Ministry of Defence Spends Large Sums on Independent Schools to Avoid Welsh Language Education
The Ministry of Defence spends approximately £1m each year to send students to independent educational institutions in north Wales because "state schools teach some or all classes in the Welsh language".
The ministry disbursed over one million pounds in day school allowance in the northern region for 83 children of military families in 2024-2025, and £942,000 for seventy-nine students in 2023-2024 under a longstanding practice.
A spokesperson said "service children can experience frequent moves" and the stipend "seeks to minimize disruption to their schooling".
The Welsh party described it as a "complete waste of money" and "a disrespect to our language" while the Conservatives argued families should be able to choose the language in which their kids are educated.
These numbers were acquired following a request under the public records law.
The website of RAF Valley on the island tells its personnel, "if you live and serve in northern Wales, where public schools provide some or all classes in the Welsh tongue, you may choose to enroll your children to an English-medium private institution".
"As long as you are joined by your household at your posting, you can utilize this benefit to cover the expense of tuition fees, field study trips/residential learning programs and daily transport."
An MoD spokesperson told, "the aim of Day School Allowance in the northern region (DSA-NW) is to support service families posted to the region, where Welsh is the main language of local state education".
"As mobility is a part of military career, service children can face regular transfers and the this allowance seeks to minimize interference to their education."
"The MoD acknowledges the contributions military members, and their relatives undertake, and from the stipend assists with the costs of independent day schooling provided in the English language."
'In Areas With Bilingual or Non-English Instruction'
The allowance covers tuition fees up to a limit of twenty-two thousand seven hundred fifty-five pounds a year, £7,585 per term, and is accessible to people residing in the counties of Conwy, the area, Gwynedd, the island or the district and working in these specific locations:
- The military base, Anglesey
- Joint Services Mountain Training Centre, Anglesey
- Joint Services Mountain Training Wing, the town
- Wales University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC), Bangor detachment, the city
The qualifying private schools are Treffos school, the village, Anglesey; Rydal Penrhos Prep school in the town; St Gerard's, Bangor and St David's institution, the town.
The relevant military policy document confirms that "payment of the stipend is limited to those areas where instruction in the state sector is on a bilingual or non-English basis".
Personnel serving elsewhere in the three branches of the armed forces - the Army, the Royal Navy and the air service - can claim a continuity of education allowance which helps with residential and/or tuition fees up to a maximum rate, with a required family share of ten percent for each qualifying student.
Tory Senedd member the politician said "members of the British armed forces move around the nation and the world, and the MoD has always tried to ensure that their children have availability to consistency in education".
"While we strongly endorse Welsh-medium education across the country, it's important to recognize there are dual recognized tongues in our nation, the English tongue and the Welsh language, and local councils and education authorities should accommodate each."
"Parents should always have the option to decide the language in which their children are instructed."
Plaid Cymru's education spokesperson Cefin Campbell MS stated "not only is this a complete waste of funding, it is an insult to our language".
"It's hard to imagine any valid reason to be allocating such money annually, on preventing youth living in the country from having the chance to learn the Welsh language."
"Bilingualism enhances life and aids the development of young people, but the UK government is clearly blind to this."
"These funds is a clear illustration of the attitude of the Westminster parties towards Wales and the native tongue - namely ignorance and disrespect."
