PHASING out English medium education could worsen a “crisis” in recruiting and retaining teachers.
A Cyngor Gwynedd meeting heard it was already “difficult” to attract staff to the county and that nationally teachers were already leaving the profession “in droves”.
The comments were made during a debate over the Draft Revised Education Language Policy, during the council’s Education and Economy Scrutiny Committee meeting, last week.
In a proposed shake up of its language policy Cyngor Gwynedd has an ambition for 70% of lessons to be taught in Welsh.
The branch secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), Elise Poulter, voiced teachers’ concerns over training, funding and the impact on the county’s Welsh language immersion system.
Welsh is already the predominant medium of teaching for the majority of Gwynedd’s educational establishments.
But some schools, including Bangor’s Ysgol Friars and Our Lady’s School, Catholic primary, and Ysgol Uwchradd Tywyn are “transitioning” towards full Welsh medium provision.
Elise Poulter had asked if there was “provision” for those teachers who do not at the moment teach through the medium of Welsh to go on courses or day- release courses, to “up-skill themselves”.
Report author Rhys Meredydd Glyn, head of Gwynedd’s Immersion Education System had replied saying the Welsh Government had established the National Centre for Learning Welsh, which the authority was “collaborating with,” and that it provided courses for all levels.
Some courses were “specifically tailored” for teachers in specific schools, taking into consideration timetables, including hybrid face-to-face and partly virtual and self-study courses, he said.
There would also be tutors, one appointed for a specific catchment or school cluster, and “subject specific” courses.
“If you have a teacher unable to fully teach maths or physics in Welsh, there could be specific courses for those specifically tailored,” he said. There were also some summer sabbatical courses.
Children coming from non-Welsh speaking areas would also be referred to Gwynedd’s Immersion Education System, but there was an “awareness of increasing pressure” on the scheme.
“We need to make sure we have the capacity to accept incomers and late comers,” he said.
Gwynedd had also received a grant from the Welsh Government that the authority “match funded.” There was also a national immersion network established and some immersion grants available.
Sabbatical courses were “different” as schools were “compensated for the cost of supply” and received professional development grants to fund and release all staff for training.
For those “lacking confidence” presenting lessons in the medium of Welsh or who were new Welsh learners, there was “a wide range of courses available” from the national centre,” he added.
But Ms Poulter said feared these measures would not stem the numbers of people leaving teaching: “I do think we have to be realistic, in teaching we have a retention and recruitment crisis. It’s really difficult to get one or two teachers coming for a lot of jobs within the county and across Wales.
“Teachers are leaving the profession in their droves, we have not got the numbers of people going for the PGCE( postgraduate teaching certificate).
“At the moment, there is not the ability to provide non-contact, but there is money within professional development.
“We will have to be patient, if we are going to get to this [language] goal. We want really really good teachers. I think any teacher who comes here would welcome the opportunity to learn Welsh fluently.
“We have to be able to provide that, so we can provide fantastic education for our children here, but it will take time.”
Cllr Dewi Jones agreed, adding recruitment of teachers was a “general problem”.
“For some schools it will be challenging to reach that 70 percent, but that is why we are taking our time,” he said.
After the meeting, Ms Poulter told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “Employment law means non-Welsh speakers cannot be dismissed, and most would welcome the opportunity to learn Welsh.
“There used to be a day-release programme for this, with payment for staff cover. This is needed for the programme/ policy to be as successful as the target.”
