Wales has written a language-learning target into law, and it uses the same A1 to C2 scale that language learners meet on exam certificates. The Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025 sets the aim that pupils in Wales reach at least independent-user level in Welsh by the end of compulsory schooling, and divides schools into three language categories with legal minimums for Welsh-language teaching. This article summarises the Act as described by the Welsh Government and the text on legislation.gov.uk. It concerns Wales only; adult learning is covered separately in the site’s guide to Cymraeg i Oedolion and the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011.
What the Act is for
The Welsh Government says the Act contributes towards the goal of a million Welsh speakers by 2050 by putting measures in place that aim to ensure that all pupils, by the time they cease to be of compulsory school age, are independent Welsh language users at least. The Act’s explanatory notes add that the objective is for all pupils to develop oral skills equivalent to B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The Act passed the Senedd on 13 May 2025 and received Royal Assent on 7 July 2025. Different provisions come into force at different times: some took effect on 8 July 2025 and 7 September 2025, the National Institute for Learning Welsh provisions are set to begin on 1 August 2027, and the rest are brought in by Welsh Ministers’ orders. The Government’s page was last updated on 21 April 2026.
A Welsh continuum built on the CEFR
The Act establishes a standard way of describing Welsh ability based on the CEFR. According to the explanatory notes, it describes three types of Welsh language user, grouped by the six CEFR levels: basic users (A1 and A2), independent users (B1 and B2) and proficient users (C1 and C2). The table in Schedule 1 is reproduced, for Welsh, from the Council of Europe’s 2020 CEFR Companion Volume. For learners, this means the familiar labels used in the site’s guide to CEFR levels are the same ones used in this statutory framework.
Three school language categories
Section 9 of the Act says each school is designated one of three language categories, which determine the minimum amount of Welsh-language education and the school’s Welsh language learning goal. A school may be designated more than one category, and the Act says this provision does not apply to community special schools. The categories are:
- “Primarily Welsh Language”. Under section 10, the minimum amount of Welsh-language education is 80% of the education and training provided over a school year during school sessions. Under section 11 the learning goal is that pupils, by the time they cease to be of compulsory school age, are proficient Welsh language users, reaching C1 or C2 at least.
- “Dual Language”. The minimum is 50%. The initial goal is that pupils are independent users (B1 or B2) at least, and, after a year group specified by Welsh Ministers in regulations, that they also reach at least B2 for oral interaction.
- “Primarily English Language, partly Welsh”. The minimum is 10%. The initial goal is that pupils are basic users (A1 or A2) at least. After a year group specified in regulations, the goal rises to independent users (B1 or B2), and later to at least B2 for oral interaction.
The explanatory notes state that the minimum amount refers to the school’s education and training provision in general, not the provision given to each individual pupil. Welsh Ministers may change the minimum amounts by regulations, but not below 80%, 50% and 10% for the respective categories, and must consider whether to do so for the third category within five years of the section coming into force and every five years after that.
Planning duties and a national institute
The Government’s overview says the Act links planning at national, local and school level: a duty on Welsh Ministers to prepare a National Framework for Welsh Language Education and Learning Welsh, a duty on local authorities to prepare Welsh in education strategic plans, and a duty on schools to prepare Welsh language education delivery plans. It also creates a National Institute for Learning Welsh, a new body responsible for supporting people of all ages to learn Welsh, with the Institute provisions due to begin on 1 August 2027.
What families and adult learners should take from it
For parents, the school’s designated category is the most useful fact: it sets a legal floor for Welsh-language teaching and a stated learning goal. For adults, the same CEFR-based scale offers a common way to compare a Welsh course with a course in any other language, though the Act’s goals apply to pupils, not adult classes. Anyone comparing exam-based qualifications should also read the site’s guide to Ofqual-regulated language qualifications.
Common questions
Do all Welsh schools teach the same amount of Welsh? No. The Act sets minimum amounts of 80%, 50% and 10% depending on the school’s language category.
Does the Act cover England? No. It is an Act of the Senedd and applies to schools in Wales.
The bottom line
The Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025 aims to make all pupils in Wales at least independent Welsh users by the end of compulsory schooling, using the CEFR as the yardstick. It sets three school language categories with minimum Welsh-language teaching of 80%, 50% and 10%, matching learning goals that range from A1 or A2 up to C1 or C2, and it creates a National Institute for Learning Welsh from 1 August 2027. Implementation is staged, so the current commencement position is best checked on the Welsh Government’s page. This is general information, not legal advice.
Sources
- Welsh Government, “Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025” (gov.wales)
- legislation.gov.uk, “Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025: Explanatory Notes”
- legislation.gov.uk, “Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025, section 10 (Minimum amount of provision of Welsh language education)”
- legislation.gov.uk, “Welsh Language and Education (Wales) Act 2025, section 11 (Welsh language learning goals)”