More may need to be done to ensure that pupils continue to use Welsh as a social language when moving from primary to secondary school.

That’s the view of councillors debating Gwynedd Council’s efforts to ensure that Welsh is heard not only in the classroom but also on the school yard and during other extra curricular activities.

Gwynedd has the highest percentage of Welsh speakers in Wales, with the authority becoming the first in the country to adapt it as the main language of administration.

A review into the authority’s Welsh Language Charter, which was established almost 10 years ago following concerns that English was becoming more prevalent among youngsters within the county, found that the language was not being spoken as much socially as desired.

The authority’s head of education, Garem Jackson, told Thursday’s meeting in Caernarfon that efforts undertaken thus far had been a success, but also acknowledged that more work was needed.

“At the time (2010) it was found that while there was success in terms of language standards academically, there was a feeling that Welsh was not being spoken as much as it could socially by primary aged children,” he said.

“The research confirmed this, noting that while the percentage of children speaking Welsh perfectly naturally within the classroom was high, it fell to something like 30 per cent on the playground when outside the control of the classroom.

“As a result, it was decided to set up the charter which has proved to be a huge success.”

The report presented to members noted that funding is allocated to both primary and secondary schools to hold activities supporting the aim of the charter, including YouTube channels including holding question and answer sessions with famous Welsh people in order to raise awareness of Welsh ‘celebrities’, working with well-known artists to allow children to compose their own songs and resources to allow playground games.

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