Mike Hedges AM welcomes £4.2m to boost teaching of Welsh
The Welsh
Government is investing an extra £4.2m to support the teaching and learning of
Welsh and subjects through the medium of Welsh.
Mike said
…. ‘I welcome this news – more
parents wish to see their children educated through the Welsh language and
these schemes will increase the number of teachers who can teach through Welsh.
We ought to be proud of our language heritage and encourage use of the Welsh
Language in different ways; these schemes encourage people to do just that.’
A new one-year
pilot sabbatical scheme for primary teachers to develop their Welsh-language
skills will be delivered. This new pilot will be added to the range of courses
currently delivered across Wales.
Additional money
will also be provided to Regional Education consortia to undertake a program of
work which will include mapping the Welsh language skills of the workforce;
mentoring and school-to-school support; and providing a program of Welsh
language professional learning for practitioners.
The full
allocations are as follows:
£1,200,000 to
support the provision and expansion of the national sabbatical scheme
A new one-year
pilot sabbatical scheme course for primary teachers to develop their
Welsh-language skills will be delivered. As part of the full-time course,
teachers will be released from school to significantly develop their
Welsh-language skills, reflecting the increased expectations that will be
placed on all schools as part of the introduction the Welsh language continuum.
£600,000 to
improve Welsh language skills of learners through informal opportunities
A programme of
support will be developed to help English-medium schools to improve learners’
Welsh language skills to ensure that children and young people have more
opportunities to use their Welsh language skills in an authentic and
constructive way beyond Welsh language lessons.
£50,000 to
attract Welsh-medium graduates
We recognise
there is a need to recruit more graduates into teaching in the Welsh-medium
sector and to teach Welsh as a subject. A campaign, in conjunction with key
stakeholders will be developed with a view to targeting undergraduates to go
into teaching. This funding will be directed to the Discover Teaching campaign.
£2,055,000 for
education consortia to support professional learning for Welsh language and
Welsh-medium practitioners
Each regional
education consortium will receive an allocation to support the professional
development of practitioners’ Welsh language skills and teaching pedagogy.
Consortia will be
required to undertake a programme of work which includes mapping the Welsh
language skills of the workforce; identifying practitioners to take part in the
Sabbatical scheme; mentoring and school-to-school support; sharing effective
practice, and providing a programme of Welsh language professional learning for
practitioners.
£200,000 to be
allocated to undertake research
There is a need
for research to ensure a sound evidence base for the proposed language
continuum and effective pedagogy for teaching the language.
This money will
deliver a programme of research and evaluation to support Welsh in education
and to develop capacity to promote a vibrant research culture in the areas of
Welsh-medium education and language acquisition.
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