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Education

Teacher shortage ‘threatens Welsh speaker target’

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SENEDD members warned a shortage of teachers could undermine a target to reach a million Welsh speakers and double daily use of the language by 2050.

Eluned Morgan, standing in for Jeremy Miles, who resigned as economy and Welsh language secretary that day, gave a statement on the Welsh education bill on July 16.

She said the bill, which was introduced in the Senedd this week, will give every child in Wales a fair chance of becoming Welsh speakers.

Baroness Morgan told the debating chamber or Siambr that the bill would put the vision of a million Welsh speakers on a statutory footing.

But opposition parties warned the success of the bill will hinge on the teaching workforce.

Tom Giffard raised concerns about the recruitment and retention of Welsh-language teachers, questioning if the workforce is adequately prepared to meet the challenge.

The Conservatives’ shadow Welsh language secretary said teachers who teach through the medium of Welsh are, on average, older than their counterparts in classrooms.

Mr Giffard warned the bill will add to the workload of teachers who are already grappling with a new curriculum and additional learning needs reforms.

He supported moving away from the “blunt instrument” of “fluent” or “non-fluent” to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

But he cautioned against “lowering the bar” to count people towards the target of a million Welsh speakers set out in the Cymraeg 2050 strategy.

Plaid Cymru’s Heledd Fychan agreed the workforce will be pivotal to the success of the bill.

“If we don’t have the numbers in schools, then we won’t be able to achieve that ambition,” she said. “We do need to see definite targets in terms of increasing the number able to teach through the medium of Welsh because we aren’t hitting the targets as they currently stand.”

Ms Fychan, who represents South Wales Central, also raised concerns about dual-stream schools being seen as the solution.

She said: “Only a small number of schools operate according to this model and I’m not aware of comprehensive research that demonstrates this model works in Wales.”

Arguing the best way for a child to learn is to be immersed in Welsh-medium education, she said most children continue to be denied the chance to become confident Welsh speakers

Mike Hedges, whose daughter teaches in a Welsh-medium school on Ynys Mon, hailed a “huge improvement” in the teaching of Welsh in English-medium primary schools.

“I think there really has been a huge change,” said the Labour backbencher. “When I visit English-medium schools in Swansea, like I did on Monday, I hear Welsh spoken, see it on classroom walls and see Welsh on notice boards.”

Mr Hedges, who represents Swansea East, said this has been made possible by a one-year Welsh-language sabbatical course for primary school teachers.

Rhys ab Owen, who sits as an independent, called for a secondary school in south Cardiff to ensure Welsh-medium education is available in one of Wales’ most deprived communities.

The South Wales Central MS also raised concerns about unequal access to Welsh-medium education for disabled children and young people.

Cefin Campbell was involved in development of the bill as part of Plaid Cymru’s now-collapsed cooperation agreement with the Welsh Government.

Mr Campbell, who established the first of Wales’ 22 Menter Iaith, which provide community support for learning the language, said: “What concerns me a great deal … is the deficiencies in terms of a bilingual workforce.”

The Plaid Cymru MS for Mid and West Wales raised concerns about low numbers of students studying A-level Welsh.

Baroness Morgan recognised the workforce challenges, saying the Welsh Government is seeking to attract more people to train to become teachers.

The health secretary, who was previously responsible for the language, said incentives are offered to get more teachers to train through the medium of Welsh.

She stressed the census will determine progress against the target of a million Welsh speakers, raising concerns that people “tick that they don’t speak Welsh when they do”.

Baroness Morgan, who attended the first Welsh-medium school in Cardiff, pointed to “huge” progress and “transformational” change over the past 50 years.

She told the chamber: “When I was going to school, people would throw stones at our bus because they didn’t want a Welsh school in their area. That’s the reality of the situation.”

Education

Welsh Conservatives trigger debate on school catchment areas

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CALL-IN OVER CABINET DECISION

WELSH CONSERVATIVE councillors Aled Thomas and Claire George have triggered an additional debate on school catchment areas for Johnston, Neyland, and Tiers Cross after calling in a decision by Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet.

The Cabinet recently decided to maintain the current school catchment areas, despite significant community opposition. The call-in was supported by the entire Welsh Conservative group on the council.

Cllr Aled Thomas, who represents Johnston, said: “Thanks to the support of my fellow Pembrokeshire Conservative councillors, we have been able to continue discussions on this important matter, while the current administration is only concerned with kicking it into the long grass.

“Strong and safe education is the silver bullet in ensuring our next generation thrives, both at school age and beyond. Boundary changes were forced on Johnston’s residents against their will, and I will do everything I can to fight for their best interests.”

Cllr Claire George, who represents St Ishmaels, added: “It is a fundamental principle of education that children should feel safe and develop their independence, which means access to appropriate school transport—something that is not workable under the current catchment area arrangements for my ward.

“We must ensure that our children can travel to and from the school of their choice confidently and safely, giving them the opportunity to flourish in their education.”

