Key Points
- Over 80 prominent figures, including community leaders from Butetown and Grangetown such as Emily Pemberton, Tariq Awan, Liz Musa, and Ifty Khan, alongside artists like Gwenno Saunders, Dafydd Iwan, Gruff Rhys, and others, have signed an open letter urging Cardiff Council to establish a new all-age (3-19) Welsh-medium school.
- The proposed school would serve Butetown, Grangetown, and surrounding south Cardiff areas, addressing decades of discrimination in Welsh-medium education access for economically disadvantaged, multicultural communities.
- Signatories include musicians, poets, actors such as Cerys Hafana, Annes Elwy, Morgan Elwy, Rachael Solomon (Eden), John Griffiths (Llwybr Llaethog), DJ Jaffa, Peredur ap Gwynedd (Pendulum), Sharon Morgan, Lisa Angharad, Rhys Gwynfor, Joe Patrick Healy, Ali Goolyad, Kyle Legall, Llio Maddocks, and Miriam Isaac.
- Liz Musa, a Butetown campaigner, stated: “It’s essential for this Welsh medium school to go ahead in our community – as it will give our young people more opportunities.”
- Dafydd Iwan said: “Of all the wonderful developments that are happening today to strengthen the Welsh language as a living language, there is none that is more important than the growth of Welsh-medium schools. It is therefore essential that we provide in good time for the demand for more Welsh-medium schools, especially in our capital city. It is a privilege to be able to support this important campaign.”
- Author Hammad Rind, a parent and Welsh speaker from the area, remarked: “I grew up in Punjab, Pakistan, a multilingual country where Panjabi is the language with the majority of speakers. But Panjabi is not taught in any schools in Pakistan. As a result, most people of my generation in Pakistan cannot read Panjabi and are ignorant of its rich literature. Education gives language confidence and a future. If we want the Welsh language to flourish, we must ensure that every child in Wales has the community right to Welsh-medium education.”
- Catrin Dafydd, speaking for the campaign, emphasised: “By signing the letter, the community leaders and well-known artists of Butetown, Grangetown and Wales are sending a clear message to the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet that there is a real urgency to establish a Welsh-medium school for all ages to serve families in the south of the city and that the establishment of the school is a matter of local and national importance.”
- The letter demands Cardiff Council Leader Huw Thomas and Cabinet publish a statutory proposal immediately for the school in a new, sustainable building.
- A public meeting is scheduled at Grange Pavilion, Grangetown, Cardiff CF11 7LJ on Thursday 19 February 2026 from 7:30pm till 8:45pm.
- Cardiff Council is conducting public engagement on Welsh-medium secondary education from 12 February to 26 March 2026.
- Related context: Campaigners from Cymdeithas yr Iaith criticised Council Leader Huw Thomas for breaking a promise on Welsh-medium schools in the Plasdŵr development, opting for a bilingual primary instead.
- Mabli Siriol of Cymdeithas yr Iaith said: “A Welsh-medium school, not a bilingual school, is what we need here if the Council is serious about ensuring that we reach a million speakers… What has changed? Has the Leader made a U-turn in order to please reactionary, anti-Welsh language voices in his cabinet?”
Butetown (Cardiff Daily) February 19, 2026 – Over 80 leading figures from community leadership and the arts have penned an open letter to Cardiff Council Leader Huw Thomas and his Cabinet, demanding the immediate establishment of a new all-age Welsh-medium school in south Cardiff’s Butetown and Grangetown areas. The proposal seeks to rectify longstanding barriers to Welsh-medium education in these multicultural, economically challenged districts, framing it as a vital step for social justice and language vitality.
Why Do Leading Figures Support a New Welsh School?
As reported by Jules Millward of Nation.Cymru, the open letter highlights the absence of Welsh-medium secondary provision in south Cardiff, despite the city’s size necessitating schools in west, north, east, and south quadrants. It states: “In a city the size of Cardiff, we need Welsh-medium schools located in the west, north, east and south. The south of Cardiff is home to the most multicultural communities – not only in the capital but in the whole of Wales.”
