Welsh school rebuked for pupils speaking too much in English

A PRIMARY school in Wales has been placed in special measures after inspectors found that the children were speaking too much in English.

Ysgol Pen-y-garth school in the Victorian resort town of Penarth, south Wales, is the only Welsh-speaking school in the area, but children were observed talking to each other in English during lessons.

Inspectors from Welsh education and training board Estyn found many of the 331 children at the primary school “turn to English naturally” and as a result did not “celebrate their Welshness”.

Officials also condemned the school over its teaching standards, which were found to be “too inconsistent”.

The school will now be monitored every four to six months as part of the special measures, and will be given specific areas to improve on.

A report on the school stated: “At times, work that is incorrect is marked as being correct and given positive comments.”

It said children turn to English too often at the school and said teachers should place more focus on pupils speaking Welsh while working independently and during their leisure time.

“A majority of pupils turn to English naturally with their peers in lessons and informal situations,” it added. “There are few opportunities for pupils to celebrate Welsh culture and traditions, for example, through the expressive arts. Teachers also do not influence pupils

‘A majority of pupils turn to English naturally with their peers in lessons and informal situations’

consistently enough to speak Welsh when working independently and during their leisure time.

“The quality of teaching is inconsistent across the school. In the best practice, teachers provide interesting tasks that engage pupils’ interest. However, too often, teachers’ presentations are too long, they over-direct learning and are not lively enough.”

The report added that although the school offered a “broad curriculum”, pupils were still “not given enough opportunities to celebrate their Welshness”.

A long-term strategy from the Welsh government is to increase the number of people who speak the language to one million by 2050, and have 40 per cent of schools delivered through the medium of the Welsh language by the same date.

But recent census data showed the number of Welsh speakers in the country had decreased by 1.2 per cent, from 19 per cent in the 2011 census to 17.8 per cent in the 2021 census. The largest drop in people using the language was seen in school-age children.

A study by Swansea University suggested the Welsh language is being threatened by social media after researchers found that almost 70 per cent of Welsh speakers used English “often” or “always” on social media.

Teachers have shown it is possible to adapt the language to address modern issues. However, last month Welsh tutors on a government-funded course were found to have changed their lessons to make the language more “inclusive” for people who identify as non-binary. Welsh nouns and professions are gendered.