WELSH language campaigners have expressed concern over the findings of Estyn’s interim annual report, calling it “further confirmation” of the failure of English-medium schools to create confident Welsh speakers.

Cymdeithas yr Iaith has called for all children to receive education through Welsh after Estyn chief inspector Owen Evans found that “progress in the development of pupils’ Welsh language oracy skills in English-medium schools remains a concern and has been further hampered by the impact of the pandemic in recent years”.

Toni Schiavone, chair of the Cymdeithas yr Iaith Education Group, said: “It is now clear that the English-medium education system is unable to ensure the opportunity for our young people to be fluent Welsh speakers, and the chief inspector’s comments are further confirmation of this.

“The solution is to move all schools the country to teach a portion of the curriculum through the medium of Welsh, increasing that over time so that all children receive education through the medium of Welsh and leave school confident in their Welsh.

“There is an opportunity to ensure that this happens in the Welsh Education Act which is being planned by the Government.”