Overhaul of education in Welsh language is now at the final stage

AN OVERHAUL of Welsh-language education cleared the penultimate hurdle in the Senedd, with new school categories and legal requirements on the horizon.

- By CHRIS HAINES ICNN Senedd Reporter

Senedd members debated the Welsh Language and Education Bill, which aims to ensure all pupils become confident Welsh-speakers by the end of compulsory school.

If passed, the bill will create three school categories: primarily Welsh; dual language; and primarily English, partly Welsh - with targets for each.

A minimum of 10% of Welsh education would be required in primarily English schools, with 50% and 80% for the dual language and primarily Welsh categories respectively.

The bill would also put the target of reaching at least a million Welsh-speakers by 2050 on a legal footing and establish the National Welsh Language Learning Institute.

Senedd Members considered dozens of detailed amendments to the bill during a four-hour stage-three debate on Tuesday.

Plaid Cymru’s Cefin Campbell was one of the initial architects of the reforms as part of his party’s now-collapsed co-operation agreement with the Welsh Government.