Waeth beth yw eich iaith yn y cartref, gall Addysg Cyfrwng Cymraeg roi cyfleoedd, profiadau a sgiliau ychwanegol i’ch plant.

Dyma rai cwestiynau cyffredin a allai eich helpu chi i benderfynu a hoffech chi fanteisio ar yr hyn y mae Addysg Cyfrwng Cymraeg yn ei gynnig.


Beth mae addysg Gymraeg yn ei wneud?

Mae nod syml iawn i addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg, sef rhoi’r gallu i blant ddod yn gwbl rugl yn y Gymraeg a’r Saesneg a derbyn addysg yn y pynciau eraill trwy’r cwricwlwm.

Mae plant ifainc yn dysgu ieithoedd yn hawdd iawn a thrwy wneud y gorau o’r potensial hwn y daeth addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg mor boblogaidd

Pam mae pobl yn dewis addysg Gymraeg?

Mae ymchwil yn dangos mai dyma’r ffordd orau o bell ffordd i wneud plant yn rhugl yn y Gymraeg a’r Saesneg. Mae nifer o fanteision i ddwyieithrwydd. Mae’n ddefnyddiol iawn fel sgil yn y gweithle; mae siarad Cymraeg naill ai yn sgil hanfodol neu ddymunol ar gyfer nifer cynyddol o swyddi.

Mae Llywodraeth Cymru hefyd wedi ymrwymo i ddatblygu Cymru ddwyieithog trwy ei strategaeth ‘Cymraeg 2050’ gyda’r weledigaeth o gyrraedd miliwn o siaradwyr erbyn 2050. Mae mwy o alw heddiw nag y bu erioed o’r blaen am sgiliau dwyieithog mewn amryw faes, megis iechyd, addysg, hamdden, gofal plant, manwerthu a gwasanaethau cyhoeddus.

Gall siarad Cymraeg helpu plant i gael dealltwriaeth lawnach o’u cymuned ehangach a’u lle ynddi. Mae’r Gymraeg yn rhoi mynediad i ddiwylliant, yn cynnwys llenyddiaeth, cerddoriaeth, cyfryngau digidol ac arlwy o bethau eraill na fyddent ar gael iddynt fel arall.

Mae rhai’n dewis addysg Gymraeg ar sail profiadau personol: maen nhw’n adnabod pobl ddwyieithog neu y mae ganddyn nhw blant dwyieithog ac mae’r rheiny felly am i’w plant hwythau fod yn rhan o’r gymuned Gymraeg a bod hefyd yn gwbl gyfforddus yn y Saesneg.

Ydy teuluoedd fel fy un i'n dewis addysg Gymraeg?

Mae pob teulu, a phob plentyn yn unigryw wrth gwrs. Ond mae teuluoedd o bob math yn elwa o addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg, teuluoedd nad ydyn nhw’n siarad Cymraeg a rhai sydd; teuluoedd o bob math o gefndir ethnig a chrefyddol; teuluoedd o Gymru a rhai sydd wedi symud yma o rywle arall

Dydyn ni ddim yn siarad Cymraeg adref - ydy fy nheulu i'n eithriad?
Ddim o gwbl Dydy rhan helaeth, dros 96%, y plant sy’n derbyn addysg cyfrwng Cymraeg yn Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynllyw ddim yn siarad Cymraeg gartref. Ac i rai o’r rheiny, iaith arall heblaw am y Saesneg yw prif iaith y cartref. Felly mae dod o gefndir di-Gymraeg yn gwbl arferol ac mae’r cwricwlwm wedi ei lunio gyda hynny dan sylw.

Nid yw’r ysgolion cyfrwng Cymraeg yn disgwyl i’r plant siarad Cymraeg wrth ddechrau yn yr ysgol ond caiff y plant hynny help i ddod yn rhugl cyn diwedd y flwyddyn gyntaf.

Nid Cymry ydyn ni - oes rhaid i ni fod yn Gymry i allu siarad Cymraeg?

Ddim o gwbl Does dim rhaid i chi fod yn Gymry i siarad Cymraeg. Mae rhieni plant mewn ysgolion cyfrwng Cymraeg yng Nghaerdydd yn dod o bedwar ban y byd: Cymru, gweddill y DU, Ewrop, Asia, Affrica, Gogledd a De America. Mae rhai yn ystyried eu hunain yn Gymry a rhai ddim, y prif bwynt yw bod dysgu Cymraeg yn agored i bawb.

Ydy addysg Gymraeg yn achosi safonau is yn Saesneg?

Yn sicr ddim. Mae disgwyl i blant sy’n gadael ysgolion cyfrwng Cymraeg gyrraedd union yr un safonau Saesneg â’r rhai sydd mewn ysgolion cynradd cyfrwng Saesneg.

Ac yn yr ysgolion uwchradd, mae’r plant yn yr ysgolion cyfrwng Cymraeg yn sefyll union yr un arholiadau TGAU a Lefel A â’u cyfoedion mewn ysgolion cyfrwng Saesneg. (Nid felly’r ffordd groes: nid yw plant mewn addysg cyfrwng Saesneg yn cyrraedd yr un safonau nac yn sefyll yr un arholiadau Cymraeg â phlant yr ysgolion cyfrwng Cymraeg.

Sut allaf gefnogi fy mhlant gyda gwaith os dydw i ddim yn siarad Cymraeg?

Gan nad yw rhan fwyaf y plant yn siarad Cymraeg gartref, mae’r ysgolion cyfrwng Cymraeg yn brofiadol iawn wrth gynorthwyo disgyblion a rhieni. Rhoddir cyfarwyddiadau ar gyfer y gwaith cartref yn Gymraeg a Saesneg i’r disgyblion ieuengaf.

Yn hwyrach, bydd y plant yn gallu egluro eu gwaith wrth eu rhieni eu hunain. Mae canlyniadau gwaith ymchwil yn dangos bod trin eu gwaith trwy gyfrwng dwy iaith yn helpu’r plant i ddeall y pwnc. Mae’r wefan addysg, Hwb​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ hefyd yn cynnig ystod o offer dysgu ac adnoddau digidol sydd ar gael yn genedlaethol.

A fydd addysg Gymraeg yn ei gwneud yn anos i blant ddysgu ieithoedd eraill?

Ddim o gwbl Does bron dim diwedd i allu plentyn i ddysgu ieithoedd. Yn rhan fwyaf gwledydd Ewrop, mae’n gyffredin i blant ifanc siarad dwy neu dair iaith. Gall siarad un iaith helpu i atgyfnerthu’r llall, sy’n ei gwneud yn haws i’r plentyn ddysgu rhagor o ieithoedd yn hwyrach.

Beth am eu haddysg yn dilyn ysgol?

Gan fod disgyblion ysgolion cyfrwng Cymraeg yn gwbl ddwyieithog, gallant ddewis dilyn cyrsiau coleg neu brifysgol trwy gyfrwng y naill iaith (neu’r ddwy). Yn ddiweddar, mae gwaith y Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol wedi sicrhau bod rhagor o raddau’r brifysgol ar gael (yn rhannol neu i gyd) trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg ac yn aml, mae bwrsariau ar gael i'r rheiny sydd yn astudio trwy gyfrwng y Gymraeg.

Mae nifer o gyrsiau cyfrwng Cymraeg ar gael mewn addysg bellach hefyd. Er hyn, mae disgyblion o ysgolion cyfrwng Cymraeg yn aml yn mynd i wneud cyrsiau yn Saesneg yn y coleg neu brifysgol, yng Nghymru a thu hwnt.

Allaf dysgu Gymraeg gyda fy mhlentyn?

Mae rhai rhieni yn penderfynu dysgu Cymraeg hefyd ar ôl dewis ysgol cyfrwng Cymraeg i’w plant. Mae’n gyfle gwych i ddysgu gyda’ch gilydd, ymarfer sgiliau iaith gyda’ch gilydd a threulio amser gwerthfawr gyda’ch gilydd. 

Whatever language you speak at home, Welsh-medium education can give your child additional opportunities, experiences and skills.

Here are some frequently asked questions that may help you decide whether you’d like to take advantage of what Welsh-medium education has to offer.

What does Welsh medium education do?

Welsh-medium education has a very simple aim - to enable children to become fully fluent in both English and Welsh while teaching all the other subjects across the curriculum. Young children learn languages remarkably easily – it’s by making the most of this potential that Welsh-medium education has become so popular.


Why do people choose Welsh medium education?

Research shows that it’s by far the best way we have to get children to be bilingual in both English and Welsh.

