MoD Spends Large Sums on Independent Schools to Bypass Welsh Language Education
The Ministry of Defence spends approximately £1m each year to place children to private schools in northern Wales because "state schools teach some or all classes in the Welsh tongue".
The ministry disbursed £1,019,000 in educational stipend in the northern region for eighty-three students of service personnel in 2024-2025, and £942,000 for seventy-nine students in the previous year under a established practice.
An official representative stated "military families' children can experience frequent moves" and the stipend "seeks to minimize disruption to their education".
The Welsh party described it as a "complete waste of funds" and "a disrespect to our tongue" while the Conservatives said parents should be able to select the medium in which their children are educated.
The figures were obtained following a request under the public records law.
The website of RAF Valley on Anglesey tells its personnel, "if you live and serve in northern Wales, where state schools teach some or all classes in the Welsh language, you may choose to send your children to an English-medium independent school".
"Provided you are joined by your household at your duty station, you can use this allowance to pay for the cost of tuition fees, field study trips/residential educational courses and daily transport."
An MoD spokesperson told, "the aim of the educational stipend in the northern region (DSA-NW) is to support military households posted to the region, where Welsh is the primary medium of public schooling".
"As mobility is a part of military career, military kids can face frequent moves and from DSA-NW aims to minimize interference to their learning."
"The ministry supports the contributions military members, and their families make, and from the stipend helps with the costs of independent day schooling provided in the English language."
'In Areas With Bilingual or Non-English Instruction'
The benefit covers tuition fees up to a limit of twenty-two thousand seven hundred fifty-five pounds annually, £7,585 each semester, and is accessible to personnel residing in the counties of the county, Denbighshire, the locality, the island or the district and working in one of the following establishments:
- The military base, the island
- The combined forces alpine training facility, Anglesey
- Joint Services Mountain Training Wing, the town
- The university military training program (UOTC), Bangor detachment, the city
The eligible private schools are Treffos institution, Llansadwrn, the island; Rydal Penrhos Prep school in the town; St Gerard's school, Bangor and St David's institution, Llandudno.
The applicable military policy document states that "payment of the allowance is limited to those areas where teaching in the public system is on a dual-language or non-English basis".
Personnel stationed elsewhere in the three branches of the armed forces - the Army, the Royal Navy and the air service - can claim a educational continuity benefit which contributes towards boarding and/or tuition fees up to a cap, with a minimum parental contribution of ten percent for each eligible child.
Tory Senedd member Natasha Asghar commented "personnel of the UK military relocate across the nation and the globe, and the ministry has always sought to guarantee that their children have access to consistency in education".
"While we strongly endorse Welsh-medium education across the country, it's important to recognize there are two official languages in our nation, the English tongue and Welsh, and municipal authorities and school boards should provide for both."
"Families should always have the choice to decide the language in which their children are instructed."
Plaid Cymru's education spokesperson the assembly member said "not just is this a total misuse of money, it is an insult to our tongue".
"I cannot think of any valid reason to be allocating these funds annually, on blocking young people living in the country from having the chance to learn the Welsh tongue."
"Dual-language ability enriches experience and aids the development of youth, but the UK government is obviously unaware to this."
"These funds is a perfect example of the attitude of the Westminster parties towards the nation and the Welsh language - namely ignorance and insults."
