0:00:02 > 0:00:07There's a huge decision I have to make and it's stressing me out.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11Do I send my son to Welsh or English secondary school?
0:00:11 > 0:00:16It's a dilemma that's dividing his dad Rhod and I like never before.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19I'd probably be pretty devastated if he did go to an English school.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21Why do you want to change it?
0:00:21 > 0:00:22SHE SIGHS
0:00:22 > 0:00:25'It'll set me on a journey into tricky territory...'
0:00:27 > 0:00:31Would you rather that your daughter was not studying any Welsh at all?
0:00:31 > 0:00:32Yes, I'd prefer to have the choice.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34I never like being forced to do things.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36'..unexpected challenges...'
0:00:36 > 0:00:39- How was my maths?- A bit rusty.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41'..and test all I think I know.'
0:00:41 > 0:00:43We are in a global world.
0:00:43 > 0:00:45Today, bilingualism is the norm.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48Tomorrow, multilinguism is the norm.
0:00:48 > 0:00:52'In a house with a Welsh-speaking dad and a English-speaking mum,
0:00:52 > 0:00:54'which way do we go?'
0:00:54 > 0:00:59We're further apart on it than I think either of us ever anticipated.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Gab, will you have something easy for brekkie today?
0:01:12 > 0:01:14- A nice cereal.- A fry-up.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16SHE SIGHS
0:01:16 > 0:01:19When I was growing up, I went to an English-language primary school.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22I went to an English-language secondary school
0:01:22 > 0:01:26Nobody that I knew spoke Welsh.
0:01:27 > 0:01:31It just wasn't on the radar for me at all. It just wasn't part of my life.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37Some little bits of fruit, Gab. Will you eat your strawberries, as well?
0:01:37 > 0:01:39OK.
0:01:39 > 0:01:41Always went to Welsh school.
0:01:41 > 0:01:44I went to Welsh pre-school, Welsh junior school
0:01:44 > 0:01:46and then on to Welsh comprehensive.
0:01:46 > 0:01:51- Be' ti'n chwarae? - Ni jyst yn gwneud ymarfer corff.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53He's my boy. He's Welsh.
0:01:53 > 0:01:55I'm Welsh.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59My grandparents are Welsh. We all speak Welsh.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01That's what we've done.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04I'd probably be pretty devastated if he did go to an English school.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09It's my gut feeling that I want him
0:02:09 > 0:02:12to continue his education in the language that I had it.
0:02:12 > 0:02:16It's where I feel I may be able to give more support to my son.
0:02:20 > 0:02:24So, for you, having Gabs been now to Welsh junior school and really
0:02:24 > 0:02:27happy, really enjoyed there, you know, he's doing his best...
0:02:27 > 0:02:30- Hmm.- ..are you not happy with the way he's done so far?
0:02:30 > 0:02:33Oh, my gosh, no, no. My gosh, no, I'm so delighted...
0:02:33 > 0:02:35So why do you want to change it?
0:02:35 > 0:02:36SHE SIGHS
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Well, not change it, but questioning changing it.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43Well, part of it is, I suppose I'm worried
0:02:43 > 0:02:47that I'm not going to be able to feel part of it and help him.
0:02:47 > 0:02:48'And that's the thing.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53'Could choosing Welsh school leave me isolated in my own family?
0:02:54 > 0:02:58'Rhod's heart is set, but I'm just so unsure.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00'My head is racing with questions.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04'How am I going to help with homework?
0:03:04 > 0:03:08'I really don't want him to lose his Welsh,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11'but is his English going to suffer?
0:03:11 > 0:03:14'What if it makes university harder?
0:03:14 > 0:03:17'And perhaps the thing that's worrying me most -
0:03:17 > 0:03:20'I just don't want to be left out.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23'Gabs is thriving at Welsh primary.
0:03:23 > 0:03:26'He's only seven, but this is a big decision.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28'We need time to get it right.'
0:03:28 > 0:03:30Right, let's go, let's go.
0:03:30 > 0:03:35'What I need are answers, starting with one of my big fears - homework.'
0:03:36 > 0:03:38Can you read that out to me?
0:03:38 > 0:03:42- In Welsh?- In Welsh. That's it. Put it on the table.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45"Adiwch undeg-un at y rhifau hyn...
