Education

‘ Extremism in schools an issue of concern’

Published

11 years ago

August 6, 2015

Tom Sinclair

Concerning issue: Extremism in schools

EDUCATION MINISTER, Huw Lewis, has admitted that combating extremism in schools is something that ‘should concern us all’. At a recent Senedd debate he was questioned by Plaid Cymru AM, Simon Thomas, who enquired as to what the minister was pro-actively doing on the issue, and in particular, within educational settings.
Responding, Mr Lewis said: “I think Simon Thomas touches upon a very important issue that should concern us all in terms of how schools approach these profoundly important issues. The Welsh Government does have a national community cohesion delivery plan, which helps to enhance a better understanding of communities and enables services to respond to the changing needs of communities. And the Welsh Government funds eight regional community cohesion co-ordinators to provide all-Wales coverage to support the development of work through that delivery plan.”
He went on to cite the proposed new curriculum changes, put forward in the Donaldson report, as a way forward in tackling the problem, stating: “I would, though take the opportunity to also mention my intent that schools individually, and as a whole, need to rise to the challenge of community cohesion, and I believe that Professor Graham Donaldson’s four purposes, one of which is that children should be ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world, demands that we take action. And, in that regard, I’d like to take the opportunity to announce that I believe we need to transform our current religious education curriculum. My contention would be that we rename the RE curriculum and transform it into the religion, philosophy and ethics element of the curriculum, where there is an explicit commitment to allowing children to ponder ideas around ethics and citizenship and what it means to be a citizen of a free country.”
Simon Thomas went on to point out that the issue could not wait for such implementation of a new curriculum, that could be some years off, as well as expressing concern that some teachers may be insufficiently trained for identifying extremism, saying: “If we look to the past, there’s clearly been a certain uncertainty around the Westminster Government’s Prevent strategy and that’s been changed over the years. The evaluation of the Advisory Directorate For Youth, Women and Imams’ Active Development, which is an earlier Welsh Government cohesion strategy with the Muslim Council of Wales—which was set up to combat an earlier kind of exhibition of extremism that was around at that stage, namely Al- Muhajiroun, working in Cardiff— found that it didn’t target sufficiently those at risk of embracing extremism. So, I’m grateful that the Minister said that he’s aware of these issues. I don’t think that we can wait for Donaldson, however, to deliver on some of these things. I would ask the Minister now, as many teachers are in the front line of seeing extremism being expressed in the classroom or, indeed, in pupils’ attitudes to each other, is he confident that they now have the skills and training to deal with such issues?”
The minister admitted that not all teachers would feel confident in reacting to overtly extremist classroom comments, citing, once again, the Donaldson report: “That’s why we do need to shift gear, really, in terms of the support that’s out there and available for our professionals. We also need to be proactive, in my view. I think to be reactive is not enough. We really need to allow young people the space and the time, within the school curriculum, to consider fundamental issues of faith and of citizenship and of the meaning of freedom. That is why, I think, we do need to consider change, through Donaldson, in the current religious education curriculum.”
Mr Thomas cited an EU initiative that he believed should involve the education Minister, saying: “The EU commissioner for education, Tibor Navracsics, has established a process for discussion with education Ministers on citizenship in the curriculum—precisely the issue that the Minister was talking about— and to promote inter-community dialogue. He told the European Parliament’s cultural committee, in response to a question from Jill Evans, Member of the European Parliament, that this should include devolved Governments also.”
He further questioned the Minister as to whether or not he was part of that dialogue and if he wasn’t, could he assure the Senedd that he would commit to becoming part of the dialogue, to which the minister responded: “I’m not aware of any contact from the level of the EU on this issue, concerning that strand of work that’s going on in Europe. So, I will undertake to ask officials to seek out the agenda that he mentions and, as he suggests, engage with it.”

Cymraeg

Welsh language report says students face mixed experiences across colleges and universities

Published

4 days ago

May 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A NEW report has found that Welsh-speaking students face inconsistent access to Welsh language services across Wales’ colleges and universities.

The research, published by the Welsh Language Commissioner on Monday (May 25), gathered responses from more than 1,500 further and higher education students.

It examined four key areas: whether students can submit written work in Welsh, choose accommodation with Welsh-speaking students, access a Welsh-speaking personal tutor, and receive wellbeing support through the medium of Welsh.

The report also looked at the wider language culture on campuses, including how institutions promote Welsh language services and support students to use Welsh naturally in academic and social settings.

