Welsh medium school English parents

[SarahDay1990]

Any experience of sending your LO to welsh medium school where parents don’t speak welsh? Where we live in Cardiff we are in catchment for a welsh medium school which is a good school. The English medium school isn’t very good but I’m hesitant about welsh schools where neither mum or dad speak welsh. Also any experience of moving from welsh medium primary to English medium secondary - just in case we need to move in the future with OH’s job? X

Hi @SarahDay1990 😊

Our children go to a Welsh medium school. My husband is a relatively fluent Welsh speaker and I know a smattering of basic Welsh, so not really in the position of being non Welsh speaking parents, but thought I'd share our experiences.

On the good side, the behaviour of the children in the school is generally very good. I wouldn't have mentioned this as schools can vary hugely in this area, but DH used to work amongst both Welsh and English medium primary schools in South Wales and said that the behaviour in Welsh schools was almost always better.

Most of the homework/communications from our school are bilingual so no worries about understanding them.

On the other side of the coin - if you want to be involved with your child's schooling and don't know Welsh, you may find it frustrating (as I have) not being able to really help in Welsh language homework tasks that involve writing, reading or speaking. All assemblies and concerts here are in Welsh with little or no interpretation offered. There is a very big emphasis on Wales and it's history and culture which is fine with us, but I understand it might not be everyone's cup of tea.

Just my two pennies worth... My experience with a Welsh school has been a positive one on the whole. It would be interesting to hear about other people's experiences too! Hopefully you will find what works for you 😊 xx

Thank you! Do you feel a bit disconnected from your child’s education? For example mixing with other parents?

We didn’t get on with it
One of the worst memories was going to DDs first nativity and not understanding a word of it
Mixing with the other parents was never a problem , one of my best friends is still someone I met at the school gates !
The homework , reading , projects and things were a problem though
Other people have better experiences though
We ended up doing what I’d always said I’d never do , which is driving past a school within walking distance and taking her to another

I'm a non-Welsh speaker with children going through Welsh medium education in Cardiff.

Everything is taught exclusively in Welsh until year 3 when English is introduced. Our school makes sure that all parent focused communication is bilingual but often the homework set by teachers isn't, although Google translate helps you understand what is being set to help guide your children.

My eldest continued with Welsh education into secondary but a friend of hers switched to English and is excelling too, she's got a guaranteed good Welsh GCSE in the bag too because the second language GCSE in Welsh (compulsory for all in English medium schools) will never exceed what she learnt up until the age of 11.

Even with lockdown learning I'm still pleased we made the decision to send our children to Welsh school. They're thriving and both schools are consistently well rated by Estyn (in fact all 3 Welsh medium secondaries in Cardiff are).

As for parents they're as much of a mix as you'd find anywhere. Some families are English only at home, some have a smattering of Welsh and others are exclusively Welsh at home. It's made no difference in our experience in terms of getting along/creating school friendship groups with the parents/children.

It's interesting reading everyone else's experiences! As far as mixing with other parents goes, I haven't had any problems and most/all parents will speak in English to me from the start regardless of whether they speak Welsh or not. I've never felt like an outsider because I can't speak much Welsh, and I can naturally tend towards feeling isolated so that's significant I think. Staff have always been supportive, and to answer your question, no, I've never really felt disconnected from my DCs education. HTH a bit 😘

Vast majority of parents at DD’s school are non-Welsh speakers, including DH (who spent his first 21 years in England). I have basic Welsh understanding. DD is now in year 5 and absolutely thriving (when at school!).

They have lost a few kids to English medium schools over the past 6 or so months because they lost confidence with their Welsh during the various lockdowns, which is incredibly sad. But it wasn’t because parents didn’t feel supported, which I guess is good.

Our Dd went to a primary that was 50/50 Then went onto a Welsh medium high school. Dh and I don't speak Welsh and don't feel excluded at all. In meeting with teachers, they ask Welsh or English before starting and then use whatever you like.
All letters home and emails come in both languages.
Big meetings at school are repeated in both languages as they go on. Takes longer but it is inclusive.
She's doing her GCSE assessments at the moment all in Welsh, then A levels that are taught in English.

