Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025

11 Welsh language learning goals for each language category

(1) The Welsh language learning goal for “Primarily Welsh Language‍” category schools is that pupils, by the time they cease to be of compulsory school age, are proficient Welsh language users (that is, they reach the C1 or C2 common reference level), at least.

(2) The Welsh language learning goal for “Dual Language” category schools is that pupils, by the time they cease to be of compulsory school age—

(a) are independent Welsh language users (that is, they reach the B1 or B2 common reference level) at least, as an initial goal;

(b) after that, in relation to a year group in a school year specified by the Welsh Ministers in regulations, and subsequent year groups—

(i) are independent Welsh language users (that is, they reach the B1 or B2 common reference level) at least, and

(ii) reach at least the B2 common reference level for oral interaction.

(3) The Welsh language learning goal for “Primarily English language, partly Welsh” category schools is that pupils, by the time they cease to be of compulsory school age—

(a) are basic Welsh language users (that is, they reach the A1 or A2 common reference level) at least, as an initial goal;

(b) after that, in relation to a year group in a school year specified by the Welsh Ministers in regulations, and subsequent year groups until the goal in paragraph (c) applies, are independent Welsh language users (that is, they reach the B1 or B2 common reference level) at least;

(c) after that, in relation to a year group in a school year specified by the Welsh Ministers in regulations, and subsequent year groups—

(i) are independent Welsh language users (that is, they reach the B1 or B2 common reference level) at least, and

(ii) reach at least the B2 common reference level for oral interaction.

(4) In relation to the Welsh language goals for a primary school, it is assumed that the pupils of the school continue with education in schools of the same language category until they cease to be of compulsory school age.

(5) When considering the school years and the year groups to be specified in regulations under this section, the Welsh Ministers must have regard to the likely effect of the learning goals on achieving the targets set by the Welsh language strategy in accordance with section 1.

(6) In this section—

• “B2 common reference level for oral interaction” (“lefel cyfeirio gyffredin B2 o ran rhyngweithio llafar”)” has the meaning given—

  (i)

  in the Table in Schedule 1, by the second sentence in the “General characteristics” column for the B2 common reference level, to the extent that this applies to oral interaction, and

  (ii)

  by any further provision about that common reference level, and oral interaction, in the Code prepared under section 6;

• “year group”(“grŵp blwyddyn”) means a group of pupils at a school the majority of whom will, in a particular school year, attain the same age.