London Welsh School faces uncertain future after fall in pupil numbers

  • 27th June 2023

Teachers at the London Welsh School (Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain) have expressed “worry” for its future after the school roll dropped to just eight, the Evening Standard has reported.

The independent school, located in Ealing, West London, offers a bilingual education to children aged four to 11. In the last academic year it catered to 25 pupils.

Staff said the main reasons for the decline in pupil numbers were Covid restrictions deterring pupils from travelling across London, while other families had left London to return to Wales.

Chair of governors Glenys Roberts said families moving to Wales was “a measure of success and celebration because they slide effortlessly into Welsh medium education. But, of course, it is a miss for us.”

Asked by the BBC if the school could survive with so few pupils Roberts said: “We do worry about that. We would like more children. We have been lower than that in the nineties. But we are working hard to promote the school.”

Teacher Lisa Medi added: “The fact that we have got such small classes, we are able to tailor our lessons to meet those children’s needs. They are able to have that support and guidance from teachers and teaching assistants. We are a small team here as well but we have so many resources to provide for the children.”

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