§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many students taking places in teacher training for(a) primary and early years and (b) secondary in each of the last three years were able to teach through the medium of Welsh; and if he will make a statement about the extent to which all schools will have sufficient staff to meet the Welsh language requirements of the national curriculum. [41156]
§ Mr. RichardsThe number of student teachers enrolled on to Welsh medium primary and secondary initial teacher training courses in the period 1992 to 1994 is shown in the table. Enrolment figures for 1995 are not yet available.
Primary Secondary Total 1992 229 95 324 1993 197 103 300 1994 203 121 324 In addition, students on English medium courses of training, but who are Welsh speaking, may also be available to teach in Welsh medium schools if prospective employers judge that the individual teachers can meet the needs of their school.
As from September 1996, all ITT primary courses are required to have, as an integral part of their courses, training in Welsh as a second language. This should increase substantially the number of teachers capable of teaching Welsh in primary schools.
The enrolment target given to the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales for secondary courses with Welsh as the main subject takes into account the Department's published projections of demand for teachers of Welsh. In 1994, the number of students enrolled on secondary Welsh courses increased, for the fifth consecutive year, and was in line with the target set. A substantial investment is also being made in in-service training for teachers, particularly to support the teaching of Welsh as a second language and to enable schools to meet the requirements of the national curriculum.