Cabinet Secretary for the Welsh Language and Culture says parents should not be questioned on choosing Welsh-medium schools

A ROW over comments made by Pembrokeshire County Council’s Deputy Leader about Welsh-medium education has escalated, following public intervention by Mark Drakeford.

The Cabinet Secretary for the Welsh Language and Culture said he “could not see any reason” why councils should ask parents why they choose Welsh or English-medium education for their children, directly contradicting comments made by Cllr Paul Miller during a Cabinet meeting on April 28.

Speaking to BBC Cymru, Mr Drakeford said: “I can’t see why we would ask parents why they choose Welsh or why they choose English. Of course we must explain to parents the benefits of a Welsh-medium education — that’s why we’ve seen growth in the language — but the job of local authorities is to make the case for choosing Welsh-medium education, not to question those who do.”

Mr Drakeford confirmed that a conversation had already taken place locally between the First Minister and figures involved in the row. BBC Cymru reported that the discussion followed remarks by Cllr Miller, who had suggested that some parents might be choosing schools such as Ysgol Caer Elen in Haverfordwest not because of the language of instruction, but because the schools were new and had good facilities.

Cllr Miller’s comments prompted criticism from opposition members, including Independent Group leader Cllr Huw Murphy, who successfully requested a formal call-in of the Cabinet decision. That decision had asked education officers to “better understand the drivers of demand” for Welsh-medium education — wording that campaigners and the Welsh Language Commissioner feared could be interpreted as questioning the legitimacy of parental choices.

The Welsh Language Commissioner, Efa Gruffydd Jones, also criticised the move, saying: “It is not clear to me why there is a need to question the choices of parents regarding Welsh-medium education in particular.” She added that the approach risked contradicting the Council’s obligations under the Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP).

Speaking on social media following the BBC interview with Mr Drakeford, Cllr Murphy said: “Mark Drakeford gives clarity to everyone that I was perfectly correct in calling in the decision of PCC Cabinet in April. I now look forward to Cabinet next week accepting that position and removing any suggestion of gathering additional information as proposed by the Deputy Leader.”

The Education Overview and Scrutiny Committee voted last week to send the Cabinet’s original decision back for review, following concerns over tone and policy alignment. The issue will be reconsidered at the next Cabinet meeting on Wednesday (May 22).

In a further development, it has been highlighted that Pembrokeshire recorded the largest percentage growth in Welsh-medium education of any Welsh county between 2023 and 2024, according to figures released by the Welsh Government.

Cllr Julie Jones, who lives in Tenby and sits on the Cabinet, said: “You should see the growth in Welsh speakers and Welsh-medium education in south Pembrokeshire — it’s fantastic. In 2016 we had around 80 pupils in the first primary in Tenby, and now there are over 200. Everyone seems to be choosing Welsh-medium in the south of the county.”

The row has sparked wider debate about the role of language in education policy and how councils communicate their strategies to the public. The Welsh Government has set a target of reaching one million Welsh speakers by 2050 and has passed legislation to strengthen the provision and planning of Welsh-medium education across Wales.

Pembrokeshire County Council, like all local authorities, has a statutory duty to proactively promote Welsh-medium provision under the latest WESP regulations. The Council’s revised position on how it gathers information from parents — and how it communicates its goals — will be under close scrutiny when the matter returns to Cabinet this week.