Cynllun Yr Iaith Gymraeg 2010/2013

Cynllun yr Iaith Gymraeg 2010/2013

Prifathro/Prif Weithredwr

Principal/Chief Executive

Barry Liles

COLEG SIR GÂR

WELSH LANGUAGE SCHEME

2010 – 2013

prepared under

the Welsh Language Act 1993

Principal/Chief Executive

Coleg Sir Gâr

Llanelli Campus

Sandy Road

LLANELLI

SA15 4DN

Phone: Llanelli (01554) 748000

Fax: Llanelli (01554) 756088

1

Cynllun yr Iaith Gymraeg 2010/2013

The original scheme has received the approval of the Welsh Language Board under Section 14(1) of the Welsh Language Act on 8th May 2000.

This revised Scheme has received the Board’s further approval on DD MMMMM 2010

Coleg Sir Gâr has adopted the principle that in providing education and training, it will treat the English and Welsh languages on a basis of equality. This Scheme sets out how Coleg Sir Gâr will give effect to that principle when planning and providing services to the public in Wales.

Page Number
1 / INTRODUCTION / 4
2 / COLLEGE PROFILE / 5
3 / IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING
3.1 Responsibilities for Implementation and Monitoring
3.2 Administrative Arrangements
3.3 Policies and New Initiatives
3.4 Third Party Compliance
3.5 Staffing
3.6 Monitoring and Reviewing
3.7 Quality
3.8 Comments and Complaints
3.9 Publication of Information and Publicity / 7
4 / THE DEVELOPMENT OF A WELSH ETHOS AT THE COLLEGE
4.1 Administrative Arrangements
4.2 Developing a Welsh Ethos within the curriculum
4.3 Dealing with the Welsh Speaking Public
4.4 The Public Face of the College / 12
5 / THE DEVELOPMENT OF BILINGUAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS TO AUGMENT AN ENGLISH MEDIUM PROVISION / 17
6 / THE DEVELOPMENT OF WELSH-MEDIUM OR BILINGUAL PROVISION FOR POST-14 LEARNERS
6.1 Planning and Management of College Curriculum
6.2 Current Provision at the College
6.3 The College Curriculum
6.4 Collaboration and Partnership / 17
7 / TIMETABLE / ACTION PLAN / 23

1.INTRODUCTION

Review of Previous Scheme

The college has operated a Welsh Language Scheme since May 2000, one of the first two further education colleges in Wales to do so. The previous revised scheme operated from September 2006. During that period, the college operated its normal quality assurance processes, reporting progress to the Corporate Board and to the Welsh Language Board.

It has also been the focus of a number of independent reviews undertaken by external agencies. These have included an independent review of the 3DF project in March 2007, a Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) review of HE provision in the college in June 2008 and an Estyn inspection of FE provision in November 2008.

These reviews, both internal and external, and their subsequent reports have acknowledged the significant success the scheme has achieved in changing the culture and ethos of the college, in developing its staff and the services it makes available to the public bilingually. The reports also acknowledge the progress made by the college in increasing the number of bilingual assessments achieved by learners, from a baseline of 609 in 2005/06 to 1060 in 2009/10.

However, despite the increase in the number of bilingual assessments achieved, the Estyn inspection in November 2008 noted that the number of learners achieving bilingual assessments had not increased. 501 learners were assessed through the medium of Welsh in 2006/2007; 493 in 2007/2008; 380 in 2008-2009 and 331 in 2009/2010. Therefore, the new scheme will consider how the number of learners as well as the number of assessments can be increased during its three-year implementation period.

Colegau Cymru National Bilingual Strategy for FE

In April 2010, DCELLS published a Welsh-medium Education Strategy, which set a direction from the pre-statutory phase to Higher Education. Colegau Cymru formulated a considered and integrated response that laid out how member colleges would respond to that strategy. The Colegau Cymru National Bilingual Strategy is concerned in the main with developments for the 14-19 age-groups, in line with the Estyn inspection framework and the Learning & Skills (Wales) Measure.

