Campaigners call for new Welsh-medium secondary school – again
PARENTS who have to drive halfway across Cardiff to take their children to school are demanding clarity from the city council on the prospect of improved Welsh-medium education provision.
Campaigners calling for a new Welsh-medium secondary school in Cardiff gathered once again outside County Hall on Thursday, 9th January, to make their feelings known to Cardiff Council.
The group visited County Hall twice last year – once to present the council with a letter calling for the establishment of a new school and again in November 2024 to demand the council listen to their concerns about the provision of Welsh-language education.
Many parents whose children were able to secure a place at Ysgol Gyfun Glantaf, one of Cardiff’s most oversubscribed schools last year, said they face a 20 to 30-minute car journey to get there.
There was a festive twist to the campaigners’ third visit to the city council’s offices as they marked it with a celebration of the old Welsh new year, also known as hen galan.
A spokesperson for the campaign, Carl Morris, said: “The hen galan celebration today comes as a result of the council’s remarks at the end of last year that ‘a fourth school is viable in the future’.
“While we greatly welcome the council’s constructive remarks, they are very ambiguous – this won’t happen without a clear plan.
“The next logical step therefore is for the council to publish its plan to establish the school in the south of the city, and to do so urgently, and we are here at the beginning of the year to emphasise that there’s no time to lose.
“We fully believe that Huw Thomas and his cabinet will present a forward-thinking vision for a fourth Welsh-medium secondary school, to be established in south Cardiff.”
When campaigners gathered outside County Hall in November, Cardiff Council said it remains “dedicated to promoting the benefits of a bilingual education” and will prioritise a wide range of commitments which will “make a fourth Welsh medium secondary school viable in the future”.
It also said there are sufficient places available at Cardiff’s three Welsh-medium secondary schools to support any pupils who want to learn through Welsh until at least the 2031-32 intake.
However, campaigners argue the current situation is unfair in terms of access to Welsh-medium education as all three of the secondary schools are north of the A48.
They also claim the council is hindering the growth of numbers in Welsh-medium education.
Mr Morris added: “In order to encourage debate and assist the council in its work, we as campaigners will be having an open debate about the content of the plan to establish a fourth school over the coming period.
“In the history of Cardiff, a Welsh-medium secondary school has never been given a new building.
“To date, communities that have Welsh-medium secondary schools locally have had to make do with old buildings.
“Fair progression is needed in Welsh-medium education from nursery to secondary for all of the city’s children, and we look forward eagerly to seeing the council’s plans.”
A Cardiff Council spokesperson said: “Cardiff remains dedicated to promoting the benefits of a bilingual education and will prioritise the wide range of commitments set out in our Welsh in Education Strategic Plan 2022-2031 that will make a fourth Welsh-medium secondary school viable, especially in view of the current fall in birth rates.
“In 2012, a third Welsh-medium secondary was established to support growth of the Welsh language in Cardiff and the number of learners in Welsh-medium secondary schools has increased over the period by 57%, from 2,328 to 3,650.
“As a result, there are sufficient places available in the medium term within Cardiff’s three Welsh-medium secondary schools to support any pupils who want to learn through Welsh.
“The council welcomes the encouragement from the campaign on this issue, and would be keen to get into dialogue to discuss some of the practical challenges that exist in the short term, and how together they could be overcome.”
By: Ted Peskett, LDRS
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