THE way Welsh is taught in schools in Wales is to be revamped.

The Welsh Government has announced an overhaul of language teaching, through which Welsh will no longer be taught as a second language, but put on an equal footing with English.

It will be up to schools to decide how they approach this, but English-language schools will need to consider opportunities for pupils to speak, write, read and listen in Welsh.

Meanwhile, foreign languages will be introduced at an earlier age.

Introducing the changes, part of the new Welsh curriculum, to be introduced in 2022, education minister Kirsty Williams said: “This marks the most dramatic shift in the way languages are taught in Welsh schools since the introduction of the National Curriculum in 1988.

“We want all our learners to be citizens of both Wales and the world and that means ensuring that all young people from all backgrounds have an opportunity to develop their language skills – whether that’s in Welsh, English or international languages.

“We know these changes will take time and that’s why we won’t be taking a big bang approach. We’re committed to giving schools the time and resources they need to adjust. That’s why I recently announced £24 million over and above what already goes into curriculum support.”

The changes are being introduced following recommendations of a report.

Professor Sioned Davies, who wrote the report, welcomed the news.

“Ensuring that the Welsh language is a statutory subject for everyone, and removing the term ‘Welsh second language’ is vital if we are to achieve the goal of a million Welsh speakers,” she said.

“The new curriculum, which will bring language learning together into one area of learning and experience, will provide an exciting opportunity for teachers in Wales to develop and share expertise in language learning to give our children and young people the best opportunity to develop communication skills in Welsh and English, and in international languages.

“These are exciting and challenging times. There is a need to ensure time and support for the whole system to develop in order to create the best conditions for the new curriculum to flourish.”

Welsh education union UCAC also welcomed the news.

Deputy general secretary Rebecca Williams said: “Placing English and Welsh in the same domain as international languages, opens the door to a new approach to teaching languages. It could also put a fresh emphasis on the appreciation of cultural and linguistic diversity more generally.

“It has been evident for some time that we need to start teaching languages to children at an earlier age, so we welcome this proposal on the condition that sufficient training is provided for staff.”