Skip to content

Welsh for Adults

Sector report 2023 - 2024


Providers

11

Dysgu Cymraeg/Learn Welsh providers under the National Centre for Learning Welsh, which funds and quality assures their work


Learners

16,905

Individual learners during 2022-2023

15,260

Individual learners during 2021-2022

14,965

During 2020-2021

The number of learners has risen by 33% since the beginning of the inspection cycle (12,680 individual learners in 2017-2018).


Provision

All providers offer a range of in-person, online and distance learning.


Inspections

Two core inspections of Learner Welsh providers undertaken during 2023-2024:

In the Welsh for Adults sector, we continued to give summative grades for inspections of Learn Welsh providers.

We also inspected the National Centre for Learning Welsh for the second time in this inspection cycle.

Inspection report The National Centre for Learning Welsh 2024 (gov.wales)


Follow-up

Follow-up in the sector is different from almost all other sectors as there is a national body, which is responsible for quality assurance in the sector. Progress against all recommendations to individual Learn Welsh providers during core inspections is discussed with the National Centre for Learning Welsh and evaluated as part of their inspection.


Introduction

The number of learners in the Welsh for Adults has increased by 33% since the first nationally published figures for the sector in 2017-2018. In addition, the sector now offers free courses to young people between the ages of 16-25, increasing the number of learners in this category by a further 9% during 2022-2023. The National Centre for Learning Welsh has worked purposefully to increase the sector’s offer to learners who wish to learn for work-related purposes as well as specific groups such as refugees and asylum seekers, with materials now available to speakers of Cantonese, Syrian Arabic, Pashto, Farsi and Ukrainian.


Summary

Teaching in the sector focusses on ensuring that learning experiences are inclusive, positive and effective in producing active Welsh speakers. Care, support and guidance was excellent in both Learn Welsh providers inspected this year. The support and guidance provided contribute positively to learners’ well-being and enjoyment of their courses. The National Centre for Learning Welsh, which funds and quality ensures the work of Learn Welsh providers, supports this work usefully through appropriate scrutiny and professional development opportunities for staff. The National Centre for Learning Welsh provides highly effective leadership to the sector, which is reflected in the shared vision and clear focus of Learn Welsh providers. Together, they offer a high quality service that focuses on producing active Welsh speakers, in accordance with Welsh Government policies.


Learning, teaching and learning experiences

Learners in all types of provision continued to display high levels of motivation and enthusiasm during their lessons. Many learners made strong progress in developing their language skills, speaking with increasing spontaneity and confidence with each other and their tutors. Tutors knew their learners well and encouraged them to use their language skills in their communities and workplaces. As a result, many learners spoke Welsh outside formal sessions, which increased their confidence and improved their ability to feel part of Welsh-speaking networks and communities. Learners made the strongest progress when immersed fully in the language on intensive courses. Nearly all learners who attended residential courses made rapid progress. This was due to a combination of tutors’ skilful planning and teaching, and the unique immersive environment.

The two Learn Welsh providers inspected offered a wide range of courses, from entry to proficiency level, in-person, and online. One provider operated effectively to increase the numbers of Welsh speakers within its host local authority by employing an officer to work proactively with the local authority’s staff.

The National Centre for Learning Welsh played a valuable role in developing the generally high quality of teaching and learning throughout Learn Welsh providers. A few tutors in one provider inspected did not question learners effectively enough nor allow them enough time to digest information and begin to create language independently. However, overall, most tutors across both providers had high expectations of their learners and made very effective use of the target language to improve learners’ speaking and listening skills. They probed and intervened purposefully to extend learners’ ability to use Welsh naturally and improve their understanding of different grammatical features of the language.


Care, support and guidance and well-being and attitudes to learning

The standard of care, support and guidance was excellent in both providers inspected. Providers’ positive approach to creating a caring and inclusive environment for all learners helps learners to feel safe, and eager to engage with their learning effectively.

Providers and tutors responded well to individuals’ educational and pastoral needs to assist them in achieving their personal goals. Many learners played an active part in their learning communities and most felt that providers responded appropriately to their views and concerns.

Tutors and leaders responsible for courses in the residential provider ensured that learners received exemplary levels of pastoral and educational care both prior to and during their courses. This was beneficial to both their well-being and levels of attainment.

Learners in both providers generally received very high levels of care and support. Consequently, many learners returned to subsequent courses and improved their levels of fluency.


Leadership

Both Learn Welsh providers inspected focused clearly on their mission to increase the numbers of active Welsh speakers.

Leaders in one provider were highly effective in developing their provision innovatively to offer the best possible environment in which learners could make effective progress and appreciate Welsh as a living language.

Leaders in the other Learn Welsh provider were effective in developing the provision offer within the constraints of a small provider. The provider evaluated data appropriately and this contributed to the provider’s strong and consistent performance against its recruitment targets and the levels of learners’ completion and progression. However, managers did not systematically track the progress of groups of learners in sufficient detail to purposefully refine and adapt provision. In addition, they did not always identify areas for improvement in aspects of their work, such as teaching and learning, well enough.

The National Centre for Learning Welsh provided very effective leadership to the sector and was proactive in promoting increased levels of participation from all groups in society. The national fee structure was keeping course costs for learners as low as possible, and most learners either received reductions in the course fees or received courses for free.

The National Centre had developed the sector from being a provider of courses for Welsh learners only to becoming an influential voice and facilitator to increase the use of the Welsh language and the number of active fluent Welsh speakers.


Overview of recommendations from inspections

Two Learn Welsh providers were inspected in 2023-2024, as well as the National Centre for Learning Welsh

In the provider that specialises in residential provision and language immersion, the recommendations focused on extending the professional learning offer to include regular opportunities for tutors to observe effective practice. In addition, there was a recommendation to establish procedures with the National Centre for Learning Welsh to share information nationally about the progress and achievement of learners who have followed the provider’s intensive courses, to support them to learn Welsh seamlessly irrespective of provider.

In the other Learn Welsh provider inspected, three recommendations reflected the key areas for improvement.

  • Strengthen strategic planning processes to forward plan provision purposefully
  • Refine processes for evaluating teaching and learning to prioritise strengths and areas for improvement
  • Strengthen processes for monitoring and tracking the process of groups of learners over time in order to meet the needs of learners increasingly effectively

The National Centre for Learning Welsh received two recommendations to:

  • Continue to expand and share the expertise of the Learn Welsh sector regarding second language pedagogy and acquisition to other relevant sectors to support the Welsh Government’s aim of reaching a million Welsh speakers by 2050
  • Continue to innovate through facilitating linguistic planning activities that integrate new and unwilling speakers in initiatives that normalise the use of Welsh in the community and in the workplace