Switching classes

[PineFox]

My child is in a mixed Year 1 and Year 2 class, and there are three of these mixed‑age classes across the year group. It’s a Welsh‑medium school, and the only secondary school in the local area is also Welsh‑medium.

My concern is that although the school is fully Welsh‑medium, all of the children in his Year 2 class seem to come from English‑speaking homes. I’m worried that the overall Welsh fluency in the class isn’t where it should be, especially when thinking ahead to secondary school.

On top of that, the class doesn’t seem particularly strong academically in other areas either, and it’s making me question whether he’s in the right class environment. I’m wondering whether this is something I should raise at parents’ evening. He’s very keen to stay where he is because his best friends are in the class, but he’d still see them at break times and he’s such a confident, sociable boy that I know he’d make new friends easily.

I just want him to have the best possible start.

Assuming this is a mainstream primary, not a private school, then I don't think your arguments work well. The children who attend will be the children whose local school it is, so if the local children happen not to speak Welsh at home, the school won't be allowed to not select them and select others that do.

I don't think "Welsh fluency in the class" can be "not where it should be" unless it is a selective school (probably private) on the child's ability to speak Welsh. It's a shame if speaking in the Welsh language is declining so rapidly that a school cannot take enough good Welsh language speakers to keep it properly Welsh language speaking, but if it can't, it can't.

The possibility that they other class may have more Welsh Language speakers is definately work raising, but I guess the classes have been separated on other factors and presumably, if the whole school is Welsh medium, then ANY child who doesn't speak Welsh at home is at a disadvantage, so throwing more fluent Welsh speakers into one area may disadvantage the other children more.

Thanks for your reply @stichguru

One of the other classes is absolutely dominated by children from first language Welsh homes and I would say the other class was mixed. I think in parents evening I will ask how they've decided to split the year and go from there...

I know lots of kids from English speaking homes (parents speak no Welsh at all) who attend Welsh medium schools, come out of secondary school with straight A*’s

You have no real reason to ask - you’ve only got assumptions you’ve made based on no evidence at all

I hope a school would say no. It's really not reasons to change a child's class in a state primary school.

Oh really that's convenient.

Evidence of what? I know 100% that all the other parents of this class speak little to no Welsh. No assumptions needed.

Do you think? I'm going to have a conversation regardless to try and understand why the classes have been set up the way they have.

A bit of a more diverse approach would have been better, no?