A Welsh language school in London threatened with closure after Wales’s government said it was removing financial support has secured funding to stay open for another year – but doubts remain around its future.
Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain in Hanwell, Ealing, currently receives a grant of £90,000 per year from the Welsh government.
It had previously announced the funding would come to an end next March, but it has now agreed to continue providing the grant until the end of the academic year in August 2026.
Once the agreement comes to an end, the funding will go towards other projects aimed at achieving the Cardiff government’s target of a million Welsh speakers by 2050.
Lead teacher Emilia Davies told Sky News the update from the government was “very great relief for parents and for staff”.
She said the grant funding was vital for the future of the school.
“As a school, and as a community, we do a lot of fundraising every year as it is because £90,000 doesn’t cover the cost to run a school, so we already do a lot of fundraising,” she said.
“So it’s not possible, I don’t think, to raise that amount of money.”
Pic: Emilia Davies
‘Want to support us’
There are 12 pupils currently registered at the fee-paying school, but with 20 children in its mother and toddler group, there is “hope that there is a future”.
That’s according to Eleri Brady, who has worked at the school for over 30 years.
“Historically, the school has always been up and down in numbers,” she said.
“We’ve built from… six, 35 years ago; we built up and up until there were 40 on the books 20 years later.
“So that’s the story of the school, the numbers going up and going down.”
Pic: Eleri Brady
While the school is pleased to hear the support from the government will continue for a further five months, Ms Brady would like to see the Cardiff government go further.
“We’d like them to say that they would continue that £90,000 annually,” she said.
“We don’t want it just to finish in August 2026. We’d love them to confirm that they want to support us.
“There are many schools in London from different countries, and their home countries support those schools. We’d love Wales to do that for us.”
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The Welsh government said it had confirmed funding for Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain for the “full 2025 academic year”.
“As is the case with most grant schemes, our funding to promote the Welsh language is typically subject to annual applications, and we are therefore unable to confirm long-term funding beyond that point,” the spokesperson added.
“However, we remain committed to promoting the Welsh language in London.”
