Monmouthshire

Becoming Bilingual

In Monmouthshire Welsh Medium Education is available to all.

Thinking about sending your child to a Welsh-medium school?

So what does being bilingual mean?

It’s the ability to live your everyday life using two languages.

As a parent, deciding on your child’s education will be one of the most important decisions that you will make. An increasing number of parents can testify that choosing Welsh medium education for their child has been a positive and worthwhile experience.

Do you want your child to become bilingual?

“But we don’t speak Welsh!” With parents who don’t speak Welsh in the majority, schools provide everything in English and Welsh.

“What about their English language skills?” When children leave Welsh medium primary school, they are fluent in Welsh, and as fluent in English as children from English medium schools.

“Why Welsh medium education?” The quality of education is excellent, it’s easy to learn a language from an early age, and children enjoy their lives in English and Welsh!

So, what are the benefits of being bilingual?

You can live your life in two (or more) languages Living in Wales your life is enriched when you can speak Welsh. And if you want to travel or already speak other languages at home, learning another is easier!

There are fantastic work and career opportunities… Speaking two languages offers more employment opportunities as well as an additional skill on your C.V.

Talking with people in their choice of language is an advantage. These career areas in particular are keen to employ Welsh speakers – media, information technology, health, the public sector, sports and leisure, retail, and the childcare sector etc.

Boost your brain… International research shows that bilingual children tend to achieve higher within the curriculum and perform better in exams. They also tend to do better working under pressure.

How is Welsh taught in a Welsh-medium school?

When children begin learning Welsh, they will be immersed in the language from the start, but the staff are flexible and can use English if necessary to ensure their wellbeing.

Welsh is the language of Education in the Foundation Phase (nursery-Y2) and then children will have lessons in English and use English in their lessons across the curriculum. This is an internationally recognised method of learning languages. From Y3 pupils follow the same English curriculum as pupils in English medium schools through to GCSE.

View our Becoming Bilingual booklet. 

Not too late to start the bilingual journey.

Did you know that if your child did not attend a Welsh-medium Nursery/Primary school at the start of their education it isn’t too late for you to consider a Welsh-medium Education for your child?

Monmouthshire County Council has established a primary Welsh Late Immersion Centre which provides intense Welsh language learning enabling children to gain a level of fluency to transfer to education in a Welsh-medium School.

Watch our video about the Immersion Unit in Ysgol y Ffin

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