MoD Spends Large Sums on Independent Education to Avoid Welsh Language Teaching
The Ministry of Defence spends approximately £1m each year to place children to private educational institutions in north Wales because "state schools provide various classes in the Welsh tongue".
It paid over one million pounds in day school allowance in north Wales for eighty-three students of military families in 2024-2025, and £942,000 for seventy-nine students in 2023-2024 under a established policy.
An official representative stated "service children can experience regular relocations" and the stipend "aims to minimize interruption to their schooling".
The Welsh party described it as a "total misuse of funds" and "an insult to our language" while the Conservatives argued families should be able to select the language in which their children are educated.
The figures were acquired following a request under the public records law.
The website of RAF Valley on Anglesey tells its personnel, "for those residing and working in north Wales, where public schools teach various lessons in the Welsh language, you may choose to send your children to an English-medium private institution".
"As long as you are accompanied by your household at your posting, you can utilize this allowance to pay for the cost of tuition fees, field study trips/residential educational courses and daily transport."
A defense ministry representative explained, "the purpose of Day School Allowance in North Wales (the allowance) is to support military households stationed to the region, where Welsh is the main language of local state education".
"As mobility is a part of service life, service children can encounter frequent moves and from this allowance seeks to minimize interference to their learning."
"The ministry supports the sacrifices military members, and their families make, and through DSA-NW helps with the costs of private education provided in English."
'In Areas With Bilingual or Non-English Instruction'
The allowance covers tuition fees up to a limit of twenty-two thousand seven hundred fifty-five pounds a year, £7,585 per term, and is accessible to people residing in the regions of the county, the area, Gwynedd, Anglesey or the district and serving in one of the following establishments:
- RAF Valley, Anglesey
- Joint Services Mountain Training Centre, the island
- Joint Services Mountain Training Wing, the town
- Wales University Officers' Training Corps (the corps), Bangor unit, Caernarfon
The eligible private schools are Treffos school, Llansadwrn, Anglesey; Rydal Penrhos Prep school in the town; St Gerard's, the city and St David's College, the town.
The applicable military policy document states that "disbursement of the stipend is restricted to those areas where instruction in the public system is on a dual-language or non-English foundation".
Personnel serving in other locations in the multiple services of the armed forces - the ground forces, the Royal Navy and the air service - can apply for a continuity of education allowance which contributes towards residential and/or tuition fees up to a maximum rate, with a minimum parental contribution of ten percent for each qualifying student.
Tory assembly representative Natasha Asghar commented "personnel of the UK military relocate across the nation and the world, and the MoD has always sought to ensure that their children have access to continuity in schooling".
"Although we strongly endorse Welsh-language teaching throughout Wales, it's important to recognize there are dual recognized tongues in our country, the English tongue and the Welsh language, and local councils and education authorities should provide for both."
"Parents should always have the option to select the language in which their kids are taught."
The Welsh party's learning representative Cefin Campbell MS stated "not only is this a total misuse of funding, it is a slight to our language".
"It's hard to imagine any justifiable cause to be allocating these funds every year, on blocking young people living in the country from having the opportunity to acquire the Welsh tongue."
"Dual-language ability enriches life and supports the growth of young people, but the UK government is obviously unaware to this."
"These funds is a perfect example of the approach of the Westminster parties regarding Wales and the native tongue - namely ignorance and insults."