Following their triumph at the Urdd National Eisteddfod in North Wales, Cross Ash Primary School is celebrating another major milestone in its work to use the Welsh language and keep their local culture alive.

After being awarded the prestigious Silver Cymraeg Campus Award, recognising the school's commitment to promoting and developing the language skills of learners and staff throughout school life. Recently, pupils came third in their category at the Urdd National Eisteddfod and the STEM Lego group won the ‘unearthed’ regional competition at The Museum of Welsh Life in St Fagan’s.

The small rural school has worked tirelessly to embed Welsh across the curriculum, creating a vibrant bilingual environment where pupils are encouraged to use and enjoy the language every day.

The Cymraeg Campus programme, developed to increase the use of Welsh in schools, requires schools to meet a series of challenging targets before progressing through the bronze, silver and gold awards. To achieve Silver status, schools must demonstrate that Welsh is used naturally throughout the school day, provide regular opportunities for pupils to speak Welsh independently, ensure staff model the language confidently, promote Welsh culture and heritage, involve the wider community, and establish pupil leadership roles that champion the language.

Following a rigorous assessment process, judges praised Cross Ash Primary School for its outstanding commitment to Welsh language development. They were particularly impressed by the school's ethos towards the Welsh language and highlighted the genuine enthusiasm shown by pupils when speaking Welsh. Assessors noted the confidence and enjoyment displayed by children across all age groups and recognised the school's success in making Welsh a living language within the school community.

Mrs Challoner, the school's Welsh Lead, and Mrs Williams, Foundation Lead, said they were over the moon with the achievement, which reflects the dedication and commitment shown by both staff and pupils in embracing the Welsh language across all areas of school life.

The school has also expressed its gratitude to the wider community for supporting its Welsh language journey. Staff wished to thank families and the school community who have attended the many Welsh afternoons and events organised throughout the year, helping to create a positive and supportive Welsh-speaking culture.

Although the school narrowly missed out on achieving the Gold Award during this assessment, staff and pupils are already focused on the next stage of their journey. Feedback from the assessors has provided clear next steps, and the school will continue working towards achieving the highest accolade when it is reassessed in November.

This latest success is a testament to the hard work of the entire school community. With children enthusiastically embracing opportunities to speak Welsh and staff continuing to champion the language throughout the curriculum, Cross Ash Primary School is well placed to build on its achievements and pursue Gold status later this year.