An extraordinary Schools and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Committee will be convened by the end of February to review the matter further.

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Education

Haverfordwest pupils learn lifesaving skills with St John Ambulance Cymru

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MORE than 1,300 school pupils recently received defibrillator and CPR demonstrations with St John Ambulance Cymru trainers as part of the charity’s Defibruary campaign launch.

Pupils in years 7-11 at Haverfordwest High VC School in Pembrokeshire received key information about the annual campaign, which aims to raise awareness of these vital lifesaving skills and the importance of early intervention when someone has suffered a cardiac arrest.

The first aid charity for Wales is organising a range of events during February to help raise awareness of the importance of defibrillator and CPR skills, as a person’s chances of survival are reduced by 10% for every passing minute without action following a cardiac arrest.

The campaign will also be urging people to learn where the nearest defibrillator to them is located via The Circuit and ensure any they are responsible for are registered, so that emergency services can direct people to the nearest one in an emergency.

St John Ambulance Head of Response Operations, Darren Murray said: “It was a fantastic way to launch our annual Defibruary campaign and the pupils were keen to get hands-on and have a go at putting these skills to work in our demonstration sessions.

“As your chances of surviving an out of hospital cardiac arrest are just 5% in Wales, we are determined to help improve that by sharing these lifesaving skills and helping people be more prepared to act quickly in an emergency.

“We would like to thank the school for welcoming our team and helping us to share these important messages with the students, who will hopefully be more comfortable to act if they find themselves in an emergency situation in future.”

The Defibruary campaign is run because of people like Janice. A decade ago, Janice John suffered a cardiac arrest at home. Fortunately, her husband Keith knew how to administer CPR and put these skills to work until an ambulance crew arrived with a defibrillator.

Janice and Keith had both completed first aid training as they were St John Ambulance Cymru volunteers and volunteer first responders, but they never expected these skills would be needed so close to home.

Fast forward ten years and Janice is still an active St John Ambulance Cymru volunteer and also works to help others with the charity’s Welfare and Falls Rapid Response Service in the Pembrokeshire area, run in partnership with Hywel Dda University Health Board.

Janice, who has since purchased a defibrillator just in case something like this should happen at home again, said: “It’s so important to learn these basic first aid skills and it’s vital to administer first aid as soon as possible to give people a better chance of survival.”

The event at Haverfordwest High is just one of the free first aid demonstrations in schools and community groups delivered as part of St John Ambulance Cymru’s partnership with EcoFlow, a global company, specialising in portable power products, solar technology and smart home energy solutions.

To find out more about St John Ambulance’s Defibruary campaign and learn how you can get involved, visit www.sjacymru.org.uk/defibruary.

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Education

Apprenticeship Week Wales: Free advice for people in Pembrokeshire

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AS APPRENTICESHIP WEEK WALES unfolds, Careers Wales is highlighting the support available to help people explore the different opportunities available to them. 

Apprenticeships are one of many routes individuals can take to develop skills, gain qualifications, and build experience in the workplace.

They offer people of all ages the chance to earn while they learn, gaining recognised qualifications and valuable hands-on experience.

Mature adult and young adult recycling coworkers wearing orange reflective vests standing in warehouse and discussing over clipboard.

In 2022-23, Wales saw significant engagement in apprenticeship programmes. Data gathered from the Medr Apprenticeship Learning Dashboard

shows that during that year, 22,880 apprenticeship learning programmes were started in Wales.  This was an increase of 14% from the previous year (202122).*

25% of these were in South West Wales, with 5,650  apprenticeships started. 1,045 people took up apprenticeships during the year in Pembrokeshire alone.

With opportunities in 23 diverse sectors, from creative industries to green skills, there’s something for everyone. The top 5 apprenticeship learning programmes in 2022/23 in Wales were:

  1. Healthcare and Public Services
  2. Management and Professional
  3. Construction
  4. Business Administration
  5. Engineering*

Apprenticeships are not only suitable for young people. Over 70% of apprenticeships taken up in Wales in 2022-23 were by people over 19 years old. Over 4,500 (or 20%) of apprenticeships that started in 2022-23 were taken up by people aged 40 and over.*

Nikki Lawrence, chief executive of Careers Wales said: “Apprenticeship Week Wales is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate apprenticeships, and the value they bring to learners, employers, and the wider Welsh economy.

“Apprenticeships provide a pathway for people to gain qualifications while working and earning a wage, and can be a valuable route for those looking to develop their skills.

“Our careers advisers can provide tailored support for people of all ages with exploring apprenticeships, as well as the full range of alternative options available to them.”

For those interested in exploring apprenticeship opportunities in Wales, resources are available, including the apprenticeship finder on the Careers Wales website, to assist in finding and applying for positions.

You can read more about the free services provided by Careers Wales and Working Wales, call 0800 028 4844 or email [email protected].

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