Bridgend Council has published its draft Welsh-medium Education Strategic Plan for 2022-2031 (pdf).
In short, the plan proposes:
- Increasing the proportion of primary school Welsh-medium pupils from around 8% now to 16% by 2031-32.
- Relocating and enlarging Ysgol Bro Ogwr to serve the Bridgend and Pencoed areas by September 2025.
It’s unclear where this new school would be at the moment as the Brackla Hill option has been discounted.In January 2022, a site at Ffordd Cadfan in Brackla was selected.
- A 26% increase in Welsh-medium nursery places from 167 to 210 within five years, increasing again to 265 places by the end of the plan period.
- New Welsh-medium primary schools in Porthcawl (more on this below) and at Parc Afon Ewenni (Waterton) by 2031.
It’s unclear if the Parc Afon Ewenni proposal would be the replacement for Ysgol Bro Ogwr or a separate/new school.
- All schools in Bridgend county achieving the gold status for Siarter Iaith on the use of Welsh outside of lessons within ten years.
Several targets have been left blank/to be confirmed. These include targets/benchmarks relating to transfers from Welsh-medium primaries to secondaries, Welsh-medium teachers and the proportion of pupils studying for external qualifications in Welsh.
Bridgend Council’s record on Welsh-medium education has been criticised in Senedd several times over the last few years and the county continues to have one of the lowest proportions of Welsh speakers in the country.
“Seedling school” planned for Porthcawl
In a related development, Bridgend Council’s Cabinet agreed-in-principle to a new one-form entry Welsh-medium primary in Porthcawl at the start of 2020 and those plans are set to take another step forward (pdf).
Proposals for a Welsh-medium school in Porthcawl were included within the draft Local Development Plan alongside an extension to Newton Primary. It’s very likely the new school would be built at Sandy Bay – but that’s just an assumption on my part at the moment.
A “seedling school” means the school will start off small – with early-years and reception classes only – then gradually expand year-by-year as the children get older and they have a new intake.
There is, however, a big catch: there’s no money yet.
Welsh Government funding has already been secured for a Welsh-medium childcare facility in Porthcawl, but the funding isn’t yet in place for a seedling primary school.
BCBC estimates an additional £3.25million would be needed for a combined childcare facility and primary school and they will need to prepare a bid for additional Welsh Government funding.
