ERW's Language Scheme
September 2014
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Introduction
ERW is one of four regional consortia established to improve schools in Wales. The
consortium includes six local authorities - Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Neath Port Talbot,
Pembrokeshire, Powys and Swansea and over 520 schools.
ERW’s vision is for a consistently high performing school network across the region with
every school offering high standards of teaching and leadership resulting in all learners
achieving their maximum potential.
The service that is led by ERW is based on three hubs within the six local authorities,
namely:


Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire (Western Hub)
Ceredigion and Powys (Northern Hub)
Neath Port Talbot and Swansea (Eastern Hub)
This model has been developed to ensure its effective implementation across a large
geographical area, to reflect the diversity of schools across the six counties and to
acknowledge the bilingual nature of the area.
The consortium was established to improve learner outcomes in a very significant way in all
schools in the region. Although the region is performing well in comparison with other
regions, ERW believes we need to move quickly and purposefully in terms of improving
learner outcomes.
ERW's Business Plan was approved by the Welsh Government in early 2014 and became
operational on 1 April, 2014. The following two outcomes are given priority in the Business
Plan and are integral to ERW's aims and objectives:

Improving the quality of learning and teaching in the schools of the region

Improving the quality of leadership across the consortium
ERW's Mission
ERW’s mission is to ensure effective performance in all schools across the region by:

Robustly and consistently challenging the performance of schools and the outcomes
achieved by all their learners

Developing a differentiated system of professional support for schools in proportion to
need that is identified through a nationally agreed assessment and categorisation
framework applied consistently across the region
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
Supporting the deployment of national and regional strategies to develop the literacy
and numeracy skills of learners and to improve outcomes for disadvantaged learners

Facilitating and developing effective school-led improvement through school to school
support, in order to improve performance and outcomes, through the development of
experienced and successful lead practitioners

Managing and deploying well trained Challenge Advisers change advisers across the
region and within the hubs to challenge performance and signpost appropriate and
relevant support

Triggering formal interventions in schools that fail to perform to the required standard.
Linguistic Equality
ERW has adopted the principle that it will treat Welsh and English on the basis that they are
equal. This Language Scheme describes how ERW will implement that principle when
providing services to stakeholders across the region.
ERW recognises Iaith Pawb's vision in 2003 of creating a bilingual Wales, that is, a Wales
"where the Welsh and English languages are flourishing and treated on a basis of equality
........ where people can choose to live their lives through the medium of either or both
Welsh or English and where the presence of the two languages is a source of pride and
strength to us all."
ERW also recognises the Welsh Government's Welsh-medium Education Strategy (2010)
which underlines the importance of an education and training system "which enables an
increase in the number of people of all ages and backgrounds who are fluent in Welsh and
able to use the language with their families, in their communities and in the workplace."
The Strategy notes that the Welsh Assembly Government "expects that the characteristics
and contribution of Welsh-medium education will receive early and thorough attention in all
policy developments at national, regional and local level. We expect to see local authorities
and their regional consortia developing effective methods of cooperating on planning,
training and resources with each other and with all relevant partners and providers ...
Ensuring the availability of Welsh-medium provision is dependent on strategic planning,
effective joint working, systematic analysis of demand and a commitment to act on the
evidence of demand where appropriate. This applies to all phases of education, from the
early years and throughout primary and secondary provision."
Language Schemes of Local Authorities
ERW's Language Scheme is based on the Language Schemes of the six local authorities that
are part of the south-west consortium. These Language Schemes were approved by the
Welsh Language Board prior to its abolition in 2012, and have been running for several years
and have long established the practice of affording the public the right to choose which
language they want to use when dealing with the authorities concerned.
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The Welsh Language Board's statutory power has since been transferred to the Welsh
Language Commissioner. In accordance with the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011,
the Commissioner in conjunction with Welsh Ministers, will be able to set standards of
conduct relating to the Welsh language in five specific areas, namely:





