A long-anticipated milestone in Welsh medium education and childcare, was reached earlier this year with the opening of Tŷ Chwarae, a brand-new day nursery in Ebbw Fawr. As the first fully Welsh medium nursery in Blaenau Gwent, its launch marks a proud and progressive step forward—one already generating calls for more such settings across the county.
The journey began with the 2017 Childcare Sufficiency Assessment, which revealed a pressing gap in Welsh medium childcare in the region. At the time, only three of the four community planning areas had any Welsh childcare provision—with Ebbw Fawr having none. Parents cited a lack of local Welsh options and limited nursery hours as major barriers to choosing a Welsh-medium path for their children.
While only 1% of local children came from primarily Welsh-speaking households, and 6% from bilingual homes, a compelling 55% of parents responding to the childcare sufficiency survey, expressed a desire for their children to become bilingual. However, just 8% planned to enrol their children in Welsh medium schools—highlighting the need for accessible early years provision to support that aspiration.
Planning for Tŷ Chwarae began in earnest in 2018. The nursery became part of a wider vision to replace Glyncoed school and align with the Welsh Government’s aim to co-locate education and childcare settings. With a successful capital funding bid, and despite Covid-related delays, both the school and nursery buildings were completed by Autumn 2024.
Following a thorough selection process, a respected English medium provider in Ebbw Fawr was chosen to run the service, based on their proven track record and their strong commitment to developing a fully Welsh medium nursery. With support from Mudiad Meithrin and the local authority, the provider invested in training Welsh-speaking staff and upskilling others, including visiting a Torfaen setting that had transitioned from English to Welsh.
Since opening its doors, Tŷ Chwarae has flourished—welcoming a growing number of families and nurturing children’s Welsh language skills in an immersive, supportive environment. The success has been so marked, new Welsh-speaking staff have already been recruited to meet increasing demand.
The nursery’s launch is perfectly timed alongside the opening of Ysgol Gymraeg Tredegar in October, joining Ysgol Bro Helyg as one of the county’s two Welsh medium primaries—with secondary provision on the horizon. It’s an inspiring time for Welsh language education and childcare in Blaenau Gwent.
Congratulations to everyone involved—your dedication is shaping a vibrant, bilingual future for the next generation.
