Primary schools in Bangor

[SaniTr]

Hello Everyone,

My husband has been offered a job at Bangor University, so we plan to move to the area soon. Could anyone please advise me on primary schools where language won't be an issue? Our daughter is 8 but she will be 9 by the time we could have managed the complete move. She already speaks 3 languages but I am not sure how easy it'd be for her to completely switch to Welsh. I'd appreciate any advice as it is not easy to find information on Welsh primary school performance online.

Thanks

There is one Catholic? English medium primary in Bangor: Ysgol Ein Harglwyddes and there is one English medium state school on Anglesey: Ysgol Caergeiliog, plus a private primary that is English medium: Treffos. Have no idea about any of them! But the commute from Anglesey to Bangor is fine - bit busy across the bridge in summer or if one bridge is closed due to high winds, repairs etc.

@Bubbleswithsqueak Thank you ever so much, this was helpful. Although a little expensive but, would you know anything about St Gerard's? I must admit, we didn't think it would be this tricky to find an English-medium school in that area. Any recommendations on secondary schools as well please as the daughter is not that far off.

Thanks again.

Ysgol Friars for secondary. According to Wikipedia: “The school is currently categorised by Welsh Government as a predominantly English-medium secondary school with significant use of Welsh.” There are two state secondaries in town - Ysgol Tryfan is known as the Welsh school and Ysgol Friars as the English school.

I don’t know much at all about St Gerard’s I’m afraid.

From personal experience (many years ago) when school children move into Wales they go to a Welsh unit for a term to get a crash course in the language. I found it very effective.

Also, it is only Key Stage 1 that is done wholly in Welsh, by Key Stage 2 it is a mix of English and Welsh.

My dgs started at Friars last September. He’s enjoying it.
Before that he was at Llandygai school in a village a mile from Bangor but it is Welsh led.

Thank you very much, everyone. This school business is really causing me a headache. Does moving towards Conwy would be a better option if we are looking for an English-led school?

Schools in Conwy will be much less Welsh. Llanfairfechan is just in Conwy and an easy journey to Bangor, Gwynedd and Anglesey are all Welsh medium primary other than the exceptions above. Cae Top is much less Welsh than others and tends to feed into Friars. Friars is in the middle of a bit of a safeguarding scandal though - Google it.

When children start in ks2 without Welsh, they usually go to the Welsh language immersion provision for a term to learn the language before starting school.

St Gerard’s is English but private.

It is a pity to move into the most Welsh area of Wales and not learn Welsh fluently though. It’s a significant disadvantage not speaking the language and children do pick it up so quickly. One of mine began learning Welsh in y5, went to Welsh medium secondary and is taking all GCSE’s through the medium of Welsh now.