Thank you everyone for your comments! As I say it’s a toss up between a welsh school or a not very good school....If we had to move to England with DH’s job - any experience of trying to transfer across to an English school in England? Also I’m guessing you can’t pick a school which is outside your catchment? Sorry for the questions - first time mum and new to the area!!!

@ Doilooklikeatourist how did you manage to get into a school which was further away from your home than another school?

@SarahDay1990

@ Doilooklikeatourist how did you manage to get into a school which was further away from your home than another school?

Presumably the English school was further away than the Welsh one.

@SarahDay1990

Thank you everyone for your comments! As I say it’s a toss up between a welsh school or a not very good school....If we had to move to England with DH’s job - any experience of trying to transfer across to an English school in England? Also I’m guessing you can’t pick a school which is outside your catchment? Sorry for the questions - first time mum and new to the area!!!

Whereabouts are you?

Can’t imagine any difficulty with switching to English - it’s the other way that’s awkward.

My eldest did Welsh Medium until 16 and is now in college studying in English. I don't speak Welsh, my children thrived. The nearest English school is ok but too big for my children. It was definitely the right decision.
Which school? Glantaf, Plasmawr or Bro Ederyn?

The majority of the parents were English speakers btw. Not an issue at all.

Also I’m guessing you can’t pick a school which is outside your catchment?

You can, but some primary schools are oversubscribed, the last time I checked all Welsh medium applications in catchment were granted 1st choice. Out of catchment then goes on priority criteria down the list with siblings taking priority over distance.

Cardiff council has the admissions detail for state schools on their website so that could give you an idea on chances of applying.

Transferring to an English medium school would be tricky until about year 5/6 just because of the delay in any formal teaching through English. By then most children have caught up with their peers in English school but the approach to phonics is slightly different. Children are like little learning sponges though so should be able to adapt pretty fast.

The other thing to consider if you're not comfortable with Welsh medium but your local English medium doesn't look great are the Church of Wales schools and Catholic schools. That would widen your 'catchment' and might work better for you if the ethos matches yours.

@SarahDay1990 we lived in a village and the school was small and Welsh medium
DD went to dancing lessons in town , I phoned the school that the girl she was friendly with went to , and asked if she could move there
They said yes , she started there the following September ( year 5 )
Still got an Astar for the Welsh GCSE

Although a long way off yet, but - if your child stays in Wales - they will have a huge advantage in the job market if they're bilingual. I learnt Welsh at an English medium school for years and am still crap at it and have got no chance of getting a job in so many industries in Wales.

We did consider the church schools but the admission is very strict - weekly/fortnightly attendance for a number of years.
The school is Treganna > Plasmawr if anyone has any experience of those? X

DON'T DO IT! If lockdown and home schooling has taught us anything it's how ridiculous it is having a child being taught in a language you can't support. It's caught so many of my friends out this last year.

Plasmawr has a great reputation, so much so we're considering sending DD2 there instead of Glantaf like her sister if possible.

I've only heard good things about Treganna from parents of past pupils.

I'm an English-speaking parent of children in a Cardiff Welsh-medium primary. My wife speaks Welsh so I'm not quite in the same position. I've found the school community to be very inclusive of me as a non-Welsh speaker: written communications are always bilingual, as are events like Nativities.

In part, it's possible that I don't experience feeling left out because I live in a bilingual household so I'm used to hearing Welsh spoken. I think it's also because most of the families of kids in my children's classes have at least one nin-Welsh speaking parent, so I haven't felt excluded from conversation at the gate either. I suspect this may be more typical of Cardiff than some other parts of Wales, as many of the Welsh speakers here have moved away from the area where they grew up, often picking up an English (or least non-Cymraeg) partner along the way!

My dd is at a Welsh medium primary. Neither me not dh speak Welsh but we're learning. So far, so good. Bilingual communication from the school. Easy to get to know parents at the gate. I have my concerns going forwards when it comes to being able to help her or understand school plays etc but I'm going to make a real effort with the language and cross my fingers!