In our #BabyStepsIntoWelsh podcast series, presenter Nia Parry has been talking with families about their anxieties, questions, and experiences of Welsh-medium education.  You can listen to and follow the series here: www.podfollow.com/babysteps.

In this chapter, Nia chatted with Fran Rumbelow, who has recently upped sticks and moved from Nottingham to Pembrokeshire, and Sarah Coltman, originally from Essex, who has lived in Swansea for 6 years. Although Fran and Sarah have never met, they have many things in common! Both of them, and their families, chose to settle in Wales, and they each decided to send their children to their local Cylchoedd Meithrin and Welsh-medium schools.

Although English is spoken in both homes, the children all receive their education through the medium of Welsh. Nia was keen to know why they both chose to make their homes and raise their children in Wales.

“Originally, my husband comes from Swansea. We love going to the beach and spending time in the open air. When we thought about having a family and settling down, it became obvious to us that here was the best place to do that. I don’t ever see myself returning to Essex!” Sarah

In comparison, Fran’s decision was taken rather more suddenly! Growing up, she spent much time in Pembrokeshire during the holidays, and her parents moved there to live, but it wasn’t until the Covid 19 pandemic that Fran and her family decided to up sticks and move here.

“Suddenly our jobs became far more flexible, and we could work from anywhere! During the pandemic we decided to move to Pembrokeshire, a place which means so much to me!” Fran

Fran was very organised as she prepared to move to Wales. She began by learning Welsh whilst still in Nottingham, following the ‘Clwb Cwtsh’ scheme over Zoom. These lessons were created by our presenter, Nia Parry!  The lessons introduce the language to parents so that they can learn at the same time as their children. Fran was also a part of the lessons with her children, Alys, who is 6, and Dylan, who is 3.

“The Clwb Cwtsh scheme made the process of moving into Welsh-medium education so much easier, as the children were already familiar with the language. I started learning along with the children before we moved here, so that everything was much easier after the move, much more natural, and we were all more confident in terms of the language.” Fran

Sarah’s children are three and a half and one. Ioan attended the Cylch Meithrin, and Arianwen will follow in his footsteps.

“There were so many great, useful resources online to help us as parents and to help the children. Clwb Cwtsh was perfect for us to do during lockdown, and we all started at the same level. It was a nice introduction to the language without having to leave the house”. Sarah

Although everything sounds straightforward, Nia was keen to know whether they’d found anything difficult.

“At the beginning I worried that I wouldn’t be able to help with homework. The school was brilliant! I had a conversation with the head teacher (virtually) so I could ask my questions – there’s no such thing as a stupid question! The homework is sent home in English too. Welsh-medium education was a big step, but it’s worth it for the benefits it brings.” Sarah

Nia asked how they thought their children would benefit from learning another language, in the long term.

We wanted the children to settle quickly. Learning Welsh has certainly helped them, and the mental benefits stand out. It’s going to be much easier for them to learn another language in the future”. Fran

The two intend to continue with Welsh-medium education for their children, but they both acknowledge that it will be quite a task to keep pace with the children’s learning!

“At the moment, I’m trying to make sure that I’m at the same level as Ioan. In time, when the children are a little older, I intend to go to lessons. One thing I’ve learnt is that children are resilient and adapt quickly. It’s us parents who tend to worry about everything.” Sarah

You can listen to the full conversation here: www.podfollow.com/babysteps. Remember to share with other families who are trying to decide which path they want their children’s education to follow.