Major new projects announced to grow Welsh language
Poster information
Posted on: Wednesday 02 March 2022
Welsh Government has announced funding for 11 new capital projects across Wales to support the growth of the Welsh language.
Two of the projects will take place in Bridgend County Borough and include plans for a £3.25m Welsh-medium ‘seedling’ or starter school for the Porthcawl area and a £270,000 double mobile classroom at Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Ogwr to address the immediate demand for places. A consultation is currently being undertaken over the proposed enlargement of the school.
The naming of these projects follows a bidding process which will now see them proceed to the next stage of the business case process and apply for funding from the Welsh-medium Capital Grant.
Funding is aimed at increasing capacity in Welsh-medium schools, establishing new Welsh-medium provision and support early language immersion as well as helping learners of all ages improve their skills and confidence in Welsh.
Jeremy Miles, the Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, said: “Widening opportunities to access Welsh-medium education is absolutely central to growing our language and using Welsh more in our day-to-day lives.
“This investment will help meet the demand for Welsh-medium education by increasing capacity in schools and supporting the increase in Welsh-language immersion.
“The investment will complement our plans to increase the number of Welsh-medium teachers and develop the Welsh language skills of staff in English-medium schools.”
We welcome announcement of the Welsh Government’s funding for two projects in Bridgend County Borough.
Both projects demonstrate our commitment at Bridgend County Borough Council to promoting the Welsh language and working towards Welsh Government’s goal of a million Welsh speakers by 2050.
Councillor Dhanisha Patel, Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and Future Generations, and Welsh Language champion
Welsh Government has also announced that an additional £1.2m will be provided to the Urdd for the new financial year, to support the youth organisation to continue its activities, which have been disrupted by Covid-19.
The funding will support a network of Urdd development officers across Wales, as well as provide new support for Welsh-medium apprenticeships withing Wales’ most deprived communities.