Pupils in maintained schools aged 5 or over, ability to speak Welsh as assessed by parents, by local authority, category and year (primary, middle and secondary schools)

Standard shorthand is used in this table: [t] = total.

Data values	Data description	Year	Local Authority	Category
63,071	Number of pupils	2014/15	Wales	Fluent in Welsh
124,755	Number of pupils	2014/15	Wales	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
200,315	Number of pupils	2014/15	Wales	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
388,141 [t]	Number of pupils	2014/15	Wales	Total
4,200	Number of pupils	2015/16	Isle of Anglesey	Fluent in Welsh
3,265	Number of pupils	2015/16	Isle of Anglesey	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
651	Number of pupils	2015/16	Isle of Anglesey	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
8,116 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Isle of Anglesey	Total
9,696	Number of pupils	2015/16	Gwynedd	Fluent in Welsh
3,518	Number of pupils	2015/16	Gwynedd	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
1,165	Number of pupils	2015/16	Gwynedd	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
14,379 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Gwynedd	Total
1,761	Number of pupils	2015/16	Conwy	Fluent in Welsh
5,679	Number of pupils	2015/16	Conwy	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
6,006	Number of pupils	2015/16	Conwy	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
13,446 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Conwy	Total
2,607	Number of pupils	2015/16	Denbighshire	Fluent in Welsh
5,778	Number of pupils	2015/16	Denbighshire	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
4,835	Number of pupils	2015/16	Denbighshire	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
13,220 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Denbighshire	Total
982	Number of pupils	2015/16	Flintshire	Fluent in Welsh
7,379	Number of pupils	2015/16	Flintshire	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
11,644	Number of pupils	2015/16	Flintshire	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
20,005 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Flintshire	Total
1,156	Number of pupils	2015/16	Wrexham	Fluent in Welsh
6,375	Number of pupils	2015/16	Wrexham	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
8,414	Number of pupils	2015/16	Wrexham	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
15,945 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Wrexham	Total
1,762	Number of pupils	2015/16	Powys	Fluent in Welsh
8,400	Number of pupils	2015/16	Powys	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
5,187	Number of pupils	2015/16	Powys	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
15,349 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Powys	Total
3,915	Number of pupils	2015/16	Ceredigion	Fluent in Welsh
3,084	Number of pupils	2015/16	Ceredigion	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
1,322	Number of pupils	2015/16	Ceredigion	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
8,321 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Ceredigion	Total
2,161	Number of pupils	2015/16	Pembrokeshire	Fluent in Welsh
6,062	Number of pupils	2015/16	Pembrokeshire	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
6,481	Number of pupils	2015/16	Pembrokeshire	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
14,704 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Pembrokeshire	Total
9,656	Number of pupils	2015/16	Carmarthenshire	Fluent in Welsh
6,690	Number of pupils	2015/16	Carmarthenshire	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
6,620	Number of pupils	2015/16	Carmarthenshire	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
22,966 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Carmarthenshire	Total
2,706	Number of pupils	2015/16	Swansea	Fluent in Welsh
4,799	Number of pupils	2015/16	Swansea	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
21,834	Number of pupils	2015/16	Swansea	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
29,339 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Swansea	Total
2,223	Number of pupils	2015/16	Neath Port Talbot	Fluent in Welsh
3,386	Number of pupils	2015/16	Neath Port Talbot	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
11,370	Number of pupils	2015/16	Neath Port Talbot	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
16,979 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Neath Port Talbot	Total
1,498	Number of pupils	2015/16	Bridgend	Fluent in Welsh
3,205	Number of pupils	2015/16	Bridgend	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
14,188	Number of pupils	2015/16	Bridgend	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
18,891 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Bridgend	Total
2,119	Number of pupils	2015/16	Vale of Glamorgan	Fluent in Welsh
4,067	Number of pupils	2015/16	Vale of Glamorgan	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
12,270	Number of pupils	2015/16	Vale of Glamorgan	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
18,456 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Vale of Glamorgan	Total
5,275	Number of pupils	2015/16	Rhondda Cynon Taf	Fluent in Welsh
5,405	Number of pupils	2015/16	Rhondda Cynon Taf	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
21,363	Number of pupils	2015/16	Rhondda Cynon Taf	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
32,043 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Rhondda Cynon Taf	Total
446	Number of pupils	2015/16	Merthyr Tydfil	Fluent in Welsh
1,377	Number of pupils	2015/16	Merthyr Tydfil	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
5,149	Number of pupils	2015/16	Merthyr Tydfil	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
6,972 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Merthyr Tydfil	Total
3,408	Number of pupils	2015/16	Caerphilly	Fluent in Welsh
11,167	Number of pupils	2015/16	Caerphilly	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
9,058	Number of pupils	2015/16	Caerphilly	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
23,633 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Caerphilly	Total
110	Number of pupils	2015/16	Blaenau Gwent	Fluent in Welsh
4,243	Number of pupils	2015/16	Blaenau Gwent	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
3,128	Number of pupils	2015/16	Blaenau Gwent	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
7,481 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Blaenau Gwent	Total
1,438	Number of pupils	2015/16	Torfaen	Fluent in Welsh
6,460	Number of pupils	2015/16	Torfaen	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
4,826	Number of pupils	2015/16	Torfaen	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
12,724 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Torfaen	Total
249	Number of pupils	2015/16	Monmouthshire	Fluent in Welsh
7,774	Number of pupils	2015/16	Monmouthshire	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
2,142	Number of pupils	2015/16	Monmouthshire	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
10,165 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Monmouthshire	Total
393	Number of pupils	2015/16	Newport	Fluent in Welsh
11,655	Number of pupils	2015/16	Newport	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
9,157	Number of pupils	2015/16	Newport	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
21,205 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Newport	Total
5,302	Number of pupils	2015/16	Cardiff	Fluent in Welsh
6,197	Number of pupils	2015/16	Cardiff	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
32,727	Number of pupils	2015/16	Cardiff	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
44,226 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Cardiff	Total
63,063	Number of pupils	2015/16	Wales	Fluent in Welsh
125,965	Number of pupils	2015/16	Wales	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
199,537	Number of pupils	2015/16	Wales	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
388,565 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Wales	Total
4,202	Number of pupils	2016/17	Isle of Anglesey	Fluent in Welsh
3,227	Number of pupils	2016/17	Isle of Anglesey	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
726	Number of pupils	2016/17	Isle of Anglesey	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
8,155 [t]	Number of pupils	2016/17	Isle of Anglesey	Total

