21/1/2025

Cardiff Council has demonstrated its clear commitment towards the Welsh Language through further expansion of its Welsh-medium primary school provision which supports the Welsh Government's target of a million of Welsh speakers by 2050.

The Council's Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) 2022-2031 outlines commitments to expand Welsh-medium education and strengthen Cardiff's aspiration to become a truly bilingual city.

The expansion of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan sees the latest Welsh increase in Cardiff's Welsh-medium education provision, taking the total number of Welsh-medium and dual-language primary school places to 6,370, available across the capital.

This move forms part of the Council'srenewal and improvement plans to reorganise four primary schools in Cathays and parts of Gabalfa, Heath, Llandaff North and Plasnewydd.

This includes a newly established primary school named Fairoak Primary School which brings together pupils, staff and communities from Allensbank and Gladstone Primary Schools. Plans will also see the relocation of St Monica's CiW Primary School to a larger site and extensive refurbishment that presents new opportunities for the school, including new nursery places.

Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Education, Cllr Sarah Merry, said: "Cardiff's ‘Stronger, Fairer, Greener' vision prioritizes children and young people, including commitments to community-focused schools and promoting bilingualism, in line with Cymraeg 2050.

"These plans have brought forward significant investment in the local area and expanding Ysgol Mynydd Bychan marks another step toward meeting the growing demand for Welsh-medium education, ensuring more children can attend their local school."

From September 2025 the school, which has been at its current site on New Zealand Road since 1994, will expand to offer 60 places per year group, with a total of 420 Welsh-medium places including a 96 part-time nursery on offer at the school. As part of this expansion, the school will relocate to an adapted and refurbished site at the current Allensbank Primary School.

The proposals will see a £7.6m investment across all four sites and have been designed to improve learning opportunities and support schools whilst helping to achieve the correct balance of Welsh and English medium primary provision so that current and future demand in the area can be met.

Mrs Glesni Lloyd, newly appointed Headteacher at Ysgol Mynydd Bychan said: "As a school community, we are excited about the opportunity to welcome more children and their families to Ysgol Mynydd Bychan. We are committed to ensuring that all families within the community are aware of the benefits of Welsh-medium education, and how gifting their children with the Welsh Language allows them to grow and thrive as capable bilingual and multilingual learners.

"With the demand for Welsh-medium education continuing to rise, we are proud to play our part in meeting this need. As we embark on this new chapter, we look forward to building on the school'slong-standing success and deep roots within the community, ensuring that Ysgol Mynydd Bychan remains a valued and integral part of the area it serves".

Estyn noted during the school's latest inspection (December 2023) that "Ysgol Mynydd Bychan is a highly inclusive and supportive community which promotes a caring ethos successfully. There are close and warm working relationships between pupils and staff, which fosters an ethos of enthusiastic learning and a strong sense of belonging to the school's family."