PARENTS of children at a Towy Valley school have raised concerns over changes to registration groups 'according to the language the student receives his or her education'.

After attending a headteacher’s address earlier this summer for new year seven students at Ysgol Bro Dinefwr in Llandeilo, some parents said they were disappointed by the move.

“The only provision for integrating both streams will be in sporting events," said one concerned parent, who did not wish to be identified.

Another said: "We feel that this will further divide the relationships between students from different streams and lead to more bullying and segregation within the school."

A spokesperson for Carmarthenshire County Council said: "Ysgol Bro Dinefwr is not reducing its provision of English medium education.

"The school has a structure of four Welsh medium classes, one bilingual class (50:50) and three English medium classes.

"This has been the model for at least the last four years and prior to this. This was explained to parents at the open evening at the end of the summer term.

"The school is adapting the groups to meet the needs of the pupils and the language they have been taught in at primary school.

"The only change that has taken place is that the morning registration groups (which run for half an hour each day) have reverted back to the old model of groups formed according to the language the student receives his or her education.

"The registration groups have been allocated to a school house, of which there are four, with a Welsh language group and an English language group in each house.

"This means that all the inter-house activities are fully bilingual, including the school’s Eisteddfod, extra-curricular activities, sports, sponsored walking etc."

Cllr. Glynog Davies, Carmarthenshire County Council’s cabinet member of education and Welsh language told the South Wales Guardian: “Carmarthenshire County Council’s Welsh in Education Strategic Plan, ratified by Welsh Government, expects that developing Welsh medium provision is a matter for every school in the county.

"Ysgol Bro Dinefwr’s feeder primary schools are all Welsh medium bar two (one English medium and one transitional school), so the trend highlighted is a natural progression for most pupils entering the school.

"Pupils in the Welsh medium stream are already bilingual at age 11. Being fluently bilingual (and multilingual) is an educational, cultural and cognitive attribute, which can be further developed during secondary schooling.

“Welsh medium teachers are fully adept at fostering knowledge and subject understanding in a way which will be commensurate to pupils’ abilities, which also entails sensitive, purposeful and effective support for pupils with linguistic and/or additional learning needs.”