Welsh school, English speaking parent

My children go to a welsh speaking school, we don't speak welsh at home. They're doing well. Homework I can just ask although it's often set bilingually for parents like us!

My little one isn’t school age yet but this is something I’ve always wanted to do. One of my friends is an English speaker and her son went to a Welsh speaking primary school for 8 years His work started to drop & because his parents weren’t able to help with homework it was recommended he tried a English school, it made a massive difference to his behaviour and schoolwork This made me think about things a bit differently, growing up I had a lot of friends who went to welsh schools and their parents spoke only English and they got in just fine, but more often than not now I think about sending my little one to a Welsh school and I’m not sure how I’d feel if I couldn’t help with certain things But it would be lovely to have more Welsh speakers so following to find out what other parent’s experiences are x

My son goes to an all welsh medium school, I understand (most) welsh but can’t speak it very well at all, my other half is welsh. My daughter will be starting the same school in January. I actually find I’m relearning welsh along side my son as he brings home homework/reading books etc. he’s only just in year 2 so we seem to be learning together and if I’m not sure on certain works/pronunciation etc I just ask my other half 🙂 my son now can easily have a fluent conversation with friends and other family members with no issues at all 🙂

Any school events the teachers/parents are all aware I don’t speak welsh and are very accommodating and speak English to me, absolutely no issues what so ever. I’m very glad my son (both kids) has gone to the welsh school as it’s a language he’ll need to know growing up and he’s welsh himself so he should have the opportunity to learn his birth language and be able to use it if he wishes to ❤️

A lot of non Welsh speaking parents put their children through Welsh medium education. You will be absolutely fine as the school will communicate in English and all the other parents will be able to speak English, even if their first language is Welsh. My partner and all of his family speak welsh as their first language. I have learnt a lot over the years and am by no means fluent but I manage to get by just fine 😊

I went to a welsh school and both my sisters still attend welsh school (primary and secondary) my mother did struggle with me because things were different back then and there wasn’t any additional help from the school to support parents that were only english speakers. None of my family speak it not even cousins or distant relatives but i’m so glad that they made that decision. It’s completely up to you and your partner, but from my understanding there is a lot more help for parents who don’t speak welsh now ie billingual homework etc 💘

I'm English and the kids dad is Welsh but knows very little. I sent both of mine to a Welsh nursery and now a Welsh medium school and plan on a Welsh medium high school. Both are doing very well, daughter 9 is fluent in both as is my son 7 but hes a little behind. I will admit I have trouble with the language barrier, especially when the kids are reading their books and I have no idea if they're pronouncing the words right or not. ATM my daughter helps correct my son if he says something wrong. I get all letters etc and all school reports are in both English and Welsh I don't know how well it'll go when their older and I really can't help with homework etc but tbh I think learning any other second language is a bonus.

I'm Irish and so is my partner. I'm learning Welsh (Dysgu Cymraeg offer quite affordable courses with early bird at 45 for the year) I plan to send mine to a Welsh language school or if we move home an Irish language. It is usually fine if the parents don't speak the language

Same situation here. My daughter will be going to a prominently English speaking school but learning Alot of Welsh along the way. Only reason she won't go to Welsh school is because I can't take her to a separate school to her brother's. I don't drive x

I'm English, and my partner is a Welsh speaker. I've already decided to send my child to a Welsh school when she gets to that age because it's not about me (currently 8 months). In Wales, Welsh schools get more funding, so the education seems to be a better quality. Having a second language will open doors for her with future career choices. Based on my own experience, both of my younger sisters went to Welsh schools, and they seemed to have had a far better education than myself, because of the quality of the schools.

Loads of parents aren’t able to speak Welsh but they send them to Welsh speaking schools because in the long run people that can speak Welsh are more likely to get a job over the people that can’t in wales

Yea I have a 6yr old in Welsh school and 2.5 Yr old just started merithrin , it's amazing. I don't speak Welsh my hubby speaks a very small amount. I joined a Welsh app called dodo 🦤 and you can type in things and phrases and it converts them. I use lots of phrases at home but can't hold a convo my son is amazing and I'm so proud of him for being bilingual. Something I'm very jealous of. Welsh schools get more funding which was the deciding point for me xx

Hey, I went to a Welsh school and my parents didn’t speak any Welsh. It was absolutely fine, I never struggled with any homework etc! If your husband speaks welsh then that’s an even better advantage. My partner doesn’t speak welsh, but we will 100% be doing a welsh school! It’s the most rewarding thing, I wish I kept onto the beautiful language. I haven’t spoken it properly for years since leaving school. It’s something I regret not carrying on. X

I work in a welsh school and I think about 3% of the parents of students speak welsh… it’s the norm for parents to speak English and there’s support available for both languages. It also helps pupils with both languages if they have to translate things to you, it’s called translanguaging and it’s a big push from the welsh government atm x

Thank you all for your comments. Some really useful points to think about, I really appreciate it x

My daughter isn't of school age yet but we plan on sending her to a Welsh school. I know some Welsh but very rusty and my partner doesn't know Any. He's recently started using duo lingo to get to grips with the basics and I'm pretty confident we'll pick up a lot with her as she's learning x

My parents didn’t speak Welsh, mum was English. Sent all three of us to a Welsh speaking school and it really helped them settle into the community, as local Welsh families were supportive of new children joining the schools. I still speak Welsh fluently and though my partner is English we will be sending our baby to a Welsh school as well. There’s a lot of support for the parents with homework etc but from a child’s perspective it’s easier to learn additional languages and expand their friendship groups. Hope that helps! X