service delivery
policy making
internal operations
promotion of the Welsh language
record keeping
Standards will gradually replace the current system of Language Schemes and all local
authorities will have to prepare compliance strategies for each of these five standards by
the end of 2015.
Administrative Arrangements
In order to develop the principle that it will treat Welsh and English on the basis that they
are equal, ERW has established that the Welsh language is an integral part of the
organisation's administrative procedures. The staff will receive training on the implications
of the Scheme and will be supported in its operation by the Managing Director.
Guidelines will be prepared on the implementation of the Plan and links to
software, dictionaries, glossaries, templates, resources etc will be available on ERW's inhouse IT systems. ERW's staff will also receive training on how to use Cysgair/Cysill and
electronic dictionaries.
Dealing with individuals who speak Welsh
ERW welcome letters, e-mails and other written correspondence in Welsh and English. A
brief statement is given on official stationery and ERW publications to confirm that
correspondence is welcome in both languages. All correspondence received in Welsh will
receive a signed reply in Welsh when an answer is required. Welsh correspondence will not
be delayed as the Welsh responses will also follow the same expectations as those written
in English.
All general correspondence sent by ERW will be bilingual. ERW will correspond in Welsh
following a conversation in person or over the phone in Welsh. If the preferred language of
the recipient is unknown, the correspondence will be bilingual.
When an individual, school or organisation wishes to conduct business in Welsh, then
all subsequent correspondence will be in Welsh. ERW will create a database of people,
schools and organisations that wish to communicate through the medium of Welsh.
All circulars and general letters/e-mails sent to ERW's stakeholders will be bilingual.
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ERW will be issuing guidance to staff on the above procedures including guidance on
receiving translations of correspondence or documentation that comes into ERW's office
and is sent out.
Telephone Communication
ERW welcomes telephone calls in Welsh and English. Since all staff who answer telephone
calls are bilingual, they will greet the caller with a bilingual greeting with the Welsh greeting
first.
The above procedures are supported by strategies to encourage Welsh speakers to increase
their confidence where appropriate. Anyone who contacts ERW by phone is able to do so in
Welsh and this is welcome.
Electronic Communication
ERW welcomes electronic communication in Welsh and English. Each member of staff will
have a bilingual signature at the end of each e-mail message.
All out of office messages will be bilingual with the Welsh first. All members of staff will give
the sentence Happy to communicate in English or Welsh at the end of their e-mails.
ERW encourages any communication through its social networks such as Twitter,
Facebook and so on and welcomes any comments or communication by these methods in
Welsh or English.
Public meetings and other meetings
When public meetings are being organised by ERW, it will ensure that those present can
contribute through the medium of Welsh, and that they are welcome to do so. ERW will
advertise the possibility of contributing in Welsh in all publicity relating to public meetings.
Simultaneous translation facilities will be available at meetings, unless it is obvious from the
responses received from participants that the service will not be necessary. In such events,
ERW will ensure that Welsh speaking staff members will be present to welcome the public
and deal with any enquiries on arrival. Staff who can converse in Welsh will display a logo
indicating their ability to speak Welsh.
Whenever public communication occurs through other means of oral communication such
as video-conferencing where simultaneous translation is unsuitable, then an additional note
will be added to the written correspondence concerning the meeting to say that no
translation will be available. However, any presentation material will be available
bilingually.
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ERW welcomes meetings with individuals or groups of people in Welsh and English.
Simultaneous translation equipment will be provided in all ERW's internal meetings where
necessary, for example the meetings of the following committees:The Joint Committee
Management Board
Implementation Board
Headteacher Board
Chief Education Officers
Hub Co-ordinators
Team Meetings
Unions
The Public Face of ERW
The corporate identity of ERW, including the logo, will be fully bilingual. All of ERW's official
signs will be bilingual, with equal prominence given to both languages. The Welsh will be
found first, above the English or to the left.
All materials published by ERW will be bilingual, for example, reports, strategies, policy
documents, leaflets, posters, invoices, receipts, invitations, ID cards and so on. The Welsh
and English versions will appear together in one document. If, in exceptional circumstances,
the Welsh and English versions have to be published separately, for example because of
