Latest news with #YsgolGymraegLlundain
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
London Welsh school's future uncertain as first minister has doubts
Doubts have been raised by the first minister of Wales over the future of a Welsh-medium school which has been part-funded by ministers based in had been fears that the £90,000 grant the Welsh government gives the fee-paying Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain - the London Welsh School - every year would be scrapped next Tuesday, Eluned Morgan announced that funding has been secured for the whole of the next academic year, but she expressed concern over the number of pupils said the school was on "very shaky ground". Opposition members called for the Welsh government to do more to support the school. Parents pay £4,300 a year for their children to attend the school in Hanwell, West London, and the city's Welsh chapels also contribute first minister said the Welsh government had given the school £1.1m over more than a in first minister's questions, Morgan said: "Next year, there will only be 10 pupils, and, of course, we do have a responsibility as a government to ensure that we provide the best possible value for money in terms of public money."So, whilst we do, of course, appreciate the great efforts that they have made... I do think we have to be realistic, and the fact is, when you only have 10 pupils, you do have to ask questions on sustainability."Independent MS Rhys ab Owen said the school needs a "long-term" assurance."Following the challenging Covid years, the number of pupils is again increasing. Now is the time to invest," he said."It holds a series of Welsh language and cultural events, such as a nursery, an Urdd aelwyd, folk dancing lessons, a choir, and they are ambassadors for us at important events in London."Tom Giffard, Welsh Conservative Welsh language spokesperson, said there is a "responsibility on the Welsh government to ensure that more children and parents choose Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain" in future."Our priority is pupils in Wales," Morgan replied. "That's where we're going to focus our efforts." Labour Cardiff North MS Julie Morgan said she was "very concerned" at the future of the school, which she said she was involved in previously as an MP."But, I am assured by the people running the school that they have planned numbers that will increase, and that they will be getting back up to the same numbers as they've had in the past," she "can really substitute having an actual school where children can learn Welsh in London", she replied that the cabinet secretary for the Welsh language, Mark Drakeford, met school officials on Monday and confirmed additional funding for the full 2025-26 academic year."I think there was recognition that you can't stop people halfway through the term," she said. "But, I do think we have to be honest, the school is on very shaky ground from September."
Sky News
01-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
London Welsh language school secures funding - but long-term future still in doubt
A Welsh language school in London threatened with closure after Wales's government said it was removing financial support has secured funding to stay open for another year - but doubts remain around its future. Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain in Hanwell, Ealing, currently receives a grant of £90,000 per year from the Welsh government. It had previously announced the funding would come to an end next March, but it has now agreed to continue providing the grant until the end of the academic year in August 2026. Once the agreement comes to an end, the funding will go towards other projects aimed at achieving the Cardiff government's target of a million Welsh speakers by 2050. Lead teacher Emilia Davies told Sky News the update from the government was "very great relief for parents and for staff". She said the grant funding was vital for the future of the school. "As a school, and as a community, we do a lot of fundraising every year as it is because £90,000 doesn't cover the cost to run a school, so we already do a lot of fundraising," she said. "So it's not possible, I don't think, to raise that amount of money." 'Want to support us' There are 12 pupils currently registered at the fee-paying school, but with 20 children in its mother and toddler group, there is "hope that there is a future". That's according to Eleri Brady, who has worked at the school for over 30 years. "Historically, the school has always been up and down in numbers," she said. "We've built from... six, 35 years ago; we built up and up until there were 40 on the books 20 years later. "So that's the story of the school, the numbers going up and going down." While the school is pleased to hear the support from the government will continue for a further five months, Ms Brady would like to see the Cardiff government go further. "We'd like them to say that they would continue that £90,000 annually," she said. "We don't want it just to finish in August 2026. We'd love them to confirm that they want to support us. "There are many schools in London from different countries, and their home countries support those schools. We'd love Wales to do that for us." The Welsh government said it had confirmed funding for Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain for the "full 2025 academic year". "As is the case with most grant schemes, our funding to promote the Welsh language is typically subject to annual applications, and we are therefore unable to confirm long-term funding beyond that point," the spokesperson added.
Wales Online
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Wales Online
England's only Welsh language school 'could close' as Welsh Government withdraws £90k funding
England's only Welsh language school 'could close' as Welsh Government withdraws £90k funding Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain, in Ealing in London is the only Welsh language school outside of Wales Pupils at Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain/London Welsh School in 2023 (Image: London Welsh School ) The future of a Welsh language school in London is said to be in doubt if the Welsh Government withdraws its funding. Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain, in Ealing in London, has been teaching children in the capital to become bilingual in both Welsh and English for seven decades. However, the school fears it will lose a £90,000 Welsh Government grant. The school had been receiving funding via the Cymraeg 2050 strategy, a Welsh Government strategy to achieve one million Welsh speakers by 2050. The school has reportedly received this grant for many years, but has now been told it will be withdrawn by March next year. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here The Welsh Conservatives say the school's funding was never intended for formal education. Losing it will mean closure, it is claimed. A source close to Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain said: "The decision to cut funding is abrupt and unjust. Not only have we been given less than a year's notice, but the funding is being withdrawn part-way through an academic year — an approach that is both unreasonable and deeply disruptive. "It leaves teachers in a position of anxious job uncertainty and families with no viable school alternatives. Article continues below "The closure of the school would mean losing a unique educational setting, a deeply rooted community, and a proven model of cultural and linguistic transmission. "The school is already doing everything the Cymraeg 2050 strategy sets out to achieve: creating fluent speakers, embedding Welsh in daily life, and building an intergenerational community around the language. "Re-directing funding elsewhere would not only dismantle this success, but require years of investment to even begin replicating it — with no guarantee of the same results." Conservative shadow Welsh secretary Mims Davies said: "This is yet another example of these two Labour governments working in tandem to fail Wales. "It is appalling Labour is continuing to shoot down opportunities both in Wales and beyond with their policies on independent schools and now withdrawing this funding. "For the sake of all of our young people, I urge these governments to wake up and stop failing our youngsters." The issue was brought up in the Senedd by independent MS Rhys ab Owen. He said: "The grant of £90,000 to Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain, the London Welsh School, will come to an end in March of next year, in the middle of the school's academic year. "The school is clear: without that £90,000, the school will close, and thereby bring to an end 70 years of Welsh education in London. "The school has ensured generation after generation of Welsh speakers. For such a small figure £90,000, the implications are huge for the school—teachers will lose their jobs, children will have to leave the school in the middle of an academic year, and the impact will be huge on the broader London community. "It would be a great shame if the school had to close because the Welsh Government wasn't providing £90,000 to them." The school, originally founded in 1958 by a group of parents who sent their children to Welsh lessons in London, began with 30 pupils. In 2015 it moved from Wembley to Ealing and has started new initiatives to bring in income and pupils, including a mother and toddler group, a before and after school club and hiring out hot desks to parents to work from inside the building. Article continues below In 2023, the school said it had seen its number fall as families returned to Wales post-pandemic. You can read about that here. The Welsh Government has been asked for comment.
