The review considers: the impact of Welsh in Education Strategic Plans (WESPs) on improving planning for Welsh-medium education, the influence that WESPs have had in stimulating and supporting actions to raise standards of Welsh and Welsh second language, and the degree to which the statutory responsibility of local authorities in producing WESPs allows for co-operation with, and support from, regional consortia school improvement services.
Recommendations
Local authorities should:
- R1 ensure that the WESPs are a strategic priority
- R2 have systematic processes in place to measure the demand for Welsh-medium provision
- R3 work with schools to explain the advantages to pupils and parents of Welsh-medium education and of following courses through the medium of Welsh
- R4 work with schools to set targets to increase the proportion of pupils in key stage 4 who continue to study Welsh as a first language and follow specific subject areas through the medium of Welsh
- R5 make effective use of their Welsh-medium education fora to help to develop their WESP and to monitor progress
- R6 evaluate their Welsh-medium additional learning needs provision to identify any gaps
The Welsh Government should:
- R7 ensure that the targets agreed in the WESPs reflect the aspirations in their Welsh-medium education strategy
- R8 ensure that all local authorities place enough strategic importance on delivering the targets within the WESPs
- R9 monitor the implementation of the WESPs rigorously