UK MoD spends millions on private schools to avoid Welsh language - mae hyn yn wirioneddol ddrwg bois

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy852jq7v25o
https://archive.is/B9UxM

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) spends around £1m a year sending children to private schools in north Wales because "state schools teach some or all lessons in the Welsh language".

It paid £1,019,000 in day school allowance in north Wales for 83 children of service personnel in 2024-2025, and £942,000 for 79 children in 2023-2024 under a longstanding practice.

A spokesperson said "service children can face frequent moves" and the allowance "aims to minimise disruption to their education".

Plaid Cymru called it a "complete waste of money" and "an insult to our language" while the Conservatives said parents should be able to choose the language in which their children are taught.

The figures were obtained following a BBC Wales 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 teach some or all lessons in the Welsh language, you may choose to send your children to an English-language independent school.

"Provided you are accompanied by your family at your duty station, you can use this allowance to cover the cost of tuition fees, field study trips/residential educational courses and daily transport."

An MoD spokesperson told the BBC, "the purpose of Day School Allowance in North Wales (DSA-NW) is to assist service families posted to the region, where Welsh is the primary medium of local state education.

"As mobility is a part of service life, service children can face frequent moves and DSA-NW aims to minimise disruption to their education.

"The MoD supports the sacrifices service personnel, and their families make, and DSA-NW assists with the costs of independent day schooling given in English."

'Where teaching is bilingual or non-English'​

The allowance covers tuition fees up to a maximum of £22,755 a year, £7,585 per term, and is available to people living in the counties of Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Anglesey or Flintshire and serving in one of the following establishments:

• RAF Valley, Anglesey
• Joint Services Mountain Training Centre, Anglesey
• Joint Services Mountain Training Wing, Llanrwst
• Wales University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC), Bangor detachment, Caernarfon.

There are four qualifying private schools in north west Wales.

The relevant joint service publication confirms that "payment of the allowance is limited to those areas where teaching in the state sector is on a bilingual or non-English basis".

People serving elsewhere in the three branches of the armed forces - the Army, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force - can claim a continuity of education allowance which contributes towards boarding and/or tuition fees up to a maximum rate, with a minimum parental contribution of 10% for each eligible child.
https://archive.is/o/B9UxM/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwy6n8gy043o
Welsh Conservative Senedd member Natasha Asghar said "members of the British armed forces move around the country and the world, and the MoD have always tried to ensure that their children have access to consistency in education".

"While we fully support Welsh-medium education across Wales, it's important to remember there are two official languages in our country, English and Welsh, and local councils and education authorities should provide for both.

"Parents should always have the option to choose the medium in which their children are taught."

Plaid Cymru's education spokesperson Cefin Campbell MS said "not only is this a complete waste of money, it is an insult to our language".

"I cannot think of any valid reason to be spending such money every year, on preventing young people living in Wales from having the opportunity to learn the Welsh language.

"Bilingualism enriches life and supports the development of young people, but the UK government is clearly blind to this.

"This money is a perfect example of the attitude of the Westminster parties towards Wales and the Welsh language - namely ignorance and insults."

 

[Overly Serious]

With Welsh, the sounds I'd assume the letters make aren't even remotely close. Even Polish is easier to read.

The sounds the letters make are the same, it's just that the Welsh alphabet has EXTRA letters that numpties decided to represent using already existing letters. If you're doing a Welsh crossword, you'll put those two l's in one box because it's really the single letter 'll' that doesn't have an equivalent sound in native English. You say "use the Latin pronunciations" but how exactly does one transliterate 'thllleaaaccchh' into English?

As to the children being sent to private schools at £1m+? All I have to say is: There's posh!

EDIT:

Spoiler: Correct pronunciation of Welsh vowels for those interested.

 

[Super Hans v2]

You say "use the Latin pronunciations" but how exactly does one transliterate 'thllleaaaccchh' into English?

I imagine something like thell-'that sound you make when hocking spit'.

 

[Made In Wales]

The sounds the letters make are the same, it's just that the Welsh alphabet has EXTRA letters that numpties decided to represent using already existing letters. If you're doing a Welsh crossword, you'll put those two l's in one box because it's really the single letter 'll' that doesn't have an equivalent sound in native English. You say "use the Latin pronunciations" but how exactly does one transliterate 'thllleaaaccchh' into English?

As to the children being sent to private schools at £1m+? All I have to say is: There's posh!

EDIT:

Spoiler: Correct pronunciation of Welsh vowels for those interested.

welsh_pronunciation.mp4

Accurate.

Having grown up in Wales, pronouncing Caerdydd (Cardiff) or Casnewydd (Newport) is second nature. It is quite difficult if you've never learnt Welsh, and one of the things which annoys me is that 'please' in Welsh is FOUR WORDS LONG... 'os gwelwch yn dda' (translation is 'if it pleases you' or 'if it is good for you').

There are some good insults in Welsh:

Ti gan pen cach twp (tee gan pen cack toop) - 'You are a stupid poo head'.
Ti gan fel croes brws (tee gan fell croys broose) - 'You are as daft as a brush'.

 

[Gandhi's Left Hook]

As someone who speeks multiple languages or at least tries to, I think there is some benefit to learning a second language simply for the way it changes how one thinks. That being said this program doesnt seem designed to hurt the welsh, rather to preseve the education of children in an already difficult situation of moving all the time.

A rare British W these days.

 

[Haramburger]

Have you considered though that Western Europe's language minorities have nice songs?

https://youtube.com/watch?v=fkBQAvAFjushttps://youtube.com/watch?v=ulUCwzRbww4https://youtube.com/watch?v=6i924wVeSMM

in an alternate timeline, Anisa larps as this instead of a palestinian

 

[draggs]

Based. The English need to get back to their roots of ruthlessly oppressing the Welsh, Scottish, and potato niggers as they did in their glory days

 

[Overly Serious]

I imagine something like thell-'that sound you make when hocking spit'.

Blackadder thought something similar.

Really Welsh is one of the most varied languages for both the language itself and its accent. It ranges from Richard Burton who had one of the smoothest and lyrical voices ever:

And then at the other end you walk around Swansea and it sounds like this:

 

[Übertroon]

Sounds like a good thing if you ask me. Wales shouldn't be an extension of England.

They'll just be like the Scots and speedrun societal collapse.

 

[ApeBass]

When I was at school, we were forced to learn French and/or German.
I wasn't interested in either and just sat quietly and ignored the whole thing.

This isn't a new thing.

Was every single lesson, including maths, science etc also taught in French and/or German?
That's the situation with Welsh in state schools in West and North Wales.

 

[skunt]

i'm just surprised wales has a government.

 

[Overly Serious]

i'm just surprised wales has a government.

They have Plaid Cymru, who as seen during Brexit, love for Wales to be run by Brussels, the Germans, the French, or frankly anybody, so long as it's not the English.

 

[Made In Wales]

i'm just surprised wales has a government.

For now.

On the 23rd, the constituency of Caerphilly will go to the polls to elect a new MS (or Senedd/Welsh Parliament Member).

It's currently level-pegging between Plaid and Reform UK for the seat, with the Labour vote collapsing and both the Lib Dems and Greens getting very little support.

Whichever party wins, there's a problem for the Government - the winner will be able to block Welsh Labour's budget and, given the hatred espoused towards both from Welsh Labour, it's now a near certainty that the Budget in Wales shall not be passed.

This will lead to a VONC and possible early Senedd Election which Reform UK would just about win.

Reform UK haven't ruled out scrapping the Senedd in the future, but they would keep it for the short term as a lot of the devolved issues need time to be 'undevolved' in case of the Senedd being axed.

 

[teriyakiburns]

Reform UK haven't ruled out scrapping the Senedd in the future, but they would keep it for the short term as a lot of the devolved issues need time to be 'undevolved' in case of the Senedd being axed.