0:03:45 > 0:03:49"Y rhifau yn y rhes uchaf..."
0:03:49 > 0:03:52So I'm not entirely sure what that means,
0:03:52 > 0:03:54so can you explain to me what we have to do there?
0:03:54 > 0:03:58- I do not understand any word of that.- Yes, you do!
0:03:58 > 0:04:02Don't you try and get out of your homework like that, mister.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04No, I don't understand what to do.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06So, right...
0:04:06 > 0:04:08'The school often sends home an English translation,
0:04:08 > 0:04:11'but it can still be difficult.'
0:04:11 > 0:04:12What does that mean?
0:04:12 > 0:04:16It was a bit tricky at times because he didn't quite understand
0:04:16 > 0:04:19the Welsh question and what was being asked of him.
0:04:19 > 0:04:20It's just one other thing to think about.
0:04:20 > 0:04:22Not just understanding the homework,
0:04:22 > 0:04:26it's actually understanding the language of the homework.
0:04:26 > 0:04:28For me, it adds an extra layer to it.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31When the homework gets a little bit more complicated,
0:04:31 > 0:04:34I can see how we may struggle.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41Right now I'm just guessing at what it will be like when Gabs is older.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46I need to experience for myself what a Welsh secondary school is like,
0:04:46 > 0:04:50so I've come to Ysgol Gyfun Rhydywaun near Hirwain to do just that.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Reit, pwy sy' eisiau ateb cwestiwn dau?
0:04:53 > 0:04:55Faint?
0:04:55 > 0:05:00Tri! So dyna beth wnaeth pawb mwy neu lai cael trafferth yn ystod y prawf.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Dyna fe fan hyn.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05Oh, it is so interesting for me
0:05:05 > 0:05:09to have the experience of being in a Welsh-speaking classroom.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10I've never ever had that before.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13I actually understood some of the Welsh terms as well -
0:05:13 > 0:05:16lluosi, rhannu, tynnu -
0:05:16 > 0:05:19just through doing homework with Gabs in primary.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23I think I'd struggle with the maths, English or Welsh,
0:05:23 > 0:05:25that's me and maths.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28But if Gabriel came home with this, I can see how I may get frustrated
0:05:28 > 0:05:32trying to help him if I couldn't immediately understand the question.
0:05:33 > 0:05:3897% of pupils here have parents who don't speak Welsh.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42After hearing concerns that some were struggling to understand homework,
0:05:42 > 0:05:44the school developed a bilingual app.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46I'm in Aberdare to find out more
0:05:46 > 0:05:51and have a go at helping 14-year-old Dafydd with his maths homework.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55Neither mum Michelle nor his dad speak Welsh.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58It would really help me to see how it all works.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Basically, all the homework we do in the term in Year 9
0:06:01 > 0:06:04is on here and then I can show it to my parents
0:06:04 > 0:06:06in an English and Welsh version.
0:06:06 > 0:06:08So if you do have a problem with your homework, what do you do?
0:06:08 > 0:06:11Do you go straight to Mum or do you go straight to the app?
0:06:11 > 0:06:14I try and work it out myself first and then I go to the app
0:06:14 > 0:06:18and then if I can't find anything in the app, I go to Mam.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21Would it help you if they did speak Welsh with your homework?
0:06:21 > 0:06:24I think it would help me a little bit
0:06:24 > 0:06:26but I'm fine with them not speaking Welsh.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30- OK, that's really good. Shall we have an actual crack at this?- Yeah.
0:06:31 > 0:06:33- Lluosi.- Lluosi.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37It's a lot to do in your head, isn't it?
0:06:39 > 0:06:42- All that maths and you end up with a zero.- I know!
0:06:44 > 0:06:45So that was good, wasn't it?
0:06:45 > 0:06:49Do you often find that you need Mum's help?
0:06:49 > 0:06:52No, not really, cos the teachers explain it well enough
0:06:52 > 0:06:56in the lessons that I understand it.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Excellent. You're good with the maths.
0:06:58 > 0:07:01- How was my maths?- Bit rusty.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Oh, I can't believe you said that!
0:07:03 > 0:07:06You're absolutely right.
0:07:06 > 0:07:07Have you ever had problems
0:07:07 > 0:07:10when you're trying to help him with his homework,
0:07:10 > 0:07:13cos I struggle even now at primary level with Gabriel sometimes?
0:07:13 > 0:07:18I mean, obviously the fact that we don't speak Welsh does cause
0:07:18 > 0:07:21a little bit of a language problem but it's quite normal to us
0:07:21 > 0:07:23that we go through the process of,
0:07:23 > 0:07:26if I don't understand anything or if Dad doesn't understand anything,
0:07:26 > 0:07:29then we get Dafydd to translate for us
0:07:29 > 0:07:31and he's more than able to do that.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34I suppose though there is an element of, even if
0:07:34 > 0:07:37he was educated through the medium of English, there may be subjects
0:07:37 > 0:07:41he'd come home with we wouldn't understand necessarily then.
0:07:41 > 0:07:45Do you ever feel slightly removed from his education
0:07:45 > 0:07:48and therefore his life because of the language?
0:07:48 > 0:07:52No, not at all. The school are quite immersive with parents.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55They like parents to participate in a lot of the activities
0:07:55 > 0:08:00and I had a preconceived notion that,
0:08:00 > 0:08:04because I wasn't Welsh speaking, I may feel like I was a little bit
0:08:04 > 0:08:06of an outsider, but it's just not that way at all.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10DIALLING TONE
0:08:12 > 0:08:14Hello.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16'Hi.'
0:08:16 > 0:08:18Hello, how you doing?
0:08:18 > 0:08:19'Good. You all right?'
0:08:19 > 0:08:21Yeah, really good actually.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23Just been talking to a family.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Neither of the parents speak Welsh,
0:08:26 > 0:08:29but they sent their kids to a Welsh medium secondary.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31They haven't struggled at all.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33In fact, they didn't even question the decision
0:08:33 > 0:08:36whether to send them to Welsh.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38It was just an absolute for them.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41It's not to say that, for me, those concerns aren't still there.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46You know, I think I worry a little bit more about it than they have.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48'Maybe you worry about things
0:08:48 > 0:08:50'you don't necessarily need to worry about.'
0:08:50 > 0:08:52Maybe I am, Rhodri, maybe I am.
0:08:55 > 0:08:57I'm still not convinced, though.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02My instinct says English medium is the most logical choice.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04I've come to see Cardiff mum, Judith,
0:09:04 > 0:09:06who's done exactly what makes sense to me.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09She switched from Welsh primary to English secondary for her
0:09:09 > 0:09:13eldest daughter Isabelle and will do the same for her youngest.
0:09:13 > 0:09:16I want to know if it's worked out for them.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18Have a good day!
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Did you find the decision hard to make?
0:09:20 > 0:09:22It was quite an easy decision
0:09:22 > 0:09:25because you're just looking to ease the path, aren't you,
0:09:25 > 0:09:29of your child's journey through the education system?
0:09:29 > 0:09:32It's not that we felt she couldn't achieve
0:09:32 > 0:09:35if she went to a Welsh medium school, far from it.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39It's purely to maximise her chances
0:09:39 > 0:09:42of reaching whatever potential she has.
0:09:42 > 0:09:44If she has it all in English,
0:09:44 > 0:09:48we're much more able to support that at home.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52There's not that extra stage of potentially translating it.
0:09:52 > 0:09:56There's not any confusion with whether or not we can help her.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00We just know we can. We are completely confident that we can.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Do you worry, though, that the girls may lose their Welsh?
0:10:03 > 0:10:05I don't worry about it at all.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07I think it's always a skill she'll have.
0:10:07 > 0:10:11Certainly in terms of conversational Welsh, she will always have that
0:10:11 > 0:10:14and should she wish to pick it up again in the future,
0:10:14 > 0:10:16the skill will be there.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Did she want to go to English language secondary?
0:10:18 > 0:10:20I know if I ask Gabs right now, he'll be like,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23"No, I want to go to Welsh language secondary" mainly cos most of
0:10:23 > 0:10:26his mates, I think, in his year will be going to Welsh language secondary.
0:10:26 > 0:10:28So did she have a problem with it?
0:10:28 > 0:10:32She would rather have gone with her friends to Welsh medium
0:10:32 > 0:10:34but she still sees them all outside of school
0:10:34 > 0:10:36and she's coped really well with that.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39For us, it's really just trusting the gut instinct
0:10:39 > 0:10:41that we think that's an easier path for her
0:10:41 > 0:10:45and the best decision we can make for both of the girls.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Oh, Judith is very convincing, isn't she?
