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AIBU?
To send DS to Welsh speaking secondary?
HeartShapedBoxes · 26/09/2022 23:16
Recently had to move in with my mum and found that the English speaking secondary school in catchment is awful. Really, really bad. There is a Welsh speaking secondary school - but DS doesn’t speak much Welsh. Would I be completely mad to send him there if I can? He’s in year 6 so it’s a pressing problem right now
Am I being unreasonable?
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YourUserNameMustBeAtLeast3Characters · 27/09/2022 08:40
Have you been to see the English speaking school yet? Sometimes schools have reputations that are out of date, a very good leadership team can make a huge difference. Exam results can reflect the catchment or be the result of a great SEN provision attracting a higher proportion of SEN students, rather than necessarily reflecting the experience your son will have.
Ein · 27/09/2022 08:44
PumpkinDart · 26/09/2022 23:19
Welsh speaker here, your DS will struggle hugely. The curriculum will all be delivered in Welsh and English speaking even between classes isn't allowed. I definitely would not encourage this. A friend put her English speaking child in to a Welsh language primary in year 3 and he's struggling massively so I can't imagine a year 7 in that position.
Listen to this person!
Sorry its so hard OP but the Welsh speaking school is NOT an option.
RedHelenB · 27/09/2022 08:46
HeartShapedBoxes · 26/09/2022 23:16
Recently had to move in with my mum and found that the English speaking secondary school in catchment is awful. Really, really bad. There is a Welsh speaking secondary school - but DS doesn’t speak much Welsh. Would I be completely mad to send him there if I can? He’s in year 6 so it’s a pressing problem right now
If you live in Wakes why wouldn't you want him to speak the language. Kids pick it up so fast, plus as its a dead language there is a lot if English words in there. After a year I think he'd be more or less fluent
Cathod · 27/09/2022 08:46
CeriBerry · 26/09/2022 23:43
I’m a teacher at a very Welsh secondary school. Obviously I’m fluent in Welsh. He would be sent to an immersion unit for a half term/term and this would hugely improve his Welsh skills. I’m actually an English teacher so it wouldn’t be applicable in my classes but for all other subjects he would be supported with English worksheets etc.
We had a girl in year 7 last year who had never spoken a word of Welsh and she’s honestly amazing now so it definitely can work.
I'm a Welsh speaker too and used to teach in a WM school. When we had new pupils who had poor Welsh skills SLT instructed us not to make any allowances. I think they hoped they would move! These pupils had spent some time in an immersion unit.
Shlomping1234 · 27/09/2022 08:46
..to then go to the Welsh secondary as the one they'll be going to isn't the best. But they don't speak Welsh and neither do I so I think they'd struggle. They are year 5 and 2. I've now decided to send them to the Catholic secondary which is slightly further away. I went there and it is the best in the area.
PumpkinDart · 27/09/2022 08:51
Shlomping1234 · 27/09/2022 08:42
A welsh primary opened close to my children's primary and I was contemplating sending them there t
Depending where you are for primary school they often take children to the immersion learning centre when they're new to a Welsh speaking school or struggling with the language, two from my daughter's class (y 4) go a few times a week and that's helped but then they've also complained that they don't like missing out on time with friends in school so I suppose age would be a huge factor here and also their own understanding of what the move will mean.
brianixon · 27/09/2022 08:56
Reading posts about Welsh and Irish schools prohibiting social conversations in other languages.
Thinking about schools in Whitechapel trying to stop kids from using Urdu or Sylheti.
They would find themselves in Human Rights Court for Oppressive policies.
How does it escape that kind of scrutiny?
Elisheva · 27/09/2022 09:02
It takes a child two years to become conversationally fluent in a language and five years to become academically fluent.
I would send him to the English speaking school and be prepared to support him with tutors and clubs etc.
Will you be speaking Welsh at home?
CeeJay81 · 27/09/2022 09:07
Id think twice about this.
My dd is year 4 and doing Welsh at primary but not at secondary. I know a few doing this. Welsh at high school is tough cause you'd be doing all exams in Welsh. We live in a rural fairly Welsh speaking area. It's an all in 1 school here now and from this year new starters in reception are all put in a dual stream class. This is really a Welsh class. They are starting to faze out the English stream. I'm so glad she has the option of English still. She understands Welsh but doesn't speak it a lot according to her teacher. Her brother went through English at primary level too cause of dyslexia. We dont speak Welsh at home really, although my husband understands it all.
See what the school say, it really depends on how Welsh a Welsh school it is without sounding daft. Speak to them sbout it. Doing exams in Welsh is very hard unless you are Welsh speaking at home.
Garysmum · 27/09/2022 09:12
brianixon · 27/09/2022 08:56
Reading posts about Welsh and Irish schools prohibiting social conversations in other languages.
