Pupils in maintained schools aged 5 or over, ability to speak Welsh as assessed by parents, by sector, category and year (primary, middle and secondary schools)

Standard shorthand is used in this table: [t] = total.

Data values	Data description	Year	Sector	Category
427,808 [t]	Number of pupils	2003/04	All schools	Total
423,960 [t]	Number of pupils	2004/05	All schools	Total
418,507 [t]	Number of pupils	2005/06	All schools	Total
412,631 [t]	Number of pupils	2006/07	All schools	Total
405,628 [t]	Number of pupils	2007/08	All schools	Total
399,750 [t]	Number of pupils	2008/09	All schools	Total
399,638 [t]	Number of pupils	2022/23	All schools	Total
399,226 [t]	Number of pupils	2021/22	All schools	Total
398,334 [t]	Number of pupils	2020/21	All schools	Total
397,744 [t]	Number of pupils	2023/24	All schools	Total
395,931 [t]	Number of pupils	2009/10	All schools	Total
395,373 [t]	Number of pupils	2019/20	All schools	Total
394,029 [t]	Number of pupils	2018/19	All schools	Total
393,096 [t]	Number of pupils	2024/25	All schools	Total
392,698 [t]	Number of pupils	2010/11	All schools	Total
391,955 [t]	Number of pupils	2017/18	All schools	Total
390,393 [t]	Number of pupils	2011/12	All schools	Total
389,903 [t]	Number of pupils	2016/17	All schools	Total
388,613 [t]	Number of pupils	2012/13	All schools	Total
388,565 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	All schools	Total
388,467 [t]	Number of pupils	2013/14	All schools	Total
388,141 [t]	Number of pupils	2014/15	All schools	Total
272,603	Number of pupils	2003/04	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
267,430	Number of pupils	2004/05	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
253,085	Number of pupils	2005/06	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
242,004	Number of pupils	2006/07	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
229,976	Number of pupils	2007/08	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
222,714	Number of pupils	2008/09	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
216,394	Number of pupils	2009/10	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
215,609 [t]	Number of pupils	2003/04	Secondary schools	Total
214,626 [t]	Number of pupils	2004/05	Secondary schools	Total
213,045 [t]	Number of pupils	2005/06	Secondary schools	Total
212,199 [t]	Number of pupils	2003/04	Primary schools	Total
210,353 [t]	Number of pupils	2006/07	Secondary schools	Total
209,334 [t]	Number of pupils	2004/05	Primary schools	Total
208,875	Number of pupils	2010/11	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
208,628 [t]	Number of pupils	2017/18	Primary schools	Total
207,614 [t]	Number of pupils	2018/19	Primary schools	Total
206,936 [t]	Number of pupils	2007/08	Secondary schools	Total
206,764 [t]	Number of pupils	2016/17	Primary schools	Total
206,043	Number of pupils	2023/24	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
205,766	Number of pupils	2024/25	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
205,507	Number of pupils	2011/12	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
205,462 [t]	Number of pupils	2005/06	Primary schools	Total
205,421 [t]	Number of pupils	2008/09	Secondary schools	Total
205,222	Number of pupils	2022/23	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
205,086 [t]	Number of pupils	2019/20	Primary schools	Total
204,940 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Primary schools	Total
203,907 [t]	Number of pupils	2009/10	Secondary schools	Total
203,711 [t]	Number of pupils	2020/21	Primary schools	Total
202,492 [t]	Number of pupils	2021/22	Primary schools	Total
202,278 [t]	Number of pupils	2006/07	Primary schools	Total
202,040	Number of pupils	2021/22	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
201,828	Number of pupils	2012/13	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
201,687 [t]	Number of pupils	2014/15	Primary schools	Total
201,230 [t]	Number of pupils	2010/11	Secondary schools	Total
200,534	Number of pupils	2013/14	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
200,394 [t]	Number of pupils	2022/23	Primary schools	Total
200,315	Number of pupils	2014/15	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
199,604	Number of pupils	2016/17	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
199,537	Number of pupils	2015/16	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
199,529	Number of pupils	2017/18	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
199,061	Number of pupils	2020/21	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
198,766 [t]	Number of pupils	2013/14	Primary schools	Total
198,692 [t]	Number of pupils	2007/08	Primary schools	Total
198,015 [t]	Number of pupils	2011/12	Secondary schools	Total
197,874 [t]	Number of pupils	2023/24	Primary schools	Total
197,266	Number of pupils	2018/19	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
195,281	Number of pupils	2019/20	All schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
194,329 [t]	Number of pupils	2008/09	Primary schools	Total
193,924 [t]	Number of pupils	2012/13	Primary schools	Total
193,920 [t]	Number of pupils	2024/25	Primary schools	Total
192,378 [t]	Number of pupils	2011/12	Primary schools	Total
192,024 [t]	Number of pupils	2009/10	Primary schools	Total
191,468 [t]	Number of pupils	2010/11	Primary schools	Total
191,279 [t]	Number of pupils	2012/13	Secondary schools	Total
186,427 [t]	Number of pupils	2013/14	Secondary schools	Total
182,408 [t]	Number of pupils	2014/15	Secondary schools	Total
178,669 [t]	Number of pupils	2015/16	Secondary schools	Total
175,957 [t]	Number of pupils	2021/22	Secondary schools	Total
174,948 [t]	Number of pupils	2022/23	Secondary schools	Total
174,812 [t]	Number of pupils	2016/17	Secondary schools	Total
174,133 [t]	Number of pupils	2020/21	Secondary schools	Total
172,818 [t]	Number of pupils	2023/24	Secondary schools	Total
172,218 [t]	Number of pupils	2017/18	Secondary schools	Total
171,271 [t]	Number of pupils	2019/20	Secondary schools	Total
170,424 [t]	Number of pupils	2024/25	Secondary schools	Total
170,277 [t]	Number of pupils	2018/19	Secondary schools	Total
142,642	Number of pupils	2003/04	Primary schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
138,296	Number of pupils	2004/05	Primary schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
136,062	Number of pupils	2019/20	All schools	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
134,956	Number of pupils	2020/21	All schools	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
134,839	Number of pupils	2021/22	All schools	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
133,147	Number of pupils	2022/23	All schools	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
133,035	Number of pupils	2018/19	All schools	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
132,130	Number of pupils	2023/24	All schools	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
131,727	Number of pupils	2005/06	Primary schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
129,961	Number of pupils	2003/04	Secondary schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained