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                        <h1 class="">Parents' concern sparks call for  simpler schools language policy</h1>
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        <div class="">Wednesday, May 22, 2013</div>
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<p class="">By Rebecca Jones</p>
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                        <p>CARMARTHENSHIRE councillors have asked that information on the 
county council's Welsh Education Strategy be simplified following 
concerns raised parents.</p>
                                <p>A meeting held between county councillors and council education 
officers to discuss the authority's new Welsh language strategy in 
schools took place earlier this month.</p>
                                <p>The strategy states: "All pupils who have followed the Welsh 
first language programme in the primary phase will be expected to 
continue with this programme when transferring to the secondary phase."</p>
                                <p>This strategy will apply to the new category B2 bilingual school 
in Ffairfach, called Ysgol Bro Dinefwr, which is expected to be 
completed in 2015.</p>
                                
                                                <p>But councillors from Dinefwr and the school's surrounding catchment areas say this has caused confusion among parents.</p>
                                <p>Some parents have raised concerns that if their children attend a
 Welsh-medium primary school they will not have a choice which language 
they will be then be taught in when they reach secondary school.</p>
                                <p>The meeting was called at the request of local members because of
 the concerns raised throughout the Dinefwr area and to clarify the new 
strategy.</p>
                                <p>Llandybie councillor Anthony Jones  said: "In simple terms we are
 looking for clarification so parents are fully aware of the changes."</p>
                                <p>Speculation</p>
                                <p>He said there has been a lot of speculation about the Welsh Education Strategy and he   said this needed to be cleared up.</p>
                                <p>"We want the council to come up with a form of words that will make things clear to parents," added Mr Jones.</p>
                                <p>"Parents need to be fully informed of how the policy is working in each area so  they can make an informed choice."</p>
                                <p>Mr Jones said he and other councillors had received a lot of questions about this new strategy.</p>
                                <p>"Questions are being asked within the local communities, which is why this meeting was called," he added.</p>
                                <p>A spokeswoman for Carmarthenshire Council said as it was a private meeting the authority would not comment.</p>
                                </div></div><br>Read more: <a style="color:rgb(0,51,153)" href="http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/Parents-concern-sparks-simpler-schools-language/story-19053934-detail/story.html#ixzz2U7y1dwDB">http://www.thisissouthwales.co.uk/Parents-concern-sparks-simpler-schools-language/story-19053934-detail/story.html#ixzz2U7y1dwDB</a>
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