Legislation – Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025

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PART 4PLANNING WELSH LANGUAGE EDUCATION AND LEARNING WELSH

Local plans

30Local Welsh in education strategic plans

(1)

Each local authority must prepare a plan (“a local Welsh in education strategic plan”) that sets out how the local authority will—

(a)

promote and facilitate, in its area—

(i)

Welsh language education, and

(ii)

use of Welsh in schools;

(b)

fulfil the duty imposed upon it under section 26(2)(a) (to take all reasonable steps to meet the targets set by the Welsh Ministers in the National Framework on Welsh Language Education and Learning Welsh).

(2)

A local Welsh in education strategic plan must also, to the extent that regulations made by the Welsh Ministers so require, set out how the local authority will exercise its education functions to promote and facilitate—

(a)

teaching Welsh, and

(b)

education and training through the medium of Welsh,

in relation to children of compulsory school age who are not pupils in schools.

(3)

A local Welsh in education strategic plan must, in particular, set out the steps the local authority will take—

(a)

to exercise its education functions—

(i)

to improve provision of Welsh language education‍ in its area,

(ii)

to improve the process of planning the provision of Welsh language education in its area,

(iii)

to increase the number of pupils of compulsory school age receiving education in “Primarily Welsh language “category schools in its area,

(iv)

to increase the number of “Primarily Welsh Language” category schools in its area, and

(v)

to ensure that it has sufficient education practitioners working in its area,

for the purpose of meeting targets it has been set by virtue of section 24(5);

(b)

to promote and provide information about the Welsh language education provided in “Primarily Welsh Language” category schools in its area;

(c)

to meet its duties under section 23 in respect of late immersion education in its area;

(d)

to facilitate‍ continuity in teaching Welsh and education through the medium of Welsh between—

(i)

nursery education and education for pupils of compulsory school age,

(ii)

maintained primary schools and maintained secondary schools,

(iii)

education for pupils of compulsory school age and tertiary education.

(4)

A local Welsh in education strategic plan must also include—

(a)

information on the education practitioners working in the local authority’s area;

(b)

a report on progress made in relation to the previous plan (in the case of each plan other than the first).

(5)

In preparing its local Welsh in education strategic plan, the local authority must—

(a)

have regard to the National Framework for Welsh Language Education and Learning Welsh;

(b)

consult on a draft of the plan with the following—

(i)

its neighbouring local authorities;

(ii)

the head teacher of every school and the head teacher of every maintained nursery school it maintains;

(iii)

the governing body of every school and the governing body of every maintained nursery school it maintains;

(iv)

the principal of every further education institution in its area;

(v)

in relation to any foundation or voluntary school in its area, the person who appoints the‍ foundation governors, and if the school is a school with a religious character, the appropriate religious body;

(vi)

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector for Education and Training in Wales;

(vii)

the National Institute for Learning Welsh;

(viii)

the Welsh Language Commissioner;

(ix)

the Commission for Tertiary Education and Research;

(x)

Mudiad Meithrin Cyf (company number 02164058);

(xi)

persons specified in regulations made by the Welsh Ministers.