Welsh medium education

[Toggs]

Funny you should say this Eric, cardiff council want to expand a Welsh primary as it’s full and has no space to expand in its current site, they also of course receive more money per pupil if they are learning in Welsh. My kids go to an English primary school nearby, a large site with two buildings, lots of space and it’s possibly not full due to 3 other schools being within half a mile.
We heard a few months ago the plan was to either swap sites or possibly merge giving the Welsh lot the smaller building for key stage 1, thus mixing the schools. Thought that might be quite a good idea but the welshy parents wanted all or nothing. The Welsh school is mainly all white middle class and ours is probably only 40%, it’s one of the most cosmopolitan schools in cardiff and has kids recently arrived from all over including Iraq and the like. I know a few of the Welsh parents and they don’t think they are but their views are bordering on racist which is why they don’t want precious Jonny mixing with kids from such places.
Put the council in a bit of a flux now anyway, all or nothing hasn’t gone down well in our school. You would think with covid and kids well being they would have other focus anyway. We will see hey

All schools are funded in the same way, a bloc grant depending on the number of places available and a set amount per pupil. A full school actually gets less per pupil than one with unfilled places Other grants top this up, a one class entry Welsh medium school, for example, would get just under £5000 for Welsh language resources out of a total grant of £150000, a school with falling numbers gets a share of a pot of over £1,000,000, grants are also made to schools for asylum seekers, pupils with special needs and those living in deprivation, the school you describe would be better funded than it’s neighbouring welsh school. I appreciate that our children’s education is always going to be an emotive topic, more so when issues like class, ethnicity and language are in the mix, but let’s stick to the facts, I not sure using phrases like ‘the welshy parents’, ‘the welsh lot’ and ‘bordering on racist’ really helps a sensible discussion, let’s keep it civil.

[goats]

All schools are funded in the same way, a bloc grant depending on the number of places available and a set amount per pupil. A full school actually gets less per pupil than one with unfilled places Other grants top this up, a one class entry Welsh medium school, for example, would get just under £5000 for Welsh language resources out of a total grant of £150000, a school with falling numbers gets a share of a pot of over £1,000,000, grants are also made to schools for asylum seekers, pupils with special needs and those living in deprivation, the school you describe would be better funded than it’s neighbouring welsh school. I appreciate that our children’s education is always going to be an emotive topic, more so when issues like class, ethnicity and language are in the mix, but let’s stick to the facts, I not sure using phrases like ‘the welshy parents’, ‘the welsh lot’ and ‘bordering on racist’ really helps a sensible discussion, let’s keep it civil.

Sure but my next door neighbour whose kids go to the Welsh school told me a lot of the parents don’t want their kids mixing with “foreign” kids in educational settings as they believe it holds them back or whatever excuse they can come up with, some of which I cannot repeat. 95% of the parents don’t speak Welsh anyway, so their not welshies really. And a very good mate of mine told me the council get more funding for Welsh speaking places, he’s very high up in the education dept.

[tomcat]

Sure but my next door neighbour whose kids go to the Welsh school told me a lot of the parents don’t want their kids mixing with “foreign” kids in educational settings as they believe it holds them back or whatever excuse they can come up with, some of which I cannot repeat. 95% of the parents don’t speak Welsh anyway, so their not welshies really. And a very good mate of mine told me the council get more funding for Welsh speaking places, he’s very high up in the education dept.

Most kids taught in a Welsh medium school end up at a major disadvantage when later attending an English medium uni. I have many lecturer friends who have highlighted this a major issue, more so in science based subjects. Why not learn a modern European language? Much more useful.

[goats]

Most kids taught in a Welsh medium school end up at a major disadvantage when later attending an English medium uni. I have many lecturer friends who have highlighted this a major issue, more so in science based subjects. Why not learn a modern European language? Much more useful.

I know, quite a few of my mates went to glantaff and struggled a bit at uni. It’s such an easy language Welsh anyway, my 8 year old has had a few Welsh speaking teachers so is pretty good already as they do learn a fair bit. He will easily be fluent by 16 so why the need to do everything in Welsh? Seems a bit OTT.

[light up the darkness]

All schools are funded in the same way, a bloc grant depending on the number of places available and a set amount per pupil. A full school actually gets less per pupil than one with unfilled places Other grants top this up, a one class entry Welsh medium school, for example, would get just under £5000 for Welsh language resources out of a total grant of £150000, a school with falling numbers gets a share of a pot of over £1,000,000, grants are also made to schools for asylum seekers, pupils with special needs and those living in deprivation, the school you describe would be better funded than it’s neighbouring welsh school. I appreciate that our children’s education is always going to be an emotive topic, more so when issues like class, ethnicity and language are in the mix, but let’s stick to the facts, I not sure using phrases like ‘the welshy parents’, ‘the welsh lot’ and ‘bordering on racist’ really helps a sensible discussion, let’s keep it civil.

Do you know what might be the difference between per pupil funding in English schools compared to those in Wales ?

And if there is a difference would you care to make an observation about the reasons for any discrepancy?