Swansea: Calls for more Welsh language primary schools

More Welsh-medium primary schools should open in Swansea to satisfy demand, campaigners have said.

Some are too small, and some areas have no Welsh language schools, said Parents for Welsh Medium Education in Swansea, who complain of an "urgent need".

It follows recommendations from school inspectors to strengthen Welsh-medium provision in the city.

Swansea council said it will continue to establish new Welsh-medium primary schools where there is high demand.

It also said it is investing more than £150m in school buildings in response to claims from campaigners that some schools aren't fit for purpose.

Hannah Poole is worried she won't be able to send her son, who currently attends a private nursery in Welsh, to the local Welsh-language primary school.

"We've just tried for a space in [a state-run] nursery [school], and we got told there's not much room for the children to get a place in the school, so maybe we'll have to look outside our catchment area," she said.

Ms Poole is part of Sketty's Ti a Fi mother and baby group, who meet every week to socialise in Welsh.

If her son is not offered a place at the catchment Welsh-medium school, she will have to travel about five miles to the next one, which would pose problems.

"We've got grandparents who help out too, so it'll affect all the family," Ms Poole said.

"Because we want a Welsh-medium education I've just put down the Welsh language primary schools. I don't know what we'll do if we can't get him in."

Julia Evans, the group leader of Ti a Fi Sketty, said: "I hear from parents that there isn't enough room, there isn't enough funding, so then the children suffer.

"The situation is difficult, there isn't enough schools or groups so parents feel that Welsh is just too much effort because there isn't enough support. So they feel like it's easier to send their child to an English school because they feel the child will suffer in the education."

There are currently 10 Welsh medium primary schools in Swansea.

According to the latest figures from Swansea council, 3 out of the 10 have reached their capacity, while two others are almost full.

Ysgol Pontybrenin in Gorseinon, has capacity for 501 pupils, and on the register in February 2022 were 549 pupils.

Ysgol Llwynderw in the Mumbles has capacity for 320 pupils, and had 326 pupils on the register.

Ysgol y Login Fach in Waunarlwydd has capacity for 214 pupils and has 220 on the register.

Two schools, Ysgol Tirdeunaw and Ysgol Tan y Lan, have been rebuilt on a new site to accept more children.

Heini Gruffydd, chair of Parents for Welsh Medium Education in Swansea, said those efforts were not enough.

He said there are certain locations in Swansea which have no Welsh medium primary schools.

"In those areas very few people have Welsh-medium education because there is no school locally and they have to travel if they want it.

"At the moment, Killay and Dunvant have no Welsh-medium schools and just about 4% have Welsh-medium education.

"You can compare that to areas such as Gorseinon which has Ysgol Pontybrenin, a Welsh-medium primary school and 28% of children there have a Welsh-medium education."

But he says due to some Welsh-medium primary schools being full, some parents decide not to send their children to that school.

"There is an urgent need for new Welsh-medium schools in Swansea.

"Children have to travel a long way to school to get a Welsh-medium education, and then parents may choose not to send their child to a Welsh school."

Keith Collins said his five-year-old grandson, Harry, had to travel almost five miles on a bus from Fforestfach to reach the nearest Welsh-medium school in Gorseinon.

The family have since moved to Gorseinon, saying one of the main reasons was to be closer to the school.

"Harry was five when he had to be picked up by a bus in the morning in Fforestfach at 7.45 and then come back at around 3.45. It was a journey and he was often very tired, the weather conditions were often bad and we had to compete with the elements. It made for quite a difficult life.

"It's the main reason they decided to move, their parents want them to have a Welsh-medium education.

"It was difficult for us, they were living directly behind us and we helped with the childcare but it's more difficult now.

"There's plenty of evidence which shows if there are Welsh-medium schools then people will go there. One thing that puts people off is the fact they have to travel."

Swansea council said, "Swansea council along with the Welsh government is investing more than £150m in improved school buildings and this year alone new build schools with increased capacity and facilities that are second to none have opened for Welsh medium primary schools YGG Tirdeunaw and YGG Tan-y-lan.

"Our aspiration is to significantly increase the number of pupils and families who choose Welsh-medium provision in the future as laid out in our 10 year Welsh in Education Strategic Plan approved by the Welsh government.

"We will continue to establish new Wels- medium schools or increase capacity in areas where there is high demand and identify areas where Welsh-medium education is currently less easily accessible.

We have revised catchment areas to bring the schools closer to where the pupils live and our vision in the WESP also states that we will aim to apply the principles of the 15-minute neighbourhoods to ensure that all learners have access to Welsh-medium education within a reasonable distance of their homes."