language through the day, especially in a social context is important.... Moving house is so expensive now we have just done it. With estate agents, solicitors, stamp duty, removal vans. Plus all the costs associated with a new home.

I'm actually torn. In the part of Wales i live in, total emersion is the only way pupuls can becone fluent in Welsh. 80% of the children going to my kids school come from non welsh speaking homes and the parents have chosen to given their children the opportunity to think and learn in a different language. So everyone is supportive of the Welsh only policy. If you're not happy with the school in your area perhaps you should move?

I think it depends on how severely they were told off. I'm 42, went to a Welsh medium school until I was 8, and spoke mainly German and Welsh at home. I remember being told off - and hating it - for singing the "We are the champions" theme tune with my friend, who was also from a Welsh speaking home. So it's not just about the English speakers - it's purely to encourage full immersion, which is the best way to cement the laguage. In my mind it was incredibly unfair and I was quite shocked and hurt by it, but in reality (I was a shy little mouse who never put a foot wrong) I expect it was a friendly reminder that it was Welsh only please. If it actually was a severe telling off then maybe someone needs to have a word, but otherwise I would leave it.

confusedandemployed
@ChiefClerkDrumnkott clywch clywch!

Wow, I haven’t heard that in years We struggled though and somehow not only survived but thrived. I’m sure OP’s children will too

Is "total immersion" the reason why some S4C programmes don't have English subtitles? I was just looking at Heno and think it's weird there are no subtitles. And I'm not sure Pobol y cym does either, I think when I've come across it I've just had to guess what's going on!

Wouldn't it help you learn to have subtitles?

@runningkeenstar actually subtitles don't help learning so much unless they're the other way round, so watching an English program with Welsh subtitles. Winds me up there's NO welsh subtitles on S4C though. I watch tv with subtitles so I don't have to turn the volume up as loud and I want them in the language the program is in.

@TryItAndDieFatLass Ysgol y Gader in Dolgellau is bilingual. I don't have personal experience of other schools in the area though.

A quick google informs me Ysgol Ardudwy in Harlech is bilingual too... They might do a fair few things in Welsh, but those in English streams are taught in English.

My dd has several Spanish friends (a little enclave of Spanish people live in my London borough) and they are permitted to speak Spanish is break times. I don't think it excludes anyone, in fact my DD has picked up a few words by socialising with them. Not a bad thing when she starts learning Spanish at Secondary school in November .