Member colleges of Colegau Cymru have agreed the following desired outcomes:

• Learners will experience a bilingual ethos in all colleges in Wales, irrespective of their locations.
• Learners will leave the post-14 education system in Wales with the linguistic skills needed to access further study or employment in a bilingual Wales.
• Learners will have bilingual skills (that may have been developed by Welsh-medium or bilingual learning in their main course or by the development of bilingual communication skills).
• Colleges will play an integral part in the planning and delivery of Welsh-medium or bilingual provision throughout their local communities.
• Colleges will work in partnership with other providers to allow learners (in all post-16 establishments) to access bilingual or Welsh-medium learning.

Colleges will respond to this strategy by prioritising developments in one (or more) of three strands. The three strands that form the strategy are:

Strand 1:The development of a Welsh ethos at the college

Strand 2: The development of bilingual communication skills to augment English medium provision

Strand 3: The development of Welsh-medium or bilingual provision for post-14 learners

Coleg Sir Gâr’s Welsh Language Scheme will aim to reflect the above strands and developments.

The College’s Strategic Statements

The college’s strategic statements includes, as one of its aims:

To promote a bilingual culture, the Welsh language and ethos within our College.

2.COLLEGE PROFILE

2.1General Information about the College

2.1.1 Coleg Sir Gâr was created in 1985 from the merger of four institutions across Carmarthenshire. As a Corporate Institution since 1993, the college offers a comprehensive range of academic and vocational programmes. The balanceof further and higher educational provision within the college is approximately 90% FE and 10% HE FTEs, with in excess of 12,000 learners in total. In 2000, the college re-branded itself, changing its name from CCTA to Coleg Sir Gâr, reflecting the community the college serves and the bilingual context of that community. The Welsh language is an important component of the culture and heritage of Carmarthenshire. It is very widely used throughout the county and is the first language for a considerable proportion of the population.

2.1.2The college’s mission is ‘To be excellent – the college of choice’ which encompasses four key themes, namely ‘our culture’, ‘our service’, ‘our delivery’ and ‘our resource’. The Welsh language is a key consideration in this mission and a specific strategic aim to promote 'a bilingual culture, the Welsh language and ethos withinour College' has been developed.

2.1.3The college has five main Campuses based at Llanelli, Carmarthen (2), Ammanford and Gelli Aur and primarily serves the area defined by the unitary authority of Carmarthenshire, with a population of approximately 170,000.

2.1.4Staff numbers

There are currently 869 members of staff at the college (345 are full time, 206 are fractional

and 318 are casual). According to data gained from staff’s self-assessment of their Welsh skills:

• 25 speak Welsh fluently
• 46 are at intermediate level
• 97 are at a basic level
• 126 are at entry level
• 448 have no Welsh language skills

(There is no data for 127 members of staff)

Of the full-time lecturers who completed the self-assessment:

• 8 speak fluently
• 12 are at intermediate level
• 20 are at basic level
• 23 are at entry level
• 71 have no Welsh language skills

(The actual number of fluent Welsh speaking lecturers is likely to be much higher and the data available is based solely on a self-assessment exercise.)

2.1.5Student numbers

There are approximately 9,000 part-time and 3,000 full-time students at Coleg Sir Gâr.

In 2009-2010, information captured on enrolment forms showed that at least 1086 full-time students had some level of Welsh language skills. Of these, 471 classified themselves as being fluent Welsh speakers.

2.2Catchment Area

2.2.1According to the 2001 census, the population of Carmarthenshire was 172,842 of which 48% were male and 52% were female. The percentages per age group were as follows:

Carmarthenshire (%) / Wales and England (%)
Under 16 / 19.5 / 20.2
16 to 19 / 4.8 / 4.9
20 to 29 / 10.1 / 12.6
30 to 59 / 40.5 / 41.5
60 to 74 / 15.7 / 13.3
75 and over / 9.4 / 7.6
Averageage / 41.1 / 38.6

(Source: 2001 Census, ONS)

2.2.2In the county of Carmarthenshire, the number of people using the Welsh language is increasing. In 1991, the percentage of people who could speak, read and write Welsh was 37%, whereas in the 2001 census it stood at 39%. A larger rise was seen in the percentage that possessed one or more skills in the Welsh language (namely understanding spoken Welsh, speaking, reading or writing Welsh). In 1991 this accounted for 55% of the population of Carmarthenshire and in 2001 it rose to 64%. It was also noted from the 2001 census that Carmarthenshire ranked as the third highest local authority for possessing Welsh language skills. The two age groups ranking highest in possessing Welsh language skills in Carmarthenshire are the 5 to 15 year olds (71.72%) and the 75 and over (72.01%) in comparison to 58.51% of those aged 20-44. The high percentage of children and young people possessing Welsh language skills highlights the college’s need to significantly increase its Welsh-medium and bilingual provision through careful strategic planning.

