Agenda item

To receive the report of the Director of Education & Inclusion Services providing Members with a proposed Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) following the feedback received through the statutory consultation and prescrutiny undertaken by the Children & Young People Scrutiny Committee and Welsh Language Cabinet Steering Group.

The Director Education and Inclusion Services presented Members with the opportunity for them to adopt the proposed Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) following the feedback received through the statutory consultation for the forthcoming ten years, up to and including 2032.

Cabinet were advised that the proposed WESP was subject to a comprehensive public statutory consultation that was undertaken with a wide range of stakeholders for an eight week period.  The Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee also formed part of the consultation process, following consideration of the draft WESP at its meeting on the 13th October 2021. In addition, the draft WESP was also considered by the Welsh Language Cabinet Steering Group on 19th July 2021. Cabinet were provided with an overview of the feedback within the report.

The Cabinet Member Education and Inclusion commented that the document was hugely important with ambitious targets which we must strive to achieve.  The Authorities investment in Welsh Medium Education proposed for the future will be key to meeting the ambitions.  She wished to add thanks to scrutiny for their engagement and welcomed future scrutiny in monitoring the delivery of the targets.

Following consideration of the WESP it was RESOLVED to:

1. Consider the comments of the statutory consultation and determine if any amendments are required to the proposed WESP, in addition to the amendments undertaken to original draft WESP.
2. Note the comments and observations of the Welsh Language Cabinet Steering Group which considered the draft WESP on 19th July 2021 and the proposed WESP on the 8^th December 2021, following the statutory consultation.
3. Note the comments and observations of the Children and Young People Scrutiny Committee which provided feedback as part of the statutory consultation of the draft WESP on the 13^th October 2021 and pre-scrutiny of the proposed WESP on the 8^th December 2021, following the statutory consultation.

Subject to 1 and 3 above, adopt the proposed WESP as the strategy that underpins the Local Authority’s approach to achieve the ambitious target to increase the percentage of year one learners in Welsh medium education over the duration of the proposed WESP for the forthcoming ten years, up to and including 2032