Being bilingual has many advantages. It’s very useful as a skill in the workplace: the ability to speak Welsh is either an essential or a desirable skill for a growing number of jobs.

The Welsh Government has also committed to developing a bilingual Wales through its Welsh-language strategy ‘Cymraeg 2050’ with a vision for reaching a million speakers by 2050.

There is more demand today than ever before for bilingual skills in a variety of fields such as health, education, leisure, childcare, retail, and public services.

Speaking Welsh can help children build a fuller understanding of their wider community and their place within it.

Welsh provides children with access to a culture – including literature, music, digital media, and a host of other things – that might otherwise be unavailable to them.

For some people, the choice of Welsh-medium education is based on personal experiences: they know people who are bilingual or have bilingual children, and so want their own children to be able to be a part of the Welsh-speaking community, while also being completely at home in English.

Do families like mine choose Welsh medium education?

Every family – and every child – is unique, of course. But all kinds of families take advantage of Welsh-medium education: families who don’t speak Welsh and those who do; families from all kinds of ethnic and religious backgrounds; families from Wales and those who’ve moved here from elsewhere.

We don't speak Welsh at home - will my child struggle?

Not at all. In fact, the vast majority - over 96% – of children who attend Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynllyw do not speak Welsh at home. 

So coming from a non-Welsh speaking background is absolutely normal and the curriculum is designed with that in mind.

Welsh-medium schools do not expect that children speak Welsh when they start, but will help those children to become fluent in Welsh before the end of their first year and continue to support their journey to fluency throughout their education.

We're not Welsh - do we have to be Welsh to speak Welsh?

Not at all. You don’t have to be Welsh to speak Welsh. Parents of children in Welsh-medium schools in Cardiff have come from all over the world: Wales, the rest of the UK, Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America.

While some might consider themselves to be Welsh, others might not – the key point is that learning Welsh is open to all.

Does Welsh medium education cause lower standards in English?

Absolutely not. Children leaving Welsh-medium primary schools are expected to reach exactly the same standard of English as those in English-medium primary schools. And in secondary schools children in Welsh-medium education sit exactly the same GCSEs and A-levels as those in English-medium schools. (The reverse is not true: children in English-medium education do not reach the same standards or sit the same level of exams in Welsh as those in Welsh-medium education.)

How can I support my children with homework if I can't speak Welsh?
As most children don’t speak Welsh at home, Welsh-medium schools are very experienced in supporting both pupils and parents.

For younger pupils, homework instructions will be given in writing in both English and Welsh. At a later age, children will be able to explain their work to their parents themselves. In fact, research suggests that dealing with their work in two languages can actually help children understand the subject that they are studying.

The education website Hwb​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​also gives access to a range of nationally provided digital learning tools and resources.

Will learning Welsh make learning other languages more difficult?

Not at all. There’s almost no limit to a child’s ability to learn languages. In most European countries, young children can commonly speak two or three languages. Speaking one language can help reinforce the other, making it easier for the child to learn more languages later on.

What about their education after school?

As pupils from Welsh-medium schools are fully bilingual, they can choose to follow college and university courses in either language (or both). Recently, the work of the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol (the national Welsh-medium college) has ensured that more and more university degrees are available (partially or completely) through the medium of Welsh and often, additional bursaries are open to those who are studying in Welsh.

A growing number of Welsh-medium courses are available in Further Education as well. Even so, students from Welsh-medium schools commonly follow English-medium courses at college or university, in Wales and beyond.

Can I learn Welsh with my child?

Some parents, after choosing a Welsh-medium school for their child, decide to learn Welsh as well. It’s a great opportunity to learn together, to practice your language skills on each other and spend quality time together.

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Cyrsiau Cymraeg i Oedolion
Welsh for Adults Courses

Mae cyrsiau Cymraeg ar gael i oedolion ac weithiau gall rhieni gyda phlant sydd yn derbyn addysg Gymraeg dilyn cyrsiau am ddim. Gwasgwch ar y llun uchod am ragor o wybodaeth.

There are courses available to adult learners of all ages and stages and parents can sometimes access these courses for free if their child is in Welsh medium education. Click on the picture above for more information.

Diolch i Gyngor Caerdydd am y wybodaeth uchod. With thanks to Cardiff Council for the information above.