They should do the opposite. Go full-bore and federalise the country. Slim down Westminster to the bare minimum, establish full self-governance for the four nations, move the English capital to Leicester. Or maybe Coventry, in order to remind the pols that they should always suffer. Pull as much government and influence away from the City as possible and let them drown in their swamp.

 

[Snekposter]

I feel like Welsh would be taken a lot more seriously if the writing system wasn't contrary to every other language that uses the Latin alphabet. I can read text in just about any language that shares a writing system with mine and get close enough to be somewhat intelligible despite having zero familiarity. With Welsh, the sounds I'd assume the letters make aren't even remotely close. Even Polish is easier to read.

I know it's a weird artifact of being an insular, pre-Saxon language, but just use the fucking Latin pronunciations like everyone else did, give or take.

Even the fucking Japanese of all people have come up with some pretty good transliterations to the point you could Latinize it with relatively few issues, but I guess the Welsh are too busy being balls-deep in their woolen wives to un-fuck their language.

If you're doing a Welsh crossword, you'll put those two l's in one box because it's really the single letter 'll' that doesn't have an equivalent sound in native English.

Hate to break it to you but Spanish is the same way. The "ll", "rr", and the "n" with the tilde over it are all considered completely different letters with their own weird pronunciations.

Worst of all the beaners we get here in the USA don't even speak it, in the same way Scousers are incapable of speaking English.

Or maybe Coventry, in order to remind the pols that they should always suffer. Pull as much government and influence away from the City as possible and let them drown in their swamp.

Shouldn't it be Birmingham, or does that place already suffer enough from merely being Birmingham that it needs to be spared from having Parliament inflicted upon it? Having double-checked Spunt's eternally useful guide for us fat Americans I'd suggest Leeds so they can experience Bradford's lovely diversity first-hand.

 

[Made In Wales]

A new Parliament could be built near the NEC in Birmingham - accessible via road, rail and air and almost bang smack in the middle of the country.

I'd have no problem with this - hand the Houses of Parliament over to English Heritage as a tourist attraction.

 

[teriyakiburns]

Shouldn't it be Birmingham, or does that place already suffer enough from merely being Birmingham that it needs to be spared from having Parliament inflicted upon it?

Even aside from that, the streets are already flooded with overstuffed bin bags. But enough of the women...

 

[Overly Serious]

Even the fucking Japanese of all people have come up with some pretty good transliterations to the point you could Latinize it with relatively few issues, but I guess the Welsh are too busy being balls-deep in their woolen wives to un-fuck their language.

It wasn't the Welsh who came up with it. Twas the English that decided to try and represent the sounds they didn't understand with ll and ff and so on. And given that the English also the ones who it causes problems for, maybe the English should try to "un-fuck" things. The Welsh know what a ll sounds like.

Hate to break it to you but Spanish is the same way. The "ll", "rr", and the "n" with the tilde over it are all considered completely different letters with their own weird pronunciations.

Don't know why you hate to break that to me - that's just another example to support the Welsh one.

 

[Snekposter]

It wasn't the Welsh who came up with it. Twas the English that decided to try and represent the sounds they didn't understand with ll and ff and so on. And given that the English also the ones who it causes problems for, maybe the English should try to "un-fuck" things. The Welsh know what a ll sounds like.

Its hard to translate gibberish into an actual language. I'm sure the English did their best despite that minor problem, though.

Don't know why you hate to break that to me - that's just another example to support the Welsh one.

Was just saying that Welsh isn't the only language that dumbasses decided to add extra letters to for little reason. At least it isn't German where they decided the Greek beta should be a double-s with no differences in pronunciation and to sub out an "e" after another vowel with a set of umlauts. Only time the Germans have ever been lazy and decided to shorten things, especially their word length of all things to do it to.

Even aside from that, the streets are already flooded with overstuffed bin bags. But enough of the women...

It really says a lot about the UK that I don't know if you're talking about fat natives, the dressing habits of its imports, the size and shape of some of its imports, or all of the above.