MoD Spends Large Sums on Independent Education to Bypass Welsh Education
The Ministry of Defence allocates approximately one million pounds annually to send children to independent schools in north Wales because "state schools provide various lessons in the Welsh language".
It paid £1,019,000 in day school allowance in the northern region for eighty-three students of military families in 2024-2025, and nearly one million pounds for seventy-nine students in the previous year under a longstanding practice.
A spokesperson stated "military families' children can experience frequent moves" and the allowance "seeks to minimize disruption to their education".
Plaid Cymru described it as a "total misuse of money" and "a disrespect to our language" while the Tory party argued parents should be able to select the medium in which their children are educated.
These numbers were obtained following a request under the public records law.
The online portal of the military installation on the island tells its workforce, "for those residing and working in northern Wales, where state schools provide various classes in the Welsh tongue, you can opt to send your children to an English-language private institution".
"Provided you are accompanied by your family at your duty station, you can utilize this benefit to pay for the expense of school charges, field study trips/residential educational courses and daily transport."
A defense ministry representative explained, "the aim of Day School Allowance in North Wales (DSA-NW) is to support service families stationed to the area, where Welsh is the main language of public schooling".
"Since relocation is a aspect of service life, military kids can encounter regular transfers and the DSA-NW seeks to minimize disruption to their learning."
"The ministry supports the contributions service personnel, and their families undertake, and from the stipend helps with the costs of independent day schooling provided in the English language."
'Where teaching is bilingual or non-English'
The allowance covers school costs up to a maximum of twenty-two thousand seven hundred fifty-five pounds a year, seven thousand five hundred eighty-five pounds per term, and is available to personnel residing in the regions of the county, the area, Gwynedd, Anglesey or Flintshire and serving in one of the following establishments:
- RAF Valley, Anglesey
- The combined forces alpine training facility, Anglesey
- The joint military mountain unit, Llanrwst
- The university military training program (UOTC), Bangor detachment, Caernarfon
The eligible independent institutions are Treffos institution, Llansadwrn, Anglesey; Rydal Penrhos Prep school in the town; St Gerard's school, the city and St David's College, the town.
The relevant military policy document confirms that "disbursement of the allowance is restricted to those areas where teaching in the state sector is on a dual-language or non-English foundation".
People serving in other locations in the multiple services of the military - the ground forces, the naval service and the air service - can apply for a educational continuity benefit which helps with residential and/or tuition fees up to a cap, with a required family share of ten percent for each qualifying student.
Welsh Conservative Senedd member the politician commented "members of the British armed forces relocate across the nation and the world, and the MoD have always sought to ensure that their children have access to consistency in schooling".
"Although we fully support Welsh-medium education throughout Wales, it's crucial to remember there are two official languages in our country, English and Welsh, and local councils and education authorities should accommodate both."
"Families should always have the option to decide the medium in which their children are instructed."
The Welsh party's learning representative Cefin Campbell MS stated "not just is this a total misuse of money, it is an insult to our language".
"It's hard to imagine any justifiable cause to be allocating these funds annually, on preventing youth residing in the country from having the chance to learn the Welsh tongue."
"Bilingualism enhances life and aids the development of young people, but the British administration is clearly unaware to this."
"These funds is a perfect example of the approach of the UK political groups regarding Wales and the native tongue - namely ignorance and insults."
