55.Section 12 creates a link between this Act and the Curriculum and Assessment (Wales) Act 2021. Section 56 of the 2021 Act places a duty on the Welsh Ministers to make provision in regulations about assessment arrangements.
56.This section provides that the Welsh Ministers may, in the regulations under section 56 of the 2021 Act, make arrangements to assess pupils’ progress towards achieving the Welsh language learning goals.
57.The regulations about arrangements to assess pupils’ progress towards achieving those Welsh language learning goals may include, among other matters, the matters set out in section 12(2)(a) and (b) and therefore make use of the standard method of describing Welsh language ability for which this Act makes provision.
58.Section 12(2)(c) allows for different assessment arrangements to be made for “Primarily English language, partly Welsh” category schools that are exempt from the requirement to provide the minimum amount of Welsh language education (see sections 18 and 19).
59.Under section 7 of the 2021 Act Welsh Ministers must prepare a “Progression Code” setting out how a curriculum must make provision for progress by pupils and children. Section 12(3) amends the 2021 Act for the purpose of ensuring that the Welsh Ministers, in preparing the Progression Code, must have regard to the Welsh language learning goals set by section 11 of this Act. This duty also applies as the Welsh Ministers keep the Progression Code under review.
Commentary on Sections School language categories Section 12 - Assessing progress towards meeting Welsh language learning goals