Opportunities for pupils to be educated in Welsh will be broadened following a decision by the Welsh Assembly to allow pupils to enter into Welsh-medium education at the upper end of primary school, instead of only at the age of three or five. The Assembly has given the go-ahead for a series of pilot projects to enable children to be immersed in Welsh so they can move into the Welsh-medium sector and study more subjects in the language. Jane Davidson, minister for education and lifelong learning, said she had seen the benefits of immersion education and intensive language teaching during a visit to Canada, and was 'very keen to examine the scope for implementing a model in Wales'. The voluntary pilots are being developed by the Welsh Language Board. They will involve children in Year Six from May and pupils in Year Three from September.The work will be overseen by a steering group chaired by an Assembly official with representation from Estyn, which inspects education and training in Wales, and the Qualifications Curriculum and Assessment Authority for Wales.
Register now to continue reading
Thank you for visiting Nursery World and making use of our archive of more than 35,000 expert features, subject guides, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Unlimited access to news and opinion
-
Email newsletter providing activity ideas, best practice and breaking news
Already have an account? Sign in here