Welsh-medium education through late immersion: mapping the provision in Wales

This report presents the findings of a mapping exercise examining Welsh medium education through late immersion (for latecomers) in different areas in Wales. The Welsh Language Research Branch, in Welsh Government’s Knowledge and Analytical Services, was commissioned to undertake the mapping exercise by the Welsh Government’s Welsh Language Division. The research took place between January and April 2021.

The aim of immersion education in Wales is to introduce the Welsh language to learners who do not speak Welsh at home, so that they are able to follow their education through the medium of Welsh. In immersion education across Wales, learners who do not speak Welsh at home are educated within the same classrooms as learners who speak Welsh at home. In 2020, 39% of Year 1 learners in Welsh-medium education spoke Welsh at home, and 22% of Year 1 learners in bilingual schools spoke Welsh at home.

This report was produced as part of a five-month PhD internship organised through the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Wales Doctoral Training Partnership and Welsh Government. Views expressed in this report are those of the researcher and not necessarily those of the Welsh Government.