Welsh Medium Schools - Worried. Any experiences?

[Hochocolio]

I'm moving to an area were the best schools are Welsh Medium. I have 2 DC. Eldest is 8 and will be moving to year 4 in September and the youngest is 4 and will be starting reception. Would you take up a place in the excellent Welsh school? Worried about eldest DC more than anything.

What is it you’re worried about?

Just DS being in a school were he doesn't speak the language fluently. He's a very sociable kid and I'm worried it will affect his ability to make friends and make him miserable. Both me and his dad don't speak Welsh at all. He can speak bits that he's learnt in school so far but only bits really.

It may be considered the best school generally but I can’t see how it can possibly be the best choice for your family if you and your children don’t speak the language. I’m sure your children would be finer over time but what would the impact on their education be in the meantime? Excuse my ignorance but does it mean everything is done in Welsh? If so I can’t see how this is a realistic or responsible choice for kids that don’t speak Welsh.

Don't know about specific schools but the one near us will put non Welsh speakers from year 3 up in an immersion unit separate from the school for 1-3 terms to basically learn Welsh. One day a week in the Welsh school. Year 3 up is taught solely in Welsh, no English spoken so impossible to start without first learning Welsh. Also, highly recommended parents take Welsh lessons or you won't be able to make sense of concerts, help with homework etc.

That said, I know of two pupils who went there in a similar situation and have flourished. One who did not...they had underlying ALN which made it really tricky for them to learn the language. They then went back to mainstream.

Oh, I assumed he was fluent! No, I wouldn’t send him, goodness me, absolutely not.

I wouldn't worry at all - it's really common, and the schools will be absolutely used to dealing with it. DD's been a long time out of primary, but IIRC in our county Foundation Phase children go straight into Welsh medium but with plenty of classroom support. Older children go to the local Canolfan Iaith (Language Centre) 2+ days a week until they're confident in the language.

I know more than one child who's come into Welsh medium primary in year 5 and then chosen to move on to Welsh medium secondary even though English / bilingual is an equally easy/local choice here.

Oh, and, it may be the 'best' school, but definitely don't discount the others. Alot of things go into deciding a school is the best and it doesn't always mean if a school hasnt got the highest rating that it isn't good. Go for visits, get a feel for a school. See where the children around where you are living goe to school....makes a bug difference to social life outside of school if friends are in walking distance.

Well the English speaking schools in the area are really not good. So partly thinking it might be short term pain for long term gain. The best high schools are also Welsh speaking and we are in this area long term now for DH work.

Unless schools have changed a lot since I was in a Welsh medium school, they aren’t used to dealing with it: they work on the assumption the child is fluent in welsh?

It’s been some time for me admittedly but there’s no way I’d send a non fluent welsh speaker to a welsh medium school.

Welsh medium schools often are ‘better’ than English ones, but being practical, if they can’t access the curriculum because it is in welsh it won’t really be very helpful for them!

The only situation in which I'd imagine it might be an issue would be eg if you were in Cardiff so that English primaries were equally readily available - at which point I guess fewer children would go in to older years with no Welsh. But there's so much political will to promote Welsh speaking amongst children that there really is ample support IME.
It might help to consider refugee / other overseas families moving to primaries in England - there's nothing like the level of support, and the children still do just fine - they pick up language so quickly. (Or indeed the Syrian refugee families who've come to Wales in recent years where the dc start with neither English nor Welsh, and are comfortable in both amazingly fast.)

Looking at the even longer term, having fluent Welsh is a big plus point when you come to look for work if your dc might consider staying in Wales.

Also, remember that from 7+ they'll be working in both English and Welsh - they don't only use Welsh! So reading books, story writing, etc etc in both languages,

I'm in Ireland and we have gaelscoils here which are taught through Irish and children join all the time only having a few words of Irish and are fine within a few terms. Some kids(not many though) even start secondary school here through Irish without having done primary through Irish and do fine.
I wouldn't think twice about sending your 4 year old there and I would send the 8 year old and see how he gets on, I presume these decisions can be reversed and he could go to a different school if it doesn't work out. If he is relatively bright I think he will be flying it in no time. I think there are so many benefits to children being bilingual that I would at least give it a shot.

What a waste of time though to learn a language you can only speak in Wales

It isn’t quite the same though, @Sadik

Welsh medium schools tend to be smaller than average and in rural areas and there simply isn’t the funding to help students learn welsh.

To be blunt about it, it also isn’t comparable with children who speak English as a second language arriving in English schools - yes, they can and do get immersed in the language quickly but the huge difference is that welsh medium schools exist to keep the language alive and ensure it doesn’t die out. As such, speaking English is obviously not encouraged. It can’t be, because it negates the whole point of a welsh medium school.

There are some schools which might be English speaking but have a welsh ‘stream’ but that’s not what OP means, I don’t think. It’s a welsh speaking school, and her children do not speak welsh. I think it would be utter madness to send them, I’m sorry.

@whatthejiggeries

What a waste of time though to learn a language you can only speak in Wales

I assume you think that speaking Danish, Dutch, Greenlandic or any other minor language is also a waste of time? Clearly we should all just speak English, Spanish or Mandarin

@whatthejiggeries

What a waste of time though to learn a language you can only speak in Wales

What an ignorant attitude.

Would you tell someone moving to Greece it was a waste of time learning Greek as its only spoken there?

Yes @endofjune the schools are entirely Welsh speaking. We will be living in a very rural area. Moving from Cardiff. So kids have learnt some Welsh in school already but obviously not loads.

"Welsh medium schools tend to be smaller than average and in rural areas and there simply isn’t the funding to help students learn welsh."

I can only think it's wildly different in different areas then - certainly here I know loads dc who've gone into Welsh medium primary very happily as I say anything up to yr 5. They're all fully Welsh medium here (though as I say they do also have English reading books etc), the only state English medium primary roundabouts is a Catholic one.

@whatthejiggeries and Argentina.

If you’re going to be dismissive, at least be dismissive correctly.

And no, it isn’t a waste of time. Welsh language and culture is a vibrant part of Wales.

I honestly wouldn’t. It’s really hard, because you obviously want your children to go to the best schools, but I think this would just be so isolating and difficult for them.

@whatthejiggeries

What a waste of time though to learn a language you can only speak in Wales

🤣🤣🤣 Someone is clearly seeking a reaction!

I'd be interested to know if any of the negative posters on this thread have had dc in Welsh medium education?

I can’t pretend to be an expert @Sadik - you probably know more than me! Just that the Welsh medium schools I know of it’s sort of Welsh or nothing - i do know that when there was a fight at one, the teachers told the kids concerned off for speaking English, rather than fighting! This was around 2005 so things may have changed but it’s that sort of thing that would really concern me. I would think speaking fluent Welsh would be a given.

@Sadik

"Welsh medium schools tend to be smaller than average and in rural areas and there simply isn’t the funding to help students learn welsh."

I can only think it's wildly different in different areas then - certainly here I know loads dc who've gone into Welsh medium primary very happily as I say anything up to yr 5. They're all fully Welsh medium here (though as I say they do also have English reading books etc), the only state English medium primary roundabouts is a Catholic one.

Yes this is very similar set up to where we be moving. I've spoken to the school and they have reassured me the kids will be fine. Still a worry though.