Welsh
What is
Welsh
?
Welsh is Britain’s oldest language – a beautiful language which is alive and kicking in many communities across Wales. It is the most vibrant of the Celtic languages in terms of active speakers as it is spoken by over half a million people and understood by many more! One of the most interesting facts about Welsh is that it’s spoken as a first language by many in Wales, parts of England, and… South America!
Regardless of whether you speak it or not, Welsh belongs to all the people of Wales. It is part of the country’s common heritage and history, from the place names around you to the National Anthem. Welsh reflects the language, values and traditions of all of its people.
Why is
Welsh
important?
Welsh is important because it is an integral part of Welsh identity, an identity of which we can be proud. As the Welsh proverb says:
‘Cenedl heb iaith, Cenedl heb galon’ (a nation without a language is a nation without a heart).
Welsh is far more evident in the local and wider community than it was a decade ago and it is set to flourish further. According to Swansea City Council, one in six residents speaks Welsh, many as their first language, and interest in the language is growing. Having even a basic grasp of the country’s native language will therefore be both practical and useful to you. You will be able to access more jobs and speaking Welsh will help you in your daily life. For example, road signs are often written in Welsh before English, transport announcements are pronounced in ‘Cymraeg’ first and there is an ever-increasing use of Welsh in the media. If you can speak Welsh you stand a better chance of understanding the community in which you live.
Having a knowledge of Welsh will make you a local no matter where you are in Wales and will open up your world!
Our vision
Welsh at Penyrheol Comprehensive School will be fun, stimulating and inclusive for all pupils. Our dedicated team of teachers will strive to create a positive classroom environment where all students will feel comfortable to learn the target language. Pupils will be supported and motivated along every step of the Welsh language journey. Mistakes made by pupils during the journey will be perfectly acceptable because learning from errors is an integral part of progression.
The Welsh Department will urge pupils to think about how language is formed and will encourage them to become enterprising and creative contributors in a multilingual society. Pupils will develop a sense of identity and belonging and become ethical, informed citizens who are knowledgeable about their own culture and community as well as that of the wider world.
Our exciting new curriculum will develop ambitious, capable learners who are effective communicators in Welsh. Studying Welsh will develop the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitude needed for success at Key Stage 4 and beyond.
Studying Welsh will develop:
- pupils who are ready to learn throughout their lives and choose to continue their studies to A Level and beyond
- pupils whose bilingual skills will be valued by future employers
- pupils who will be able to converse bilingually in the community
- confident individuals who are able to articulate their ideas and express their emotions
- pupils who appreciate language and can use their knowledge for a variety of purposes
The Welsh Department will provide continuity and progression in learning from the very first lesson and we aim to inspire students to succeed.
Big questions in
Welsh
What makes Wales Welsh?
Where do I live in relation to Wales and the world?
What are the benefits of learning the Welsh language?
What will your journey in
Welsh
look like?
At Penyrheol your journey in Welsh will be guided by a dynamic, passionate and enthusiastic team of teachers. This team will ensure that you make steady progress in being able to communicate in Welsh. Building blocks of language will be introduced in stages which will enable you to move from basic vocabulary-based activities at the start of your journey to more complex speaking, reading and writing tasks. You will be given regular opportunities to revisit previous learning along the way and opportunities for reflection are built in at regular intervals through your learning.
By the end of KS3 you will be able to identify and use a variety of tenses such as the present, past and future and you will be able to use a variety of different sentence patterns. You will have acquired a wide range of vocabulary and be able to use accurate grammar, spelling and punctuation. You will be able to listen to a variety of forms of spoken language, hold conversations with your friends and express your ideas both orally and in writing. You will learn to speak coherently and confidently with increasingly accurate pronunciation and intonation.
During your journey you will develop an appreciation of the Welsh language and an understanding of its place and purpose in your own community (Gorseinon, Loughor, Swansea) and the place of Wales in the world. You will delve into the rich history and folklore of the country because “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots”. (Marcus Garvey)
Welsh at KS3 serves as preparation for your GCSE journey. In KS4 you will build upon, consolidate and extend prior learning as well as develop new skills and knowledge. Our exciting KS4 curriculum will provide you with opportunities to communicate spontaneously in spoken and written form and will encourage you to be an ambitious independent learner who is open and adaptable to new experiences.
What will the study of
Welsh
encourage you to think about / do?
Apart from encouraging you to think about what it means to be a part of Wales, its heritage and traditions, you will develop an appreciation of the Welsh language and be encouraged to think about the origins, evolution and features of the language. You will gain an understanding of the link between language and culture and will think about how languages work. You will be encouraged to think about the similarities and differences between Welsh and other languages whilst developing strong linguistic skills which will set you up for life.
