Agenda item

Cabinet Member Martyn Groucottand Sharon Randall-Smith introduced the report and answered the members’ questions with Will McLean. 

Key points from Members: 

·                  A member asked whether the low number of students progressing to AS or A level Welsh is a concern and how the small classes are funded. The officer acknowledged the small number of students progressing to AS and A-level, attributing it partly to difficulties in recruiting Welsh language specialists, but promoting the benefits of bilingual education in the workforce is now more emphasised. Schools use their post-16 funding to support these classes, and the Escal project helps to maintain curriculum breadth by offering remote tutoring. 

·                  More details were sought about how the E-sgol programme works. It was explained that the project involves remote tutoring for most of the time, but students also have regular face-to-face interactions with their peers and teachers. This project helps to maintain A-level provisions that would otherwise be under threat due to small class sizes. 

·                  The Chair asked about the prospect of the number of students progressing to A-level to improve now. The officer emphasised the strong imperative from the government’s aspiration to have a million Welsh speakers by 2050 and the number of posts, particularly government ones, for which Welsh is essential or desirable. 

·                  It was asked further if it is expected that the support within the workforce for Welsh speaking will boost the number of A-level students. It was explained that it is challenging to determine whether support within the workforce for Welsh speaking or the number of A-level students comes first. Individual choices and aspirations were emphasised, along with the benefits of learning a second language to cognitive functions and future language acquisition, and it was noted that achieving the goal of a million Welsh speakers will rely on the overall levels of Welsh proficiency within the community and local authority. 

·                  A member asked how the council is assessing and promoting the demand for Welsh medium education across the whole county. The officer explained that the council promotes Welsh medium education through various channels, including information in school booklets, social media, and community events. The Welsh Education Forum (WEF) has a promotion subgroup that meets regularly to strategise and implement promotional activities. 

·                  It was asked how WESP aligns with the government’s goal of 1 million speakers by 2050, what the annual targets are for Monmouthshire, and whether we are meeting them. The officer stated that Monmouthshire's target is 105 reception pupils by 2031, and they are currently at 65% of this target. The initial years are challenging, but progress is being made through various promotional efforts and the establishment of new schools and immersion provisions. 

·                  A member asked ifthere could be a Welsh language comprehensive school in Monmouthshire in the future and, if so, what could be learned from existing comprehensives elsewhere that are achieving fantastic results. The Chief Officer responded that there are ongoing partnership discussions about providing a secondary Welsh medium school for Monmouthshire. Currently, secondary provision is based on partnerships with neighbouring authorities. He expressed concerns about the viability of a single secondary Welsh medium school in Monmouthshire due to the likely small cohort size, suggesting collaboration with other local authorities to ensure a rich curriculum. 

·                  In relation to Outcome 7, a member asked for more detail regarding English medium schools and performance lacking in a number of areas versus targets. The officer explained that previous data capture was not as accurate as the current data, which affected the targets. The new data set will allow for better tracking of progress. There is ongoing work within the local authority and with the EAS to provide training and develop skills further. 

·                  Members asked about the cost-benefit analysis of maintaining Welsh provision versus other services that are being cut. The Chief Officer acknowledged the slight additional cost of Welsh medium education compared to English medium (about 10% more on teaching costs and 15% more on resources). However, he emphasized the importance of providing meaningful choice for parents and meeting policy obligations. The benefits include promoting bilingual education, which has cognitive and career advantages. 

·                  A member asked for clarity about the engagement with other authorities, and whether there is a concern about Torfaen not taking Monmouthshire pupils into their secondary schools. The officer clarified that while the partnership with secondary schools is strong, the challenge lies in aligning the measurement of progression, which varies between schools. Regarding secondary school places, she mentioned that current projections do not indicate an immediate concern, as the growth in Welsh medium education is gradual, giving time to address future capacity needs. 

·                  It was asked if there is a case for continuity in assessment and standards that should be in place across the authorities. The officer noted that the curriculum allows schools to determine their own assessment methods based on their context. While there is a debate about standardizing assessments, the current approach is to work through these processes within individual schools. 

·                  The Chair asked what percentage of pupils in the county are studying any other language, in order to compare with Welsh– ACTION: officers to provide the percentage of pupils studying other languages, compared with Welsh? 

Chair’s Summary: 

The Chair thanked the officers for the informative report. The report was moved.