Ministry of Defence Allocates Large Sums on Private Schools to Bypass Welsh Language Teaching
The Ministry of Defence spends approximately one million pounds each year to place students to independent schools in north Wales because "state schools provide various classes in the Welsh tongue".
The ministry disbursed over one million pounds in educational stipend in the northern region for eighty-three students of service personnel in 2024-2025, and £942,000 for seventy-nine students in the previous year under a longstanding policy.
A spokesperson stated "military families' children can face frequent moves" and the allowance "seeks to reduce disruption to their education".
Plaid Cymru described it as a "complete waste of money" and "a disrespect to our tongue" while the Conservatives said parents should be able to select the medium in which their kids are educated.
These numbers were obtained following a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
The website of RAF Valley on Anglesey tells its workforce, "if you live and serve in north Wales, where state schools provide some or all lessons in the Welsh language, you can opt to enroll your kids to an English-language independent school".
"As long as you are joined by your household at your duty station, you can use this allowance to pay for the expense of school charges, educational excursions/residential educational courses and daily transport."
An MoD spokesperson explained, "the aim of Day School Allowance in the northern region (the allowance) is to support service families stationed to the region, where Welsh is the primary medium of public schooling".
"Since relocation is a aspect of military career, military kids can face frequent moves and from this allowance aims to lessen interference to their learning."
"The MoD supports the sacrifices service personnel, and their relatives make, and through the stipend helps with the costs of independent day schooling given in English."
'Where teaching is bilingual or non-English'
The allowance covers school costs up to a maximum of £22,755 annually, £7,585 per term, and is available to personnel living in the counties of Conwy, Denbighshire, the locality, the island or the district and working in one of the following establishments:
- The military base, Anglesey
- The combined forces alpine training facility, the island
- The joint military mountain unit, Llanrwst
- Wales University Officers' Training Corps (the corps), Bangor detachment, Caernarfon
The qualifying independent institutions are Treffos school, the village, the island; Rydal Penrhos preparatory institution in the town; St Gerard's school, the city and St David's institution, Llandudno.
The relevant military policy document states that "payment of the stipend is limited to those areas where instruction in the state sector is on a bilingual or non-English foundation".
People stationed in other locations in the three branches of the military - the ground forces, the naval service and the Royal Air Force - can apply for a continuity of education allowance which helps with boarding and/or tuition fees up to a cap, with a minimum parental contribution of 10% for each eligible child.
Tory Senedd member Natasha Asghar said "personnel of the UK military move around the country and the world, and the MoD has always tried to guarantee that their children have availability to consistency in education".
"While we strongly endorse Welsh-medium education throughout Wales, it's important to remember there are two official languages in our nation, English and Welsh, and local councils and school boards should accommodate both."
"Families should always have the choice to decide the language in which their children are taught."
The Welsh party's education spokesperson Cefin Campbell MS said "not just is this a complete waste of funding, it is a slight to our tongue".
"I cannot think of any valid reason to be spending such money every year, on blocking youth residing in the country from having the opportunity to acquire the Welsh language."
"Bilingualism enhances experience and aids the growth of youth, but the UK government is clearly blind to this."
"This money is a clear illustration of the approach of the Westminster parties towards the nation and the native tongue - namely unawareness and disrespect."