Thinking about schools in Whitechapel trying to stop kids from using Urdu or Sylheti.
They would find themselves in Human Rights Court for Oppressive policies.
How does it escape that kind of scrutiny?
Also the deliberate lack of assistance.
If I read about these policies happening abroad, I would question whether there was unconscious bias at play... or even overt.
RedDwarfGarbagePod · 27/09/2022 09:25
If you live in Wakes why wouldn't you want him to speak the language. Kids pick it up so fast, plus as its a dead language there is a lot if English words in there. After a year I think he'd be more or less fluent
Welsh is very much not a dead language. A minority language, definitely, but not dead or even moribund.
MrsCarson · 27/09/2022 09:35
Find out how long the emersion program is. The one at the school Dd goes to is 2 years maximum. They also take kids in year 6 who want to enter the emersion program for the last term of year 6 and work with them to see how good their Welsh is and whether they would cope with the classes. All classes in the rest of the school are in Welsh including GCSE's until year 12 and 13 where the AS and A levels are English.
RubyRoss · 27/09/2022 10:44
@brianixon Oh please, that’s ridiculous. Immersion is the way to learn a language. Those schools are creating an immersive environment for learning. Also, it should be bloody obvious that Welsh and Irish are the native languages of Wales and Ireland before oppressive laws and cultures promoted English. There is no parallel to schools in Whitechapel trying to stop kids from using Urdu or Sylheti.
Clarinet1 · 27/09/2022 11:32
As someone who is good at languages, including some Welsh, I’d say a lot depends on your DS’s interests and aptitudes. If he’s done some Welsh already, did he enjoy it? Find it stimulating? Does he try to make out signs in Welsh around him? Or is it all a crashing bore to him? Is he generally a verbal, articulate child or does he prefer numbers, diagrams etc?
However I also agree with Pp who say to talk to the school about immersion units and also consider the latest information on the English medium school.
RedHelenB · 27/09/2022 11:36
Foronenightonly22 · 27/09/2022 00:19
But she was living in France and immersed in French life - hearing the language all around.
BadGranny · 26/09/2022 23:38
My daughter went to an ordinary school in France when she was in Y8 for a year. She spoke a tiny amount of classroom French when she started. By the end of two terms she was completely fluent in French without an accent, and had a big-ish speaking part in the school play.
Kids are WAY more able to do that than adults.
Well.so will the ops son. He's in Wales.
RedHelenB · 27/09/2022 11:39
RedDwarfGarbagePod · 27/09/2022 09:25
If you live in Wakes why wouldn't you want him to speak the language. Kids pick it up so fast, plus as its a dead language there is a lot if English words in there. After a year I think he'd be more or less fluent
Welsh is very much not a dead language. A minority language, definitely, but not dead or even moribund.
Interesting. Could you give me some examples of more modern words? My friend was Welsh and when she spoke with her friends the more modern words were English so I assumed there weren't new Welsh words but I stand corrected.
Winnietheshite · 27/09/2022 11:44
Speak to the school. Our local Welsh medium school recommends pupils in year 5 attend their Welsh lessons in preparation for Year 7 if they're not fluent in Welsh.
Whereabouts are you? We're in Flintshire and honestly the choice of local high-schools in catchment isn't amazing.
DumpedByText · 27/09/2022 11:55
My daughter goes to a Welsh speaking secondary school. They have an immersion course for year 7 and 8 pupils and they then go into year 9 fluent. It works really well and most kids adapt to it easily. My daughter started reception not being able to speak Welsh and was fluent by year 3. If he didn't do an immersion course though I think he'd struggle.
brianixon · 27/09/2022 12:11
@RubyRoss , Why is it not a valid comparison?
Is English not the native language of London?
It is not the use of Welsh in Lessons or for formal use that I question but social conversations, at break times, relaxing 'off duty' informal times.
Teaching and use of a native language is usually managed without draconian rules.
Gettingbythanks · 27/09/2022 12:22
RedHelenB · 27/09/2022 11:36
Well.so will the ops son. He's in Wales.
Foronenightonly22 · 27/09/2022 00:19
But she was living in France and immersed in French life - hearing the language all around.
BadGranny · 26/09/2022 23:38
My daughter went to an ordinary school in France when she was in Y8 for a year. She spoke a tiny amount of classroom French when she started. By the end of two terms she was completely fluent in French without an accent, and had a big-ish speaking part in the school play.
Kids are WAY more able to do that than adults.
I guess that depends on the region. Where I live (a large town) in Wales, I never hear anyone speaking Welsh, and don’t think I even know anyone who speaks it. It’s definitely not the same as someone learning French in France, Welsh is the minority language.
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