size, then both versions will appear simultaneously. They will be distributed together, and
be equally accessible.
Documents, reports, strategies, guidelines etc by individual stakeholders will be issued
bilingually. ERW will ensure that these materials will be translated if they are not already
available bilingually.
ERW's official posters to be placed on notice boards will be bilingual with equal prominence
given to both languages with the Welsh first, either above or to the left of the English.
Videos and electronic messages displayed in public areas will be bilingual, with equal
prominence given to both languages. In PowerPoint slides, the Welsh language will be seen
first, above the English or to its left. In formal presentations, any accompanying
documentation will be distributed bilingually.
Letterheads, compliment slips, fax sheets, business cards, identification badges and general
information will all be bilingual. The Welsh will be found first, above the English or to the
left.
ERW will ensure that the language of all its publications is suitable and understandable. ERW
will also ensure that a proofreading service is available to ensure the accuracy of language
before records, action plans, policy documents or information leaflets are distributed.
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In all areas of activity, the quality of service in Welsh will reach the same high and consistent
standard as provided in English.
Campaigns, Publicity Material and Press Releases
Each press release issued to the media will be bilingual. ERW will respond to media
enquiries in the language of the enquiry.
All advertising and publicity material is published in bilingual form. Information display
stands to stakeholders and the public will be bilingual.
Advertisements in the Welsh press will be in Welsh only and bilingual in the English press in
Wales. Response systems related to publicity and marketing activities will allow
communication in Welsh or English.
All job advertisements will appear bilingually except in Welsh language publications where
they will appear in Welsh only. The advertisements will note that the ability to speak Welsh
is essential. Interviews for posts will be conducted in Welsh only. However, simultaneous
translation equipment will be provided if, for example, a member of the interview panel did
not speak Welsh.
The Website
ERW's website will be bilingual. The content will treat both languages equally and both
versions will match each other. ERW is committed to developing and maintaining the
website to ensure updates in both languages. There will be procedures in place to ensure
that no new information is placed on the website unless it is bilingual and Welsh and English
pages of the website are reviewed and updated at the same time. All reports,
documentaries and advertisements on the web will be available bilingually. All of ERW's
electronic design work will be bilingual.
Written guidelines will be provided to all staff, consultants, designers and publishers to deal
with bilingual materials and their design.
Promotion
ERW will encourage staff and stakeholders to use the Welsh language in the workplace as
much as possible, including the use of Welsh-medium information technology systems.
In official and formal situations (for example, team meetings, workshops, seminars, training
sessions, internal correspondence, electronic communications, telephone communications,
consulting, writing official documents and guidelines, etc) ERW will encourage as much use
of Welsh as possible.
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ERW will try to raise the confidence and improve the competence and skills of bilingual staff
and stakeholders by encouraging them to use the language more often when speaking and
writing. The result will be to normalise the use of Welsh in the internal administration of the
body. Where assistance is necessary, ERW will provide training and development
opportunities to staff and stakeholders alike.
Monitoring the Language Scheme
The Managing Director shall be responsible for arranging that this Scheme is monitored
robustly and thoroughly. ERW will have systems in place to ensure that each one of the
Scheme's commitments is monitored regularly.
Provision of Translation Service
All of ERW's written and simultaneous translation work will have to be done by an external
translation company. Although occasionally, it would be possible for ERW's own internal
staff to undertake some translation work, usually simple translations, the vast majority of
the work will be commissioned externally. The work of checking and editing documents
produced in Welsh will also be done by external recognised experts.
The financial implications of this means that we will have to allocate a sum of money
annually for providing translation services of the highest order. At present, the overall rate
for written translation is £75 per thousand words and the cost of simultaneous translation is
£40 per hour plus £60 for hiring a set of 20 earphones.
ERW will conduct a review of the organisation's translation service costs at the end of this
financial year to see whether it would be more cost effective to appoint a part-time
translator internally as opposed to commissioning external translators to undertake this
work.
September 2014
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