MoD Allocates Large Sums on Private Education to Bypass Welsh Language Education
The Ministry of Defence allocates approximately £1m each year to place students to private educational institutions in northern Wales because "public schools provide some or all lessons 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 79 children in the previous year under a longstanding practice.
A spokesperson said "service children can experience frequent moves" and the stipend "aims to minimize disruption to their education".
Plaid Cymru described it as a "total misuse of funds" and "a disrespect to our language" while the Conservatives said families should be able to select the language in which their children are taught.
The figures were acquired following a request under the public records law.
The online portal of the military installation on the island informs its workforce, "if you live and serve in northern Wales, where state schools provide some or all lessons in the Welsh tongue, you can opt to send your kids to an English-language independent school".
"Provided you are accompanied by your household at your duty station, you can use this benefit to cover the expense of tuition fees, educational excursions/residential educational courses and regular commuting."
An MoD spokesperson explained, "the aim of the educational stipend in the northern region (the allowance) is to assist service families posted to the region, where the Welsh tongue is the main language of public schooling".
"As mobility is a part of service life, service children can encounter regular transfers and the this allowance aims to minimize disruption to their learning."
"The MoD supports the sacrifices military members, and their families undertake, and through the stipend assists with the expenses of independent day schooling provided in the English language."
'In Areas With Bilingual or Non-English Instruction'
The benefit includes school costs up to a maximum of £22,755 a year, £7,585 per term, and is accessible to personnel living in the counties of the county, the area, the locality, the island or the district and serving in one of the following establishments:
- RAF Valley, Anglesey
- The combined forces alpine training facility, Anglesey
- Joint Services Mountain Training Wing, the town
- The university military training program (UOTC), Bangor unit, Caernarfon
The eligible private schools are Treffos school, Llansadwrn, Anglesey; Rydal Penrhos Prep school in Colwyn Bay; St Gerard's, the city and St David's institution, the town.
The relevant joint service publication confirms that "payment of the stipend is limited to those areas where instruction in the public system is on a bilingual or non-English basis".
People serving elsewhere in the three branches of the armed forces - the ground forces, the naval service and the air service - can apply for a educational continuity benefit which helps with boarding and/or tuition fees up to a cap, with a minimum parental contribution of ten percent for each qualifying student.
Welsh Conservative assembly representative Natasha Asghar said "members of the UK military relocate across the nation and the globe, and the ministry have always tried to guarantee that their kids have availability to consistency in education".
"While we strongly endorse Welsh-language teaching across Wales, it's important to remember there are dual recognized tongues in our nation, the English tongue and the Welsh language, and local councils and school boards should accommodate each."
"Families should always have the choice to decide the medium in which their children are taught."
The Welsh party's education spokesperson the assembly member said "not only is this a complete waste of funding, it is a slight to our language".
"It's hard to imagine any valid reason to be spending such money annually, on blocking young people residing in the country from having the chance to acquire the Welsh tongue."
"Bilingualism enriches life and aids the development of youth, but the UK government is clearly blind to this."
"These funds is a clear illustration of the approach of the Westminster parties towards Wales and the native tongue - namely unawareness and insults."