Showing 1,101 to 1,200 of 2,024 rows

Page 12 of 21

Main information

• Most recent update: 24 September 2025
• Next update expected: July 2026
• Designation: Official statistics
• Data provider: Welsh Government
• Data source: Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC)
• Time period covered: September 2003 to August 2025

Data notes

Overview

• Summary of dataset and variables:

  Data from the annual School Census which collects information on schools, pupils, classes, ethnicity, free school meal eligibility, additional learning needs and special educational needs.

• Data collection or calculation:

  The data in this report is collected by the Welsh Government from local authority maintained schools in a return called the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC). PLASC is an electronic collection of pupil and school level data. Schools record data on pupils and the school throughout the year in their Management Information System (MIS) software. This data is collated into an electronic PLASC return and submitted to the Welsh Government through DEWI, a secure online data transfer system developed by the Welsh Government. Various stages of automated validation and sense-checking are built into the process to ensure a high quality of data to inform policy making and funding.

• Statistical quality:

  The returns are authorised by headteachers and validated by local authorities.

  The school census date is usually in January. Due to the level of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in January 2022, the 2022 census date was delayed to 15 February 2022. School closures between December 2020 and March 2021 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic meant that the 2021 census date was delayed to 20 April 2021.

  Pupils are eligible for free school meals if their parents or guardians are in receipt of certain means-tested benefits or support payments. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may have impacted on the quality of this data and may have resulted in over recording of this data in 2020 to 2022. These figures do not include pupils who only receive free school meals due to the universal primary free school meal policy.

• Related reports:
  • Schools' census results

Published by

• Organisation: Welsh Government
• Contact email: school.stats@gov.wales

Metadata

The metadata for this dataset is not included when you download the data. You can download this separately. This contains all the information from the 'About this dataset' tab.