The Welsh-medium capacity building grant gives secondary schools
the opportunity to find innovative ways to tackle short-term
staffing problems, increasing numbers of Welsh-speaking teachers
and teaching assistants.
Open this week for applications, schools can apply for the grant,
for use from September 2025, with £900,000 available for the next
academic year.
Ysgol Rhydywaun in Aberdare received the grant in 2024 to train
teachers already teaching at the school, to teach subjects
outside of their usual specialism.
This enabled the school to teach two extra A Level subjects,
Psychology and Criminology, meaning students were able to
continue their studies in Welsh at the school, with more subject
options available.
The grant has also enabled the school to collaborate with other
schools in the area to develop enrichment activities,
specifically in Maths.
Headteacher Lisa , said:
"At Rhydywaun, the education workforce capacity grant has ensured
a high quality of provision and resources for our pupils and
successful professional learning opportunities for our staff.
“Through the grant we have been able to ensure that we are
proactive in recruiting and retaining teachers and developing
expertise within the profession. As a result, there has been an
improvement in pupils' performance and academic achievement."
Last year, 55 grants were awarded to Welsh-medium or bilingual
secondary schools across Wales. Examples of ways that schools use
the funding include:
- - Opportunities for young people leaving education to
undertake gap year work experience or apprenticeships as teaching
assistants in Welsh-medium schools
- - Collaboration across schools to deliver professional
learning, particularly in shortage subject areas
- - Undergraduate student placements giving them experience of
being in a classroom and to consider teaching as a career
The Cabinet Secretary for Education, said:
“Developing a teaching workforce to teach Welsh, and delivering
education through the medium of Welsh, is essential in creating
more Welsh speakers. This grant is just one of the innovative
schemes we have in place to achieve this.
“I am determined to ensure we support learners to reach their
full potential and provide teachers with the professional
development opportunities they need to continue to raise
standards in our schools.”
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language, added:
“We want to build a Wales where all learners have a fair
opportunity to speak Welsh. Our Welsh Language and Education Bill
sets out the next steps as we continue to work together towards
reaching a million Welsh speakers.
“Grants like this are helping to make sure we have the workforce
in place to achieve this ambition.”
The Welsh-medium capacity building grant is one of a number of
schemes to enhance the Welsh speaking teaching workforce in
Wales.
These include:
-
Cynllun Pontio -
supporting Welsh speakers in primary schools or those teaching
in schools outside Wales to become secondary school teachers in
Welsh-medium schools
-
Iaith Athrawon Yfory
Incentive Scheme - a £5,000 incentive to students who are
studying to teach through the medium of Welsh or to teach Welsh
as a subject.
-
The Welsh in education
teacher retention bursary – a £5,000 bursary for secondary
teachers who have taught Welsh or through the medium of Welsh
for three years since 2020 and continue to be employed in their
fourth year of teaching
- Continuing to develop alternative pathways to teaching,
including expanding the Open University programmes and other
alternative models, including a recently accredited Cardiff Met
school-based programme.
A range of free courses for practitioners to develop their Welsh
language skills delivered by the National Centre for Learning
Welsh, including a Sabbatical scheme.
Notes to editors
Teachers at Ysgol Rhydywaun in Aberdare are available for
interview. Please contact educationpressoffice@gov.wales for
more information.
For more information about routes into teaching visit: https://educators.wales/career-change
The main aim of the Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Bill is
to ensure that, by 2050, all pupils are independent and confident
Welsh language users by the time they reach the end of compulsory
school age. More information of the Bill can be found at:
Bill Homepage
