P-06-1542 Commit to Support Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain's future - Correspondence from the Petitioner to the Committee, 15 January 2026

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Response to the Petitions Committee in light of the Cabinet Secretary’s letter regarding Petition P-06-1542:
“Commit to support Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain’s future”

We welcome the response from the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language and are grateful for the engagement that has taken place between Welsh Government officials, Ministers and representatives of Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain over recent months.

We recognise and appreciate the funding allocation agreed in June to support the school through to the end of the 2025–26 academic year, and we welcome the fact that the school has now been invited to apply for a grant of up to three years in line with standard Welsh Government processes, which was submitted at the end of last year. This represents an important step forward and goes a long way towards addressing the immediate concerns raised in the petition.

We welcome the acknowledgement within the letter of the wider role Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain plays in promoting the Welsh language in London. While pupil numbers fell to unusually low levels in the period following the COVID-19 pandemic, we are encouraged that numbers are now increasing and that there is clear momentum towards recovery. We share the Cabinet Secretary’s confidence that, with continued strategic engagement and support, the school can re-establish itself as a thriving centre for Welsh-medium education and as a beacon for the Welsh diaspora in London.

As noted in the Welsh Government’s response, longer-term stability will be critical in enabling the school to rebuild parental confidence, support pupil recruitment, retain staff and undertake effective long-term planning. In this context, the outcome of the forthcoming three-year grant evaluation process will be pivotal in determining whether the objectives described can be fully realised.

As discussions continue, we would also welcome consideration in future of whether there may be scope for a clearer strategic framework recognising the role of Welsh-medium education provision outside Wales. In particular, this could include reflection on how such provision aligns with wider Welsh Government objectives relating to language transmission, education and the Welsh diaspora, including - but not limited to - the ambitions of Cymraeg 2050. We believe this is an area that may merit further exploration over time, rather than an issue requiring immediate resolution.

If successful, the proposed multi-year grant would provide important medium-term stability and significantly strengthen the school’s ability to deliver against the aims outlined in the Welsh Government’s response. Until the outcome of that process is confirmed, however, we believe it would be appropriate for the Committee to note that the longer-term issues raised in the petition remain contingent on that decision, and we therefore welcome the Committee’s continued interest at this stage.

We would like to thank the Committee for its consideration of the petition and for the opportunity to provide these comments.

Yours sincerely,

Glenys Roberts
Chair of Governors
Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain

[For information, we have attached two short background documents -  a research summary outlining the role of Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain within the Welsh community in London, and a diagram showing the school’s position within the Welsh-language ecosystem in London -  should this be of use to the Committee. ]