An Act of Senedd Cymru to promote and facilitate use of the Welsh language, including by setting a target to increase the number of speakers to at least 1 million by 2050, by setting common reference levels for describing ability, by providing for a national framework and local strategic plans for improving Welsh language education, by introducing a system of categorisation of the Welsh language education provided by schools, by setting Welsh language learning goals for schools to pursue through Welsh language education delivery plans, and by establishing a National Institute for Learning Welsh as a statutory body to support lifelong learning of Welsh.
The Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025 (Welsh: Deddf y Gymraeg ac Addysg (Cymru) 2025) is an Act of Senedd Cymru relating to the promotion of Welsh-medium education in Wales with the goal of increasing the number of Welsh speakers in Wales to 1 million.[1]
In 2022, it was revealed that in the 2021 census, the proportion of the population of Wales who were Welsh speakers decreased, compared to the 2011 census.[2]
The Welsh Governemnt established the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities in 2022.[3] It was chaired by Simon Brooks and made recommendations to allow councils to designate areas of linguistic significance and for areas where 40% of the population are Welsh speakers to be automatically designated as linguistically significant.[4][5]
At the time of the passage of the bill, 23% of pupils in Wales were Welsh speakers.[6]
Provisions
The legislation contains a target to increase the proportion of pupils who are Welsh speakers to 30% by 2030-31 and 40% by 2050.[6]
The bill establishes three categories for education in Wales, each with a minimum amount of Welsh-medium education:[7]
primarily Welsh language, minimum 80%
dual language, minimum 50%
primarily English education, partly Welsh, minimum 10%
Reception
The integrated impact assessment accompanying the legislation during its passage was criticised by education trade unions for lacking in detail.[8] Cymdeithas yr Iaith (the Welsh Language Society) said it was "disappointed" that the Welsh government did not pursue "Welsh-medium education for all".[7]
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