Starting welsh language school late.

[Joyn]

Hi

Dh is from Wales (Has basic understanding of welsh, but no more). We are considering moving there. I have three children & 2 are already in school. Would they cope with joining a welsh language school late? Dc1 would be going into yr5 & dc2 yr3. Both are doing well (above national expectations,) in school, so wouldn't need extra help for any other reason, but would they get additional support to help them pick up welsh? How long would it take to/could they catch up? Anyone else done this before?

Thanks

From Cambridge, my parents moved to Fishguard, or thereabouts, in Pembrokeshire, when I was about eight or nine. The primary school which I went to was a mixture of Welsh as a first language and non Welsh speakers. The head was a keen Welsh speaker, (and, so I'm told, an inspiration to me as a Welsh learner. I don't remember that bit.) My brother is a year younger than me, and didn't learn to speak it. I don't know why. By the time I went to secondary school I could speak it pretty well and was sent to a predominantly Welsh speaking secondary school as a result. So, I think it depends on the child. But there's no reason why the language can't be picked up. (No one else in my family picked it up though.) I'd imagine a father who can speak it would be helpful. Are there any relations in the area who speak it? That's helpful too. Part of my family has Welsh as a first language because my older brother married a girl from the nearest village. (They still write to me in Welsh!)

If neither of you are fluent welsh speakers why would you want your children to to go to a welsh speaking school? Here in Wales there are 2 types of school - normal where all lesions are in English with incidental welsh encouraged (good morning, please, thank you etc) and Welsh speaking where all lesions are in Welsh and English isn't spoken until year 3. IMO sending non Welsh speaking children from non welsh speaking parents to a welsh speaking school would be too much. On the other hand an English speaking school where they will learn simple welsh phrases and numbers etc would be no problem and they'd probably enjoy it.

Thanks for your replies. The main reason I would like them to go to welsh school is for the benefit of learning a second language at a young age. I think fluency in a second language is a real advantage in life. One side of the family is welsh, so I also see it as being part of their heritage.

It seems like a great opportunity to enhance their education. But I didn't know if welsh schools are set up to help kids who transfer in late.

If you already know where you'd live, why don't you speak to the head teacher? We lived in such a rural area that local children had no choice of primary school. There aren't any more schools there now. So I'd imagine that all children in that area still go to that school regardless of what their first language is.

I don't know about extra help at primary level, certainly if your DC go to an English speaking primary but go on to a Welsh speaking secondary they get a crash course in Welsh over the summer holidays (where we live anyway).

I do have a friend who moved to Wales from England, and put her DDs into Welsh school and they picked it up very fast, but they were more Y1/2 age.

I would imagine your Y5 DC would find it hard going from above average in school to below average - they won't be able to write any of their work in Welsh at the same level they would previously been able to write in English. All lessons in Welsh would probably at least to start with could be quite demoralising. But within a few months they should at least be able to speak it well. And Welsh is more phonetical than English in terms of learning to spell...

I guess it depends why you want to put them into Welsh school. Some are very good - there tends to be a general consensus that Welsh schools are good, in the same way that C of E schools are good. But actually on an individual level that isn't always the case.

Do be aware that all their homework instructions etc will be written in Welsh so you may not be able to help them, if you can't speak Welsh you may struggle encouraging them how to improve their written work etc.

BTW I am not trying to put you off Welsh school, If DS1 doesn't get into my first choice of secondary school, he will have a Welsh school down as second choice, because our local English comp is one of the worst schools in Wales.

My 2 younger DSs have picked up loads of incidental Welsh in nursery and reception and they use it naturally in everyday language, they are doing a good job of teaching me too :)

Oops, took so long to write that I cross posted.
I'd check with the school for any specifics, but I think the Y3 DC would pick it up fine.

Thanks LMG & LAS!

I will get in touch with the school & find out more. If we were to get a place I think it might be worth looking into a welsh tutor for a bit to help them catch up & perhaps to help dh brush up too.

Whatever school you go to in Wales the pupils will learn some welsh. If it is an english media school, then the majority of the conversation is in english but there is specific use of the welsh language in lessons. I don't believe that you will have any problem with your children coping in this environment.
AS you go to a bilingual school and then a welsh medium school the level of lessons in welsh increases to effectively full time. Obviously that will be more difficult but not a major problem with the support they will receive.
It really depends on whereabouts in wales you are thinking of going that will dictate the level of the different kinds of schools that you have a choice of.
Whereabouts are you thinking of?