Bilingual Education

Cymraeg for Kids groups

Groups to support and encourage parents and prospective parents to transfer the Welsh language to children.

Ti a Fi Groups

For parents and young children where your child can enjoy playing and making new friends in a Welsh atmosphere

Nurseries

There are Welsh and bilingual day nurseries for children which introduce Welsh to children from the start, through Welsh activities and by communicating in Welsh with babies and toddlers

Cylchoedd Meithrin Nursery Groups

Welsh medium playgroups, promoting education and development for children from two years old to school age; an opportunity for children to socialise and learn through play in Welsh

Meithrin Classes in the school

Some schools have nursery classes and these classes are usually in Welsh if the school is a Welsh medium school, and will often be in Welsh in dual stream schools also.

If you do not speak Welsh, don’t worry; the organisations welcome non-Welsh speaking parents who want to introduce their children to Welsh. Try to talk as much as you can in Welsh with your children. This will help them to speak naturally and confidently.

In Conwy County, Welsh medium education is available to all children and young people, within reasonable travelling distance from their homes. n Welsh medium education, Welsh is used as the medium for teaching, but both Welsh and English are taught as a subject also. All children who receive Welsh medium education will be able to transfer to Welsh medium secondary education regardless of the language used at home.

Welsh medium education immerses children in the Welsh language from the start. The children speak Welsh in class and are encouraged to use Welsh when socialising and taking part in activities. Having experience of Welsh in all aspects of life improves the standard of their Welsh and ensures that they are fully bilingual.

A Language Charter is being implemented in primary schools in Conwy which helps to provide more opportunities for children to use Welsh socially. Experts recognize that a minority language like Welsh needs to be used in all aspects of life in order for an individual to be truly bilingual.

Who’d have thought?!

Young children don’t need to learn a language as adults do. hey absorb languages if they are exposed to them enough.

There is Welsh medium secondary education available within a reasonable distance from all homes in Conwy County. Any young person who has attained bilingual proficiency in primary school will be able to make a seamless transition into Welsh medium education at secondary school.

Just as in the primary phase, Welsh and English are taught as individual subjects in Welsh medium education. Welsh is also used as the medium of instruction for other subjects as well as the medium for extra- curricular activities. This way, the young person’s bilingualism is sustained and developed further throughout his/her education.

Young people who have followed Welsh medium education at primary will be expected to continue with this programme at secondary school so that they can continue to develop their linguistic skills until they leave secondary education. If you are unsure about the route that your child should take from primary into secondary education in terms of the teaching medium, your child’s primary school and the local secondary schools will be able to provide guidance.

As English is a dominant language in terms of the media, social media etc. young people’s Welsh language skills benefit from as much exposure outside of the classroom as possible. It is always a good idea to give them the opportunity to use some Welsh at home, in their extra-curricular activities or watching TV. The key for young people to be as confident in Welsh as in English is to continue to take up Welsh medium opportunities after primary school. If a young person is bilingual at the age of 16 or 18, he/she can adjust extremely well to further studies through either language in any subject.

Mae cyfleoedd i astudio’n ddwyieithog neu drwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg yng Ngholeg Sir Gâr ar y cyrsiau addysg bellach, addysg uwch a’r prentisiaethau ar bum campws y Coleg.

Mae darpariaeth Gymraeg a dwyieithog yn y meysydd canlynol: Chwaraeon, Gwasanaethau Cyhoeddus, Busnes, Celf a Dylunio, Arlwyo, Addysg, Adeiladwaith, Gofal Plant, Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol ac Amaethyddiaeth.

Gall myfyrwyr gael lleoliadau gwaith dwyieithog a gwella eu sgiliau Cymraeg wrth ddilyn uned gwasanaeth cwsmer yn y meysydd galwedigaethol a fydd o gymorth wrth iddynt fynd i fyd gwaith.

Coleg Llandrillo offers many opportunities to study through the medium of Welsh or bilingually. Welsh and bilingual further education courses are available from entry-level up to level 3 in a wide range of subjects, including:

● Health and Social Care
● Childcare
● Public Services
● Engineering
● Music Technology
● Photography
● Construction
● Sports

Universities in Wales, the United Kingdom and the world welcome students who have studied their subjects through the medium of Welsh.

An increasing number of undergraduate programs can be studied partly through the medium of Welsh at Coleg Llandrillo. Bilingual support can also be provided for students, including a Welsh personal tutor. Options for studying through the medium of Welsh are wide ranging and include:

• Sports Coaching
• Photography
• Engineering
• Counselling
• Culinary
• Hospitality
• Library and Information Management
• Games Development
• Creative & Broadcast Media

Some Coleg Llandrillo HE courses are eligible for bursaries and scholarships (see next section).

Young people can get a bursary at higher education level to study modules through the medium of Welsh.

Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s ‘Welsh Language Bursary’ is available to those studying a degree course through the medium of Welsh, be it whole or some modules. Welsh speaking students can apply for a GLLM scholarship worth £300 a year for three years. To be eligible, they must study at least 33% of the course through the medium of Welsh. For further information, visit the Grŵp Llandrillo Menai website.

In addition to the internal bursary, some Coleg Llandrillo higher education courses are eligible for the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol’s Incentive Scholarship, which is £1,500 over a 3 year period. The Grŵp continues to work closely with the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol to increase programs eligible for the Incentive Scholarship.

There are many opportunities to complete apprenticeships bilingually or through the medium of Welsh at Grŵp Llandrillo Menai, including apprenticeships in the following subjects:

• Agriculture
• Environmental Conservation
• Nuclear Working
• Engineering
• Libraries Archives Record & Information Management Services
• Instructing Exercise and Fitness
• Supporting Teaching and Learning in Schools
• STL in Physical Education and School Sport
• Personal Trainer
• Management
• Business Admin
• Customer Service
• Information Advice & guideance
• Project Management
• Childcare
• Health & Social Care
• Dental Nursing
• Hospitality
• Hair & Beauty
• Social Media & Digital Marketing
• Construction Craft
• Plumbing
• Electrotechnical
• Automotive
• Welding

Grŵp Llandrillo Menai’s Worked Based Learning Team includes a number of Welsh-speaking assessors who can support learners who want to complete their apprenticeship in Welsh.

A Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Branch is located at Coleg Llandrillo. The aim of Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol is to work with universities and Further Education colleges, (including Work-Based learning) in Wales, in order to provide more opportunities for students to study through the medium of Welsh and make more social use of the Welsh language.

A Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol Branch Officer works with college staff and learners to provide opportunities to use Welsh socially, through activities and events (both within courses and extra-curricular), as well as encouraging learners to see the advantages of the Welsh language in the workplace.

Student Ambassadors for the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol are appointed annually to represent further education, higher education and apprentices. They support the work of the Branch Officer, represent the Coleg Cymraeg and encourage their peers to study and live in Welsh; whatever their linguistic ability.

To find out more about the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, visit their website.