MoD Spends Large Sums on Independent Schools to Avoid Welsh Teaching

The MoD allocates around £1m each year to place students to private schools in north Wales because "public schools provide some or all lessons in the Welsh language".

It paid £1,019,000 in day school allowance in north Wales for 83 children of military families in 2024-2025, and nearly one million pounds for seventy-nine students in 2023-2024 under a established practice.

A spokesperson stated "military families' children can face regular relocations" and the allowance "aims to reduce interruption to their schooling".

The Welsh party called it a "complete waste of funds" and "an insult to our tongue" while the Tory party said families should be able to choose the medium in which their kids are educated.

The figures were obtained following a request under the Freedom of Information Act.

The website of RAF Valley on Anglesey informs its personnel, "for those residing and working in northern Wales, where public schools provide some or all classes in the Welsh tongue, you can opt to enroll your kids to an English-language independent school".

"Provided you are accompanied by your household at your posting, you can utilize this benefit to pay for the cost of school charges, educational excursions/residential learning programs and regular commuting."

A defense ministry representative explained, "the aim of Day School Allowance in the northern region (DSA-NW) is to support service families stationed to the area, where the Welsh tongue is the main language of local state education".

"As mobility is a aspect of service life, service children can encounter regular transfers and from this allowance aims to minimize disruption to their learning."

"The MoD acknowledges the contributions military members, and their relatives make, and through DSA-NW assists with the costs of independent day schooling provided in the English language."

'Where teaching is bilingual or non-English'

The benefit covers school costs up to a maximum of £22,755 a year, £7,585 per term, and is available to people residing in the counties of the county, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Anglesey or Flintshire and working in one of the following establishments:

• The military base, Anglesey
• The combined forces alpine training facility, Anglesey
• Joint Services Mountain Training Wing, the town
• The university military training program (the corps), Bangor detachment, the city

The eligible private schools are Treffos school, Llansadwrn, Anglesey; Rydal Penrhos Prep school in the town; St Gerard's school, the city and St David's College, Llandudno.

The applicable military policy document states that "disbursement of the stipend is limited to those areas where teaching in the state sector is on a dual-language or non-English foundation".

Personnel serving in other locations in the multiple services of the armed forces - the ground forces, the naval service and the Royal Air Force - can claim a continuity of education allowance which contributes towards residential and/or tuition fees up to a cap, with a required family share of 10% for each qualifying student.

Welsh Conservative assembly representative the politician commented "members of the British armed forces relocate across the country and the world, and the MoD have always sought to guarantee that their kids have access to consistency in schooling".

"While we fully support Welsh-medium education across Wales, it's important to recognize there are two official languages in our nation, English and the Welsh language, and local councils and school boards should provide for both."

"Families should always have the option to select the medium in which their kids are taught."

The Welsh party's learning representative the assembly member said "not only is this a complete waste of money, it is an insult to our tongue".

"I cannot think of any valid reason to be spending such money annually, on preventing youth living in Wales from having the chance to acquire the Welsh language."

"Dual-language ability enriches experience and supports the growth of young people, but the British administration is clearly blind to this."

"These funds is a clear illustration of the attitude of the Westminster parties towards the nation and the Welsh language - namely ignorance and disrespect."