Celebrating UWTSD students’ success on the Sabbatical Scheme.

A cohort of Education Practitioners in the English medium primary sector have graduated from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David with a Welsh in a Year Graduate Certificate.

The course is funded by Welsh Government, with the aim of upskilling teachers in the English medium primary sector to be able to teach Welsh confidently and successfully in their schools. The teachers are immersed in the Welsh language for two terms in order to learn to speak the language, and they also learn a great deal about language acquisition methodologies and pedagogy in order to develop their knowledge and skills as language teachers. 

The course gives students the opportunity to gain confidence to teach Welsh effectively in accordance with the requirements of the Curriculum for Wales.  After completing the course, teachers return to their schools with the language, knowledge and enthusiasm to raise Welsh language standards across the school and beyond.

Jo Francis, one of the graduating students, said:

 “This course has given me more confidence to use the Welsh language in school and given me better understanding of the methodology needed to acquire a new language.

Morgan Patterson added:

 “The course was an excellent experience. It helped me with my confidence in Welsh in the class and in everyday life. I have many new ideas about how to use it in my class and across the school. Also, I made some best friends! The course is the best thing I have ever done.”

Lynne Roberts-Watkins said:

 “Now, I have the confidence to speak Welsh at home, in my role as Deputy Head at Ysgol Calon y Dderwen and in the wider community. I really enjoyed every aspect of this course and I would really recommend it to anyone like me that is passionate about the Welsh language and Welsh ethos.”

Kara Lewis, one of the course’s lecturers, said:

 “It’s a pleasure to see our students graduate and celebrating their dedication and their hard work. Their contribution is essential to reaching a million Welsh speakers. We can see the impact these teachers have back in their schools, not only with regard to language development, but they inspire a love for the language, and enthusiasm and respect. On behalf of the teaching team, a huge congratulations to them.

Also attending the ceremony was Gwen Davies, who also lectures on these courses:

 “One of the strengths of this course is the intensity of the language learning, but we also have the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the culture of Wales by encouraging them to attend local events and take part in Eisteddfodau locally and abroad. We hold sessions on Welsh history in order to show how we arrived at the current situation, and the importance of their role in the future.”

Further Information

Lowri Thomas

Principal Communications and PR Officer     
Corporate Communications and PR     
Email: lowri.thomas@uwtsd.ac.uk     
Phone: 07449 998476