Welsh-medium Reception share rises above 10% in Bridgend

The council reports higher enrolment as Porthcawl school construction and plans for more secondary places progress.

Bridgend civic offices in July 2016. Archive photograph: Mike Faherty, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Geograph and Wikimedia Commons.

Original photograph CC BY-SA 2.0

The share of Reception-aged children in Welsh-medium education in Bridgend rose from 6.96% in 2025 to 10.08% in 2026, according to the council’s latest annual review. That is an increase of 3.12 percentage points, calculated from the reported figures.

Welsh-medium Reception share rises from 6.96% in 2025 to 10.08% in 2026. — Council figures for Reception-aged children. The increase is 3.12 percentage points.
Chart: Cover WalesSource data CC BY 4.0

Welsh-medium education, council review

3 figures

Reception share, 2025: 6.96%
Reception share, 2026: 10.08%
Change, calculated: +3.12 percentage points

Source: Bridgend County Borough Council

Places now and buildings still to come

Among three-year-olds, the proportion increased from 9.74% to 10.32%, with 164 children attending during 2025-26. The council says nursery capacity at Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Ogwr is increasing to 71 places from September 2026.

Porthcawl’s £5.4m Welsh-medium seedling school and £971,000 childcare hub have planning approval, with completion targeted for June 2027. A proposed ten-form-entry Welsh-medium secondary provision is at an earlier stage: it has programme approval and the council has approved acquiring a central site. That is not an opening date.

The transition to secondary school

The review records all 109 Welsh-medium Year 6 pupils moving to Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Llangynwyd in September 2025. That 100% transition figure refers to that cohort, not every pupil in the borough. The review covers 2025-26 and has been submitted to the Welsh Government.

ShareWhatsApp X