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Um...it was a relief actually to talk to somebody who's got
0:10:52 > 0:10:55the same concerns as me, and, at the end of the day,
0:10:55 > 0:10:58she said she went with her gut feeling.
0:10:58 > 0:10:59And, as an English speaker,
0:10:59 > 0:11:03I guess your gut feeling is going to be English medium secondary.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07It's my gut feeling, but then Rhod, of course, is a Welsh speaker.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10His gut feeling is to go for Welsh.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13I don't know. I just don't know.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18I think what could really help is to see for myself
0:11:18 > 0:11:21just how well Isabelle is settling in at her school,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24so I'm going to catch up with her at her history class.
0:11:25 > 0:11:29Are you happy that you're in English language secondary?
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Um, sometimes I miss having my primary school friends,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36but, at the same time, I've made new friends.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39Does it ever worry you that you might lose the Welsh that you've learned
0:11:39 > 0:11:40if you're not using it now?
0:11:40 > 0:11:42My grandad speaks Welsh as well,
0:11:42 > 0:11:47so I don't think I would lose the Welsh.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51It still feels that it's very much a Welsh classroom,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55even though we're using the medium of English
0:11:55 > 0:11:58because of the way the Welsh language is peppered through the lesson.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Welsh on the blackboard.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Maybe this could be the best of both worlds?
0:12:03 > 0:12:07Only three of the 200 pupils in Isabelle's year
0:12:07 > 0:12:11came from Welsh medium primary to this English secondary.
0:12:11 > 0:12:16I'm hoping Radyr Comprehensive head Andrew Williams can shed light
0:12:16 > 0:12:17on why some parents switch.
0:12:17 > 0:12:21Can you understand why some parents decide to ditch
0:12:21 > 0:12:25- Welsh language education after primary and go to English?- I can.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28I think there's a fear amongst some parents that if they're
0:12:28 > 0:12:33in the Welsh medium school that their English language will suffer.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35There's an argument for that, there's an argument against it.
0:12:35 > 0:12:38I see it a lot more at A-Level, because I think sometimes
0:12:38 > 0:12:41there's a parental perception there
0:12:41 > 0:12:43that going on to university, it's all delivered
0:12:43 > 0:12:46through the medium of English, so they prepare them
0:12:46 > 0:12:50by doing their A-Levels in English and that's an interesting theory.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54That has struck a chord with me.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Why would you make your child's future education more difficult?
0:13:00 > 0:13:02I'm torn.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Speaking Welsh is not just having two languages.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14It opens another world and culture for Gabs.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16I love that he has that,
0:13:16 > 0:13:20that he can sing hymns in chapel and go to Sunday school with his Dad.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Beth am frecwast ar y traeth? Mae hwnna'n swnio'n neis.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27It's a world that's not my world, and that's OK,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30but not when it comes to his education.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33I'm so busy with work, I already struggle giving Gabs
0:13:33 > 0:13:35enough of my time.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39His education is such a big part of his life,
0:13:39 > 0:13:41it's important for me to be involved.
0:13:41 > 0:13:48And if I can't, it's just another area where I'm not being able to be
0:13:48 > 0:13:50the mum that I want to be, really.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55The obvious solution is something I have tried.
0:13:55 > 0:13:59People are absolutely right if they are shouting at the telly right now
0:13:59 > 0:14:03and saying, "Just learn Welsh. That's the easy way forward."
0:14:03 > 0:14:05It should be, but I have really struggled learning.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09I've had a couple of goes, tried different courses, different methods.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12I know I should probably make it a priority,
0:14:12 > 0:14:14but I've just struggled with it
0:14:14 > 0:14:17and it's not an easy language to learn, especially as you get older.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Right, Gabs, what are we going to build?
0:14:20 > 0:14:22A house.
0:14:22 > 0:14:27'Whatever Rhod or I want, it's what's best for Gabs that's important,
0:14:27 > 0:14:32'so I want to find out how being bilingual will affect his life.'
0:14:32 > 0:14:34I'm quite enjoying this.