The signatories argue this creates a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to correct structures for Welsh-medium education that have discriminated against families in the area for decades.” Community leaders like Emily Pemberton, Tariq Awan, Liz Musa, and Ifty Khan from Butetown and Grangetown joined forces with prominent Welsh artists, underscoring the campaign’s broad appeal.
Catrin Dafydd elaborated: “It is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to show that the Welsh language belongs to, and is available to, everyone.”
What Challenges Face South Cardiff Families?
Children in Butetown and Grangetown currently exit the Welsh-medium system post-primary, shifting to local English-medium secondaries, which undermines continuity under the Curriculum for Wales. The letter notes: “There are children who also leave the Welsh-medium system at the end of primary school and attend local English-medium secondary schools in new buildings. But in accordance with the Curriculum for Wales, Welsh-medium secondary education should be available at the heart of this community so that pupils can celebrate the unique multicultural identity of the area while learning about the world.”
Liz Musa stressed the opportunities at stake: “It’s essential for this Welsh medium school to go ahead in our community – as it will give our young people more opportunities.”
Hammad Rind drew from personal experience: “Education gives language confidence and a future.”
Who Are the Key Signatories Involved?
The letter boasts signatures from arts luminaries including Gwenno Saunders, Dafydd Iwan, Gruff Rhys, Dionne Bennett, Patricia Morgan (Datblygu), Don Leisure, Caryl Parry Jones, Sue Jones Davies, Cian Ciarán, and Ani Saunders. Additional names encompass Griff Lynch, Cerys Hafana, Annes Elwy, Morgan Elwy, Rachael Solomon of Eden, John Griffiths of Llwybr Llaethog, DJ Jaffa, Peredur ap Gwynedd of Pendulum, Sharon Morgan, Lisa Angharad, Rhys Gwynfor, Joe Patrick Healy, Ali Goolyad, Kyle Legall, Llio Maddocks, and Miriam Isaac.
Dafydd Iwan affirmed: “It is therefore essential that we provide in good time for the demand for more Welsh-medium schools, especially in our capital city.”
These voices amplify the call for a school serving families across Butetown, Grangetown, and environs.
What Is the Campaign’s Core Demand?
Catrin Dafydd outlined the ultimatum: “Opening the doors of a Welsh-medium school for all ages is the only acceptable option on the table. We therefore formally call on the Leader and Cabinet of Cardiff Council to declare their intention to establish the school immediately by publishing a specific, statutory proposal for a Welsh-medium school for all ages 3-19 to be located and to serve the families of Butetown, Grangetown and surrounding areas.”
The proposal envisions a sustainable new building at the community’s heart, aligning with national goals for Welsh language growth.
How Does This Fit Cardiff’s Broader Education Landscape?
Cardiff Council runs parallel engagement exercises on Welsh-medium secondary education from 12 February to 26 March 2026, detailed on their website. A public meeting at Grange Pavilion on 19 February 2026 from 7:30pm to 8:45pm will chart next steps.
In related developments, as covered by Cymdeithas yr Iaith, campaigners accused Leader Huw Thomas of reneging on a September 2025 tweet promising Welsh-medium schools central to the Plasdŵr housing project (up to 7,000 homes in high-Welsh-speaking Creigiau, St Fagans, Pentyrch). Instead, Cabinet approved a bilingual primary consultation.
Mabli Siriol questioned: “After all, the Leader of the Council said that Welsh-medium schools would be a central part of the new development. Indeed, we were led to understand that the first school would be a Welsh-medium one. What has changed?” She added: “Opening a brand new school for this housing development offers a golden opportunity to quickly increase the provision of Welsh… At the moment, according to the council’s own statistics there are more reception-age children who want a place in a Welsh-medium school than there are places for them.”
What Next Steps Are Planned?
The campaign positions the school as essential for a million Welsh speakers target, decrying bilingual compromises amid excess English places. Siriol warned the Council is “holding back the growth of the Welsh language in the area and the aspirations of the vast majority of people of the area to revive the language.”
No direct Council response to the open letter appears in reports, though prior statements affirm commitment to Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) 2022-2031 amid falling birth rates.
This push underscores tensions between community demands and planning realities in Cardiff’s diverse south.