2.2.3The college takes into account the targets set out in the County of Carmarthenshire’s Welsh Education Scheme (2006) and the impact this will have upon the college’s Bilingual Provision Plan for both the short and long term future. The college appreciates the continued development and continuum of the language skills of pupils as they move from nursery to primary education and from primary to secondary levels of education within Carmarthenshire.

2.2.4The immediate catchment area for the college includes:-

Llanelli, where the college has become the main provider of post-16 Education and Training through a process of planned rationalisation of 16-19 provision. In the Llanelli consortium there are four comprehensive schools, (including a Roman Catholic school), which act as partners to the college.

Ysgol y Strade is designated an 11-18 school and has the responsibility for Welsh medium provision. This school is on a site adjacent to the college’s Llanelli campus.

In the Carmarthen area there are five 11-18 comprehensive schools with one Welsh-medium school, Bro Myrddin, that has the responsibility for Welsh-medium provision.

In the Ammanford area there are five 11-18 comprehensive schools and one school, Maes yr Yrfa, which has the responsibility for Welsh medium provision.

2.3Economic Environment of the Area

2.3.1According to the Annual Population Survey 2008, the economic activity rate of Carmarthenshire’s working age population is 75.4%. This figure ranks 12th out of the 22 Welsh local authorities and is comparable with the Welsh rate of 75.7%. The Economic Inactivity rate for the same period stands at 24.6%, placing Carmarthenshire 10th in the ranking of all Welsh local authorities. Again, this is comparable with the Wales figure of 24.3%, but is higher than the UK level of 21.4%. (Source: Carmarthenshire County Council)

2.3.2The employment rates for Carmarthenshire, Wales and the UK are demonstrated in the table below.

Employment Rate of Working Age Population 2008
Employment Rate
UK / 78.6%
Wales / 75.7%
Carmarthenshire / 71.3%

It is evident from the table that the employment rate for Carmarthenshire up until the 31st March 2008 falls below the comparable rate seen in Wales and the UK during the same time period. (Source: Carmarthenshire County Council)

2.3.3The college’s catchment area includes 5 Communities First areas, namely Felinfoel, Glanymor and Tyisha, Pantyffynnon, Llwynhendy, Bigyn 4.

2.3.4As the largest post 16 education and training provider within the county the college is committed to raising the basic and vocational skills levels of the poorly qualified and excluded as well as providing the qualifications which all post 16 year olds aspire to gain in order for them to be able to enter and prosper in the employment market. The college recognises that its responsibility in doing so includes developing learners’ Welsh language skills and increasing opportunities to be taught and assessed through the medium of Welsh.

3.IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING / SERVICE PLANNING AND DELIVERY

3.1Responsibilities for Implementation and Monitoring

3.1.1The college’s Corporate Board is responsible for approving this Welsh Language Scheme and the Scheme will have the full authority of the Corporate Board.

3.1.2The college Welsh Language Co-ordinator will continue to co-ordinate and facilitate the implementation of the scheme with the support of Bilingualism Champions.

3.1.3The Assistant Principal for Planning, Curriculum and Quality will oversee, monitor and review the implementation of the scheme.

3.1.4The college’s Learning Group, under the guidance of the Curriculum, Learning and Teaching Director, will promote and encourage the use of the Welsh Language within the college.

3.1.5The Principal/Chief Executive will report annually to the Corporate Board on progress against the targets in the Scheme.

3.1.6Anyone wishing to comment upon any aspect of the scheme as outlined in this document can do so by contacting:

Rhian Jones

Welsh Language Co-ordinator

Coleg Sir Gâr

Llanelli Campus

Carmarthenshire

SA15 4DN

Tel No.: 01554 748013

e-mail:

3.2Scheme’s Administrative Arrangements

3.2.1This Welsh Language Scheme has been prepared by the Welsh Language Co-ordinator.

3.2.2The Principal is the senior officer with responsibility for coordinating the scheme but with delegated responsibility and authority to academic and support staff managers for implementing those aspects that relate to their operational areas.

