An overhaul of Welsh language education cleared the penultimate hurdle in the Senedd, with new school categories and legal requirements on the horizon.

Senedd members debated the Welsh language and education bill, which aims to ensure all pupils become confident Welsh speakers by the end of compulsory school.

If passed, the bill will create three school categories: primarily Welsh; dual language; and primarily English, partly Welsh – with targets for each.

A minimum of 10 per cent of Welsh education would be required in primarily English schools, with 50 per cent and 80 per cent for the dual language and primarily Welsh categories respectively.

The bill would also put the target of reaching at least a million Welsh speakers by 2050 on a legal footing and establish the National Welsh Language Learning Institute.

Plaid Cymru’s Cefin Campbell was one of the initial architects of the reforms as part of his party’s now-collapsed cooperation agreement with the Welsh Government.

He said: “A quarter of a century after the opening of this Senedd, it is disappointing that the majority of children and young people in Wales continue to be deprived of the opportunity to learn Welsh in our education system and to use the language in their everyday life.

“Due to these failures over the past decades, it's very important that we legislate in this area to ensure the necessary progress is made… to reach a million Welsh speakers by 2050.”

The Senedd rejected Plaid Cymru calls for at least half of pupils to attend primarily Welsh schools by 2050 but the Welsh Government committed to a consultation on such a target.

The bill now moves to a key vote on the final version.

With Labour and Plaid holding two-thirds of seats, the Senedd is likely to pass the bill on 13 May.