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Wales does not have enough qualified teachers to deliver major changes planned for Welsh language teaching in English medium and bi-lingual schools and it is not clear all learners and parents want it, some head teachers have warned.

And while the National Association of Headteachers Cymru is cautiously welcoming the plan, the union it would not work without adequate funding with schools already under pressure.

Under radical changes proposed by the Welsh Government, the Welsh language will remain compulsory for all learners aged three to 16 – alongside English - but will no longer be separated into first and second language programmes of study.

Intensive training for teachers is already being planned for the changes to Welsh under the new curriculum from 2022.

Heads have queried how that will work and be paid for and whether it is the best use of scant funds. Many schools are already facing cuts and recruitment problems, they pointed out.

Only 34% of teachers registered with the Education Workforce Council Wales are Welsh speakers, which does not necessarily mean they can teach in Welsh.

“There are simply not enough staff to deliver this, not even in Welsh lessons, let alone cross curricular,” said one head teacher.

“Very few teachers want a sabbatical and how does a school cover that teacher? The real cost will be felt in the school on implementation,” said another.

Another headteacher asked: “Standards in Wales are hardly world leading, will all this change help?”

Another said while she backs plans for one million Welsh speakers by 2050 secondary schools are not currently able to help deliver that.

“I fully support the Welsh Government mission to increase the numbers of Welsh speakers under their 2050 pledge.

“However, many secondary schools are not well placed to roll out an increasingly bilingual curriculum offer as they do not have sufficient Welsh speakers on the staff. It will cost a great deal of time and money to train sufficient staff to deliver these ambitious ideals.

“Schools are currently devoting their time and money developing the skills to be able to deliver the new curriculum and to focus on raising student outcomes at GCSE to ensure that students in Wales have access to a world class curriculum.”

One secondary head warned the move could mean less graduates coming to Wales from England to teach, querying whether that was healthy for education generally, and asked what the plan means for the future of Welsh and English medium schools in the long run.

“Will top English head teachers move here, take up a school and learn Welsh? We don’t get first language graduates teaching now, how will this change?

“Do we still need specific Welsh language schools in the future should this work.”

Responding to their fears the Welsh Government promised money would be pumped into training the profession for the changes and qualifications would change to reflect changes.

“We know how important it is to get the right training, support and funding in place for teachers - this is key to raising standards and that’s what this new curriculum is all about," a spokesman said.

“That’s exactly why the Minister has announced £24 million - over and above what already goes into curriculum support - for a new National Approach to Professional Learning. This is the single biggest investment in support for teachers in Wales since devolution.

“Qualifications Wales are currently considering how qualifications should change in line with the new curriculum and it would be wrong to pre-empt this work.”

The National Association of Headteachers Cymru joined the National Education Union Cymru and the Association of School and College Leaders Cymru in cautiously welcoming the plan - which also includes introducing languages in primaries - but with warnings over funding and workforce.

Rob Williams, director of NAHT Cymru said: “Ensuring all schools are well placed to provide high quality learning experiences in such areas, including our own Welsh language, is the real challenge currently.

“School funding is under such significant pressure in 2019 , many governing bodies and leadership teams are having to make very difficult decisions and prioritise their spending in order to simply fulfil statutory duties.

“Few in the profession would disagree with the aspirations, principles and potential benefits behind the Welsh Government approach to earlier language experiences and any additional funding is clearly welcome by school leaders, but the scale of reform is massive.

“We need to be realistic and pragmatic in order to deliver our ambition to build a world-class education system for Wales. In order to realise the goals Welsh Government have set for Welsh and other modern foreign languages, we need to ensure that schools do not have to draw resource away from other essential areas of policy reform in order to secure success.

“We also need to be realistic as to the current level of expertise in the system to deliver the high standards to which schools aspire for their pupils.

“The teaching profession in Wales, like Welsh Government, want to deliver the best outcomes for all children and young people, but in order to achieve our goals,every school needs the right level of support, expertise and funding resource because without those essential foundations, any building of standards is at risk of failure.”

Rebecca Williams, deputy general secretary of the UCAC education union, said:”There’s an pressing need to improve techniques for teaching Welsh, particularly in schools where the medium of instruction is predominantly English. This too will necessitate a range of training options, on a large scale, with considerable urgency.

“The new curriculum will place an emphasis on the ability to communicate and will provide opportunities across the curriculum to develop those skills – beyond specific language lessons, and beyond the classroom. It will acknowledge that everybody is on a ‘continuum’ in terms of their linguistic skills – whether in English, Welsh or another international language.

“As a union, we will be pressing Welsh Government over the coming months for detailed information about the assessment arrangements, and especially about the opportunities for training.”

RhAG, the organisation representing and supporting parents who want their children to be educated through the medium of Welsh, called for a complete overhaul of the current system of funding for teacher training through the medium of Welsh.

Wyn Williams, National Chair of RhAG said: "The Minister's announcement is significant, but the reality is that a significant injection of funding is required to train the teachers and the wider workforce needed to realise this policy.

"There is currently no co-ordinated plan to train new teachers. A long-term strategy is urgently needed, which will outline an action plan and set short and medium term targets to produce the necessary workforce. A detailed strategy for introducing the changes in individual schools is also needed.

"Furthermore, it must be ensured that this development will not in any way seek to undermine Welsh-medium schools - the only recognised model that succeeds in giving two languages equally to all.

"Bilingualism is the result we seek : it is Welsh-medium schools that offer the best conditions to achieve that. We must reach a position where we have a sufficient number of teachers equipped to teach Welsh as a subject as well as other subjects through the medium of Welsh.

" So we are calling on the Government to invest on an unprecedented scale, in order to realise this vision."

(Image: Barry Batchelor/PA Wire)

Welsh language society Cymdeithas yr Iaith welcomed the Welsh Government’s plan but appealed for it to publish one Welsh language qualification for all pupils.

Spokesman Toni Schiavone said: “It is essential that one qualification Welsh for all pupils is now available to accompany this development.

“We call on the government to publish a combined qualification model as soon as possible. That would ensure that innovative schools can prepare the ground now, in order to raise expectations and standards in Welsh for everyone. “

“Alongside this, we need a much more comprehensive strategy on workforce planning - through job training.”

Dr Philip Dixon, former Director of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers and a leading commentator on Welsh education, said: “This new approach will need proper resourcing and careful monitoring if it is to deliver. Teachers and prospective teachers will need carrots rather than sticks if this is to be a success.”