Welsh language professional learning

3. Welsh language professional learning

There is a range of professional learning opportunities available for practitioners to develop their Welsh language skills.

Welsh language professional learning for education practitioners

This table gives an indication of the courses available but the Sabbatical Scheme model is flexible and the structure of courses can be adapted.

Welsh language Sabbatical Scheme

The Welsh language Sabbatical Scheme has a central role in developing practitioners’ Welsh-language skills and ability to teach through the medium of Welsh. The Scheme provides methodology and Welsh language training for teachers and classroom assistants from primary and secondary schools throughout Wales.

The Scheme provides an opportunity for practitioners to:

improve their Welsh-language skills
learn subject-specific terminology
ensure awareness and confidence to use Welsh-medium and bilingual methodologies

The Scheme is open to practitioners currently working in Wales. Applications from supply staff may be considered subject to certain conditions.

All courses are offered free of charge. The Welsh Government will also pay a grant towards supply cover and will reimburse participants’ additional travel costs. The Scheme currently offers the following courses:

‘Cymraeg Mewn Blwyddyn’ – Welsh in a Year

This course has been designed for primary teachers who work in English-medium primary schools. It provides training over a period of a full academic year, which leads to fluency of expression and grammatical accuracy within the context of learning and teaching. It aims to nurture subject leaders who will plan the use of Welsh in their schools in line with the strategic requirements of the regional consortium using professionally recognised best-practice Welsh teaching methodologies.

The course develops practitioners' Welsh language skills and their ability to speak and write Welsh with confidence in various situations when delivering Welsh as a second language in the Foundation Stage and at Key Stage 2.

The course concentrates on developing the practitioners' language skills to enable them to develop the way the Welsh language is being used and taught in their schools. There is a focus on using Welsh across the curriculum and giving practitioners the opportunity to work strategically to develop bilingualism in their schools. Practitioners prepare resources and deliver cross-curricular lessons according to the new curriculum's areas of learning as well as developing skills to enable them to assess pupils and provide them with language feedback.

Advanced level

Advanced level courses are aimed at those who can speak Welsh fluently, either as first-language speakers or advanced learners, but who lack the confidence or specialist terminology in Welsh to use these skills in a professional context. The courses offer applicants the opportunity to:

develop their personal language skills
receive intensive language training combined with methodological training in Welsh-medium teaching or language teaching
develop specialist knowledge of terminology specific to their subject area or specialisation

Intermediate level

This 8 week course is the newest addition to the Sabbatical Scheme’s suite of provision.

It is aimed at teachers in English-medium/bilingual primary schools who already have some Welsh language skills, for example those who have already completed a Sylfaen (foundation) level course either through the Sabbatical Scheme or through other methods and wish to further develop their skills to progress towards fluency. This course will:

create proficient teachers in preparation for the requirements of the new Curriculum for Welsh in the English-medium sector
offer progression from the Foundation course, reinforcing and extending teachers' linguistic ability alongside their pedagogical skills
enable teachers to plan the delivery of Welsh within the framework of the new Curriculum's Areas of Learning and Experience

This course develops practitioners’ Welsh language Skills and their ability to speak and write Welsh confidently in a variety of situations when introducing Welsh as a second Language in the Foundation Phase and Key Stage 2.

The course focuses on:

developing practitioners’ Language Skills to enable them to develop the use and Learning of Welsh in their Schools
the use of Welsh across the Curriculum and gives practitioners the opportunity to work strategically to develop bilingualism in their Schools
helping practitioners to prepare resources and to deliver cross-curricular lessons in line with Curriculum for Wales’ Areas of Learning and Experience
developing practitioners’ Skills to enable them to assess pupils and provide meaningful feedback

Foundation Level

Welsh language training for Foundation Phase and Key Stage 2 teachers working in English-medium or bilingual primary schools who wish to:

develop their Welsh language skills to Foundation level
take the first steps on a recognized path to learning Welsh with the long-term aim of teaching Welsh or through the medium of Welsh
contribute to bilingualism in their schools and develop a Welsh language ethos

The course is aimed at those who have a basic knowledge of the Welsh language and who are motivated to commit to 11 weeks of intensive training.

Entry Level

This is a 5 week full-time intensive immersion course for classroom assistants in English-medium or bilingual primary schools.

The course will equip participants with the necessary vocabulary and linguistic skills to support their teaching colleagues in the delivery of the curriculum.

Contact details

For more information please contact your Welsh in Education Lead or the course providers via the links below:

North Wales (GWE) - SgiliauIaithGymraeg@gwegogledd.cymru

South West and Mid Wales - University of Wales Trinity Saint David

Central South Wales (CSCJES) - Emma.Dermody@cscjes.org.uk

South-east Wales (EAS) - Sioned.Harold@sewaleseas.org.uk

Or contact the Sabbaticals Team:

Tel: 03000 259770

Email: sabbaticalscheme@gov.wales

National Centre for Learning Welsh

Online courses for school leaders and practitioners have been developed by the National Centre for Learning Welsh.

These introductory courses are free of charge. However, Welsh Government does not reimburse supply costs for attendance on these courses. Schools will therefore need to discuss with practitioners how to manage workload to participate in the courses.

There are two free 10 hour courses that introduce relevant vocabulary and phrases. One has been tailored for practitioners in English-medium schools, and the other for headteachers of English-medium schools to enable you to introduce basic phrases across the school day.

A 120 hour Entry level course specifically for teachers in English-medium primary or secondary schools has also been developed. The Centre will work in partnership with Sabbatical Scheme course providers to provide tutor support to accompany this course and will draw on their expertise to ensure consistent and accurate integration as learners take advantage of the various Welsh learning schemes available to them. This self-study course can provide a route for those teachers wishing to access a Sabbatical Scheme Foundation level course later.

Self-study Entry Level Course for Teachers- available online (120 hours).
Suitable for English medium primary and secondary school teachers.
An opportunity to learn suitable language patterns to use in school with the learners.
2 hours of online self-study per week.
1 hour weekly live session online to practise and learn about language learning methodologies.
Gain confidence to teach Welsh in a cross-curricular approach.
Tutor support will be available for the course duration.

Support via Regional Consortia or Local authorities

Regional consortia and local authorities provide a range of professional learning opportunities for practitioners to develop their Welsh language and methodology skills. They also have a team of individuals who support the strategic development of Welsh in schools and who target and support schools/practitioner who would benefit from the Welsh Language Sabbatical Scheme and other professional learning.

In addition, a range of teaching and learning resources have been developed by the teams across Wales to support the teaching of Welsh and subjects through the medium of Welsh. These can be found in the communities section on Hwb by searching for ‘Y Pair and Y Gist’.

For further information please contact:

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Schools as learning organisations and the professional learning journey

Developing the Welsh language within your school

3. Welsh language professional learning