Studying Welsh will develop your communicative skills so that you can use the Welsh language outside of the school setting. You will gain the confidence to be able to express yourself and share your thoughts and ideas in a variety of situations. Penyrheol will encourage you to think about the benefits of being able to speak more than one language and what prospects lie ahead for those who are bilingual in a multilingual world.
In Welsh we will be answering questions, BIG QUESTIONS, and dealing with concepts such as
- What makes Wales Welsh?
- Where do I live in relation to Wales and the world?
- What are the benefits of learning the Welsh language?
What opportunities for learning does the
Welsh
curriculum provide?
Penyrheol will provide you with many exciting opportunities to learn about all things Welsh in a variety of ways. In addition to learning the Welsh language, songs such as the National Anthem will be learnt and sung; authors, writers and poems will be studied; history, folklore, stories and myths will be enjoyed and heritage, identity and culture will be appreciated. Excursions to the Welsh residential centres ‘Gwersyll yr Urdd Llangrannog’ and ‘Glan Llyn’ will be experienced and events such as the St David’s Day Eisteddfod will be celebrated.
The Welsh curriculum will give you ample opportunities to learn by experimenting with language. The open environment of the Welsh classroom will allow you to grow in confidence and not feel intimidated when speaking out in front of the class. We consistently emphasise that it is perfectly acceptable to make errors because progress is made by learning from them.
What skills will you learn in your study of
Welsh
?
“People who learn a second language have improved memory, better problem solving and critical thinking skills, enhanced concentration, the ability to multitask and better listening skills.”
By studying Welsh at Penyrheol you will learn a range of transferrable skills in a fun and interesting way. Through listening to, reading, writing and speaking Welsh you will become a skilled communicator; a confident individual who can articulate your feelings and interpret those of others. You will learn to work effectively on your own or in a group and adapt to different roles and contexts. The nurturing ethos of the Welsh department will ensure that you develop positive relationships with those around you and you will be encouraged to be an ambitious and capable lifelong learner of language.
How can you deepen your knowledge and understanding of
Welsh
?
At Penyrheol, we take great pride in celebrating Welsh culture by holding an annual Eisteddfod where pupils can showcase their talents. Why not join in and become involved? We also celebrate Welsh cultural events such as St David’s Day and ‘Diwrnod Shwmae’ and offer a ‘Clwb Cymraeg’ where you can use Welsh in a fun and interactive way. Outside of the school environment you can join the 481 thousand people who are learning Welsh on ‘Duolingo’, the world’s most popular learning language app! You could play Welsh games with your family and could watch age appropriate Welsh language television programmes on S4C. Every opportunity to speak or listen to the language will help you to deepen your knowledge and understanding of Welsh. Visiting Welsh attractions such as Big Pit and St Fagans will allow you to gain an insight into Welsh heritage and culture whilst a simple visit to the local library in Gorseinon would offer a wealth of literary information.
How does your study of
Welsh
support your study in other subjects?
Language is fundamental to all learning and understanding and studying Welsh at Penyrheol will have many educational benefits for you. Learning Welsh will provide cross-curricular links for the reinforcement of knowledge, skills and understanding in many other subjects within the school.
In Welsh you will look at etymology; the origins of words and how language is formed. This in turn will help you to make links with the language used in other subjects such as MFL and English. Your study of the components of language as well as grammar will also prove useful across the curriculum and will help you create fluent and coherent work.
Speaking Welsh will develop your linguistic confidence and competence and support your communication skills in other subjects whilst learning to read Welsh will help you to skim, scan and dissect relevant information.
In addition to developing your general communicative skills, specific elements within the Welsh curriculum will support you in subjects such as Geography and History. Local and national geography plays an integral part of the Year 8 language journey when we compare the local community to Wales as a whole. Welsh history is taught regularly throughout the course. Local government and Welsh laws will be covered as will employment rights and the rights of the child. Elements of the Welsh curriculum will also support your general health and mental wellbeing.
How can
Welsh
support you in the future?
The Welsh Language is a valuable tool for the future and speaking it will open doors to a number of new opportunities and experiences. Bilingualism is highly sought after by employers in Wales with increasing job roles asking for competence in the Welsh language.
Welsh skills are increasingly seen as key employment skills in a number of emerging sectors, such as the media, food and tourism, and the production of digital content. At Penyrheol we ensure that the Welsh curriculum we provide has your lifelong learning in mind. We aim to develop ambitious, capable learners who are ready to play a full part in work and also everyday life; learners who are citizens of Wales and the world!