3.2.3The implementation of the scheme will be one of the procedures monitored regularly by the management team, which consists of senior and middle managers.

3.2.4The success of the scheme is the responsibility of all college staff, both Welsh speaking and non-Welsh speaking. Policies and procedures relating to the new scheme will be made known to staff via staff induction days and staff development. The scheme will be

located on the staff intranet and other locations as appropriate.

3.2.5The requirements of the scheme will be considered as part of any specification for the

procurement of computer systems and software.

3.2.6The Translation Service

The college will retain suitably qualified translators to ensure the highest quality of service is provided. The translators’ posts will be permanent. In 2009-10, the college employed 2.1 full-time equivalent translators, and occasionally calls on the service of external translators.

The Translation Unit will continue to support and advise lecturing staff in the translation and preparation of learning and assessment materials and to assist in the implementation of the language scheme. The Translation Unit will give priority to the translation of learning and assessment materials for use in the delivery of Welsh medium and bilingual courses. This could mean that some administrative documents, especially live documents such as the college’s Self-assessment Report, will not be available in Welsh unless requested.

3.3Policies and New Initiatives

3.3.1Policies

3.3.1.1As each existing college policy is due for review, the linguistic needs will be assessed to ensure the college makes progress towards achievement of the principle of equality between the two official languages of Wales and ensures consistency with the college’s Welsh Language Scheme. When policies are approved, the Equality Impact Assessment will take account of linguistic needs.

3.3.1.2 All new policies, procedures and initiatives will be assessed against the same framework as in 3.3.1.1 above. No new policy, procedure or initiative will be adopted without that assessment having been undertaken, and documented. Any proposals that would affect the college’s Welsh Language Scheme or that of other organisations will be the subject of consultation with the Welsh Language Board. No changes will be made to the Scheme without the Board’s approval.

3.3.2Initiatives

3.3.2.1In September 2008, DCELLS published their document “Transforming Education and Training Provision for Wales”. The WAG, in this document, seeks to more fully integrate the work of schools, colleges and post-16 providers by transforming the way that education and training is delivered. Significant change is expected in the Carmarthenshire area during the lifetime of this current plan, as work has already begun in Dinefwr as part of this agenda.

3.3.2.2The college is currently, in partnership with the five 11-19 secondary schools in the Dinefwr area of Carmarthenshire, reviewing the reconfiguration of existing learning provision as part of a strategic change to create sustainable learning opportunities for children and young people. Changes to the curriculum stimulated by the Learning and Skills Measure 2009 will provide a greater choice of courses for learners in the 14-19 age range. Embedded within the Measure will be an entitlement for learners to receive their education and training bilingually.

3.3.2.3The college is represented by members of the Executive Group in the management group of the Carmarthenshire 14-19 Learning Network. The development of local 14-19 Learning Networks has seen an increase in the co-operation between the college and schools to provide bilingual vocational experience for 14-19 learners. The college is comprehensively integrated into Carmarthenshire’s 14-19 networks and is also part of the joint governance initiatives for the four clusters – Dinefwr, Llanelli, Taf Myrddin and the Welsh-medium cluster.

3.3.2.4The college also actively participates in regional collaboration with other further and higher education institutions, via work-based learning consortia and the Regional Learning Partnership as well as the development of closer links with Pembrokeshire College and University of Wales Trinity Saint David.

3.3.2.5Over the past few years, the college and some of its partner schools have introduced the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification. This qualification provides a curriculum which creates an awareness of language, culture and heritage of Wales and is planned to expand to all the secondary schools in Carmarthenshire. The college already offers the qualification at all levels. Over the period of the next Scheme, Principal Learning Qualifications will also be introduced as part of the Welsh Baccalaureate and the college is already actively working with partners to develop and deliver these new qualifications.

3.3.2.6The challenge facing the college in this current Scheme will be to provide progression opportunities for an increasing number of 14-19 learners who will have already experienced bilingual provision during their secondary education. In 2008, in all Carmarthenshire’s secondary schools, 30% of pupils were assessed in Welsh as a first language at the end Key Stage 3.

3.3.2.7In order to promote the development of post-16 bilingual education and training, it is proposed that the college work even closer with the bilingual category 2B schools as well as the designated Welsh medium language schools. This objective will be to ensure a more streamlined language continuum.

3.4Third Party Compliance