0:14:36 > 0:14:42I'm visiting the Khan family - Aruj, Alina, Meriam and Uzman -
0:14:42 > 0:14:44who speak four languages.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46SHE SPEAKS IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE
0:14:46 > 0:14:48- Yeah, that's what he said.- Oh, OK.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54- I thought you said you were Dad? - He said, "You're with Dad."
0:14:54 > 0:14:57Hi. I hope you don't mind me joining you.
0:14:57 > 0:15:01Oh, my goodness, it was absolutely amazing to hear you all
0:15:01 > 0:15:03switching between languages there.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07- How many do you speak?- I think it's four in total fluently.
0:15:07 > 0:15:08Is it? What languages are they?
0:15:08 > 0:15:12- There's Urdu, Punjabi, English and Welsh.- My goodness.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15And what's it like having four languages?
0:15:15 > 0:15:18It seems like you switch between them all the time, do you?
0:15:18 > 0:15:21I think it really depends on who we're talking to.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24If we're talking amongst each other, as sisters,
0:15:24 > 0:15:29- we'd usually speak English cos that seems the most informal to us.- Yeah.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31Easy-going. But it is quite easy.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35Seeing as we've been brought up speaking three languages at least,
0:15:35 > 0:15:37it's very easy to switch.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41- It's so natural.- Is it? You don't even have to think about it?- No.
0:15:41 > 0:15:45Well, I'm absolutely in awe of you, having struggled learning Welsh.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48I'm absolutely in awe of you. It's amazing.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52'It's just second nature to the Khan family,
0:15:52 > 0:15:55'but I'd love to know the science behind it all
0:15:55 > 0:15:57'so I'm meeting cognitive neuroscientist
0:15:57 > 0:16:01'Professor Guillaume Thierry from Bangor University.'
0:16:01 > 0:16:03- Guillaume, hello.- Hi. - Lovely to meet you.- Nice to meet you.
0:16:03 > 0:16:05- Thank you so much...- You're welcome.
0:16:05 > 0:16:08..for coming all this way to come and have a chat.
0:16:08 > 0:16:11Can you be equally strong in two languages
0:16:11 > 0:16:13or is one language going to suffer?
0:16:13 > 0:16:16There have been some studies looking at the level of achievement
0:16:16 > 0:16:19of bilinguals in two languages
0:16:19 > 0:16:23and it is true that there is a tendency of the vocabulary,
0:16:23 > 0:16:28for the mastery of grammar to suffer a small delay in the development.
0:16:28 > 0:16:31This being said, there's this myth if you want,
0:16:31 > 0:16:34of the human brain, I'd like to kill here.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37We think that the brain is a limited space.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40We keep thinking that we can only store so much information
0:16:40 > 0:16:43and once the bucket is full, that's it.
0:16:43 > 0:16:45It's exactly the opposite.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49The human brain is an almost limitless space.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52It's a networking system that learns more as it learns more.
0:16:52 > 0:16:56- Wyt ti 'di gorffen? - Ti angen gorffen y pys i gyd.
0:16:57 > 0:17:03What about for Gabriel, when he comes home and he has homework in Welsh...
0:17:03 > 0:17:07- Hmm.- ..and he has to translate it for me if I'm going to help him?
0:17:07 > 0:17:09- Yes.- Is that going to be a struggle for him?
0:17:09 > 0:17:11I can perfectly understand your worry, right.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13He's going to have homework in Welsh
0:17:13 > 0:17:16and he'll have to explain to you what's on the page in English.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19Now, what's just happened is a form of trans-languaging where
0:17:19 > 0:17:24he's read a piece of information and he has no choice
0:17:24 > 0:17:26but capturing the entire meaning of it,
0:17:26 > 0:17:30so in fact, the change of language now becomes an advantage clearly,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33there's no question about this, because you have to access
0:17:33 > 0:17:36the meaning of what you're reading to be able to explain it to others.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40You're becoming a mini teacher as a child. The best way to learn.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42Absolutely, undeniably the best way to learn.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46Now, it is an effort but that effort is actually useful for learning.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51So has your research thrown up any disadvantages to bilingualism?
0:17:51 > 0:17:53Any problems that the brain may encounter?
0:17:53 > 0:17:56You're still looking for that, right? You really want to know...
0:17:56 > 0:17:59- I need reassurance.- ..if there's anything wrong with bilingualism.
0:17:59 > 0:18:02I don't blame you. I understand.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05It's a question that a lot of people are looking for.
0:18:05 > 0:18:08Some wonder if the origin of this concern
0:18:08 > 0:18:14or this search for a disadvantage or an impairment doesn't
0:18:14 > 0:18:17come from some kind of, not frustration or jealousy,
0:18:17 > 0:18:22some kind of a bit of a complex from monolinguals that, actually,
0:18:22 > 0:18:25they don't have access to this other resource
0:18:25 > 0:18:28and they would like to have a good reason to say, "We don't need it."
0:18:28 > 0:18:32Actually, I'm sorry to say, in my research in any case,
0:18:32 > 0:18:37and my reading of literature, I haven't found anything convincing.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41So, you see the future is bilingualism?
0:18:41 > 0:18:43The future is multilingualism for the simple reason that
0:18:43 > 0:18:47we're in a global world. Today, bilingualism is the norm.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50Tomorrow, multilingualism is the norm.
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Everybody is going to speak several languages.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55Oh, my goodness, so much to think about.
0:18:55 > 0:18:58It's actually turned one of my concerns completely on its head.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01I've been worried that I wouldn't be able to help Gabriel
0:19:01 > 0:19:03if he went to Welsh speaking education.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07Actually, by me not speaking Welsh, I'd be a benefit to him because
0:19:07 > 0:19:11he'd have to translate his homework and that would help him learn.
0:19:11 > 0:19:16One of my concerns completely blown out of the sky, so that's...
0:19:16 > 0:19:20Gosh, I'm shaking a little bit because it means such a lot to know,
0:19:20 > 0:19:24if that was the route we went down, I would be able to help him.
0:19:25 > 0:19:26So that means a lot.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33Bilingualism clearly has huge advantages,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36but does one of those languages have to be Welsh?
0:19:37 > 0:19:41Steve and Adrienne from Caerleon don't think so.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44Lottie's dad works for an international software company,
0:19:44 > 0:19:48dealing with colleagues and clients from around the world.
0:19:49 > 0:19:50So do you think that, partly
0:19:50 > 0:19:53because Welsh really isn't going to be helping you in your job at all,
0:19:53 > 0:19:55do you think that's partly why
0:19:55 > 0:19:59- you don't see it may be important to Lottie?- Yes, it is.
0:19:59 > 0:20:02Outside of Wales, it really isn't mentioned at all.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04Whether you've got Welsh isn't a criteria.
0:20:04 > 0:20:07Personally, for us and our family,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09we'd rather them do the modern languages
0:20:09 > 0:20:12and feel that that would open up more opportunities
0:20:12 > 0:20:14for their future careers.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16Although, what if Lottie stays in Wales,
0:20:16 > 0:20:20what if she maybe goes into the public sector or media,
0:20:20 > 0:20:22where Welsh could be an asset for her?
0:20:22 > 0:20:25How do you feel about that? What if she doesn't travel the world?
0:20:25 > 0:20:27I understand you may work internationally,
0:20:27 > 0:20:28but what if she doesn't?
0:20:28 > 0:20:32- Yeah.- Then it will close some doors to her, definitely.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36And how would you feel about that, cos of the choices you've made?
0:20:36 > 0:20:38We're making choices all the time which close doors to her
0:20:38 > 0:20:41by not doing German, not doing Spanish, not doing Japanese.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45That closes some doors to her, so we are closing doors all the time,
0:20:45 > 0:20:47but we think we're opening bigger doors.
0:20:47 > 0:20:50Can you see how it may be important to give Lottie
0:20:50 > 0:20:54the language for cultural reasons, as a Welsh girl?
0:20:54 > 0:20:58No, not particularly. I can't see that's particularly important.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00For me, I want to try
0:21:00 > 0:21:03and equip Gabriel with as many tools as possible to help him
0:21:03 > 0:21:06in whatever direction that he goes, and, for me,
0:21:06 > 0:21:11giving him Welsh is one of those tools that I give him.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Does that...register at all?
0:21:14 > 0:21:15At an early age, that's fine,
0:21:15 > 0:21:18but, as he gets older and you start to make choices
0:21:18 > 0:21:21and you've got a choice of which GCSEs can he take,
0:21:21 > 0:21:23when we had a look at the list, we just didn't think
0:21:23 > 0:21:27Welsh was as valuable as some of the other tools we'd like to give to my daughter.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31Would you rather that your daughter was not studying any Welsh at all?
0:21:31 > 0:21:34Yes. Well, I'd prefer to have the choice.
0:21:34 > 0:21:35I never like being forced to do things,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38so I'd much prefer she had the choice of what to do.
0:21:39 > 0:21:42'Steve's views are very clear,
0:21:42 > 0:21:45'but I'd love to know what Lottie has to say.'
0:21:45 > 0:21:50- Hi, Lottie. Am I interrupting your homework?- No, it's fine.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53So is it important to you to speak Welsh?
0:21:53 > 0:21:58Not particularly because in Caerleon it's quite unusual to have
0:21:58 > 0:22:00a fluent Welsh speaker, especially at my age.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04There's hardly any children who know Welsh fluently,
0:22:04 > 0:22:07and it's never been a part of my life, really.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09I've never been restricted by not speaking it.
0:22:09 > 0:22:12So would you rather you didn't have to learn Welsh at all?
0:22:12 > 0:22:14To be honest, I would,
0:22:14 > 0:22:16because I think it should still be an option because,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18for some children, it will be part of their future,
0:22:18 > 0:22:21but personally I'd prefer to do French and German
0:22:21 > 0:22:24because I'd quite like to move abroad when I'm older.
0:22:24 > 0:22:26Do you ever think, though,
0:22:26 > 0:22:28"I'm a good Welsh girl. I was born in Wales
0:22:28 > 0:22:32"and I'd like to be able to speak the language of the country?"
0:22:32 > 0:22:34No, I'm patriotic.
0:22:34 > 0:22:35I love Wales,
0:22:35 > 0:22:40but I don't really see Welsh is that key to being a Welsh person.
0:22:44 > 0:22:45SHE EXHALES
0:22:45 > 0:22:49I actually found that quite hard
0:22:49 > 0:22:52to hear the language being valued so little,
0:22:52 > 0:22:54whether in the workplace or even culturally.
0:22:55 > 0:23:00However, I can appreciate that they want to give Lottie
0:23:00 > 0:23:03a really broad outlook on the world and want to give her
0:23:03 > 0:23:06as many opportunities to go as far afield as possible.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08I also want that for Gabriel,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11but does that have to be at the expense of the Welsh language?
0:23:16 > 0:23:18If you're talking about ambition,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21it doesn't get much higher than this place -
0:23:21 > 0:23:23Queens' College Cambridge.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26I'm here to meet a student whose education up to age 18
0:23:26 > 0:23:29was entirely in Welsh.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33He's a qualified doctor now studying for a Masters in medical science.
0:23:33 > 0:23:38He also happens to be a world class rugby international - Jamie Roberts.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40- Shw mai. How are you? - Hi, how are you?- You all right?
0:23:40 > 0:23:44Lovely here, isn't it? Thank you so much.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48What was it like when you first went to university,
0:23:48 > 0:23:52suddenly having to make that switch to English. Was that really hard?
0:23:52 > 0:23:55I'd spoken English at home, so I was used to conversing in English,
0:23:55 > 0:24:00but ultimately, in science I think the concepts are the same
0:24:00 > 0:24:03regardless of the language.
0:24:03 > 0:24:09So you take reproduction or you take chemistry, anything in science,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12the concept is the same whether it's in English, Welsh, Spanish, German,
0:24:12 > 0:24:18whatever, so it was just a case of learning a whole new host of words,
0:24:18 > 0:24:22because there is quite a bit of carry-over from A-Level science
0:24:22 > 0:24:24in your first couple of years in medicine.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26Wasn't that an added challenge, though,
0:24:26 > 0:24:27that you could probably have done without
0:24:27 > 0:24:29when you're starting a degree course
0:24:29 > 0:24:32and you've got an added linguistic challenge?
0:24:32 > 0:24:34Again, we go back to the point,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37obviously it would have been easier in English,
0:24:37 > 0:24:39but that was the lay of the land for me
0:24:39 > 0:24:43and you didn't have any other choice than to adapt
0:24:43 > 0:24:45and learn a whole new host of words.
0:24:45 > 0:24:47As difficult as it sounds, I think
0:24:47 > 0:24:50it was easier than you think it would be.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54It's one of my concerns for Gabs that,
0:24:54 > 0:24:56maybe by him going through Welsh language education,
0:24:56 > 0:24:58it could just make life harder and, as a parent,
0:24:58 > 0:25:02you just want to make everything as easy as you possibly can for them.
0:25:02 > 0:25:07Yeah, well, I think my parents took the view that...
0:25:07 > 0:25:10and they've always been of the view that life shouldn't be easy.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12Why worry about making it difficult?
0:25:12 > 0:25:15You should be maybe more excited about making it challenging
0:25:15 > 0:25:18and rewarding and picturing the end product,
0:25:18 > 0:25:21you'll hopefully have a lad who's bilingual,
0:25:21 > 0:25:23is fluent in both English and Welsh,
0:25:23 > 0:25:27and will be very proud to be Welsh, proud to speak the language,
0:25:27 > 0:25:29and, yeah, happy days.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32So, if you had your time all over again,
0:25:32 > 0:25:34would you choose Welsh secondary?
0:25:34 > 0:25:39Looking back over what it's given me, opportunities it's given me,
0:25:39 > 0:25:41happiness it's given me,
0:25:41 > 0:25:44albeit in challenging circumstances with my parents speaking English,
0:25:44 > 0:25:49I'd definitely have my time again in Welsh secondary education.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52One day, when I do have children, touch wood,
0:25:52 > 0:25:56I'll be sending them to Welsh schools, no doubt about that.
0:25:56 > 0:25:58'He's certainly an advocate for Welsh education
0:25:58 > 0:26:02'but it's his approach to life that's really got me thinking.'
0:26:02 > 0:26:05He said that I don't need to make life easier for my son.
0:26:05 > 0:26:08That is my instinct. That is what I want to do as a parent.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10I want to make life as easy as possible for him,
0:26:10 > 0:26:13but maybe a child does need a few challenges.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17Maybe it's not a bad thing. Jamie doesn't think it is.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Gosh, look what he's achieved.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21Obviously he is super bright. He's in Cambridge.
0:26:21 > 0:26:26What if Gabs isn't that academic and may struggle a little bit more
0:26:26 > 0:26:30with that switch from Welsh to English?
0:26:30 > 0:26:33That is something I think I will still think about.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42I've heard both sides of the story.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45For each family, their choice was right for them.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50But now I need to know what's right for my family.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58It's been so hard trying to come to a decision.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01I've been torn this way and that...
0:27:03 > 0:27:07..um, but I would go for Welsh medium education
0:27:07 > 0:27:09and I never thought I would say that,
0:27:09 > 0:27:16but now it feels right for our family...
0:27:18 > 0:27:20..because Welsh is so important to Rhod, Gabriel,
0:27:20 > 0:27:24and now I've learnt just how important it is to me as well.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32I'm just completely thrilled that she's made a decision,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35that she's not 50% this, 50% that,
0:27:35 > 0:27:38but she knows exactly what she wants for Gabs.
0:27:40 > 0:27:45It's just a bonus that what she wants is what I'd like as well.
0:27:45 > 0:27:47It is quite annoying that Rhod's going to think
0:27:47 > 0:27:50that he's got his own way on this, but it's really not that.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52Go on, Gabby!
0:27:52 > 0:27:58'I can see myself being part of Gabriel's Welsh medium education
0:27:58 > 0:28:00'and not long ago,'
0:28:00 > 0:28:03I would never have been able to see myself
0:28:03 > 0:28:05playing an important role in that.
0:28:05 > 0:28:09- Whoo! Who scored a try?- Twice. - Twice?
0:28:09 > 0:28:13I feel really happy that I have come to a decision as well,
0:28:13 > 0:28:17that it's right for me and for our family, for all of us,
0:28:17 > 0:28:21and that's what makes it quite an exciting prospect now.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31# Don't know much about history
0:28:31 > 0:28:35# Don't know much biology
0:28:35 > 0:28:38# Don't know much about a science book
0:28:38 > 0:28:42# Don't know much about the French I took
0:28:42 > 0:28:46# But I do know that I love you
0:28:46 > 0:28:49# And I know that if you love me too
0:28:49 > 0:28:52# What a wonderful world this would be. #