Osian Llywelyn, Deputy Welsh Language Commissioner, said colleges and universities had a vital role in helping students use Welsh as part of everyday life.

He said: “Given the importance of sustaining and developing the continued use of the Welsh language, it is essential to recognise the key role that further education colleges and higher education institutions play in ensuring that students have the opportunity to use Welsh naturally as part of their academic and social lives.

“While it is encouraging to see strong examples of good practice, that experience is not consistent across the sector. As a result, we have identified clear improvement actions, and we will be asking the relevant institutions to address them.”

Five improvement actions have been identified. These include standardising Welsh-medium assessment arrangements, proactively offering Welsh language services rather than simply making them available on request, addressing gaps in workforce Welsh-language skills, strengthening students’ sense of belonging through Welsh, and improving self-assessment and monitoring.

James Owen, Chief Executive of Medr, the body responsible for funding and regulating tertiary education in Wales, said the findings showed the need for more support across the sector.

He said Medr’s new Welsh Language Condition would place a clearer focus on providers promoting and supporting the use of Cymraeg, and on creating formal and informal opportunities for staff and learners to develop their Welsh-language skills.

Ioan Matthews, Chief Executive of Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, said students’ experiences of Welsh at college or university could influence their willingness and ability to use the language later in the workplace.

He said the report showed the need for the Welsh-language experience to extend “well beyond the classroom”.

The report will be officially launched at the Welsh Language Commissioner’s stand at the Urdd Eisteddfod in Anglesey at 11:00am on Monday (May 25).

Education

£1,500 cash bursary announced for aspiring local youngsters

Published

5 days ago

May 20, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

FOLLOWING its previous success, Ceredigion Youth Service is fortunate to accept another opportunity provided by West Wales Holiday Cottages to support young people with a cash bursary this year.

The purpose of the bursary is to provide young people aged between 11 and 25 with the chance to receive £1,500 to help with their future aspirations. The successful applicant(s) will be chosen by Ceredigion Youth Forum, which is a panel made up of young people from Ceredigion.

Gwion Bowen, Senior Support Officer Participation, said: “We are very grateful to West Wales Holiday Cottages for providing us with this opportunity for young people in Ceredigion for the ninth year in succession. Like ourselves, West Wales Holiday Cottages recognise that many young people living in Ceredigion may experience difficulties in accessing training, support and social activities due to socio-economic issues. The bursary was extremely successful last year, with a young person gaining financial support to help them with their mobile beauty start up business.”

Councillor Wyn Thomas, Cabinet for Schools and Lifelong Learning, said: “I would like to encourage anyone aged between 11 and 25 who needs financial support to reach their goals to consider this fantastic opportunity. As with previous years, I hope that the bursary is a success again this year, and that it will benefit young people in Ceredigion.”

Lisa Stopher, Managing Director at West Wales Holiday Cottages said, “West Wales Holiday Cottages are delighted to be supporting the bursary once again in partnership with Ceredigion Youth Service. We recognise that many young people can face barriers when accessing opportunities, training and resources, and we hope this bursary will continue to make a positive difference by giving young people the support they need to pursue their goals and aspirations.”

Do you need financial support to reach your goals? Would you benefit from having financial support to help you with training or equipment that is required for your chosen vocation? Are you looking for support to start your own enterprise? Are you a member of a community group and looking for financial support to purchase resources or equipment?

The closing date for applications is midnight on 19 July 2026. If you’re interested, contact Gwion Bowen on 07790 812939 or e-mail [email protected] for an application form.

Education

Ashmole & Co fund future accountants with financial donation to primary school

Published

5 days ago

May 20, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

CARMARTHENSHIRE’S would-be mathematicians are being given a major boost in their careers thanks to an Ashmole & Co donation to Ysgol Llandybie Primary School.

The donation, funded by the company’s Ammanford office, will help with the annual purchase of the online MyMaths resource which uses the online resource to help pupils and parents with the teaching of maths at home as well as allowing teachers to set tasks and provide them with tutorials to show them the mathematical concepts being taught.
The programme can assist in all areas of mathematics from shape to space, and from data to financial literacy.

Laura Craddock, Partner in Ashmole & Co’s Ammanford office, said, “We are always keen
to offer our support locally. We are more than happy to help fund the online resource
MyMaths to help train the local accountants of the future from a young age.”

Llandybie Primary School Head Teacher, Rhian Pritchard, said, “We are keen to continue
using online resources to enhance our pupils’ learning experience but they come at an extra
cost. We are grateful to Ashmole and Co for the donation which will enable us to continue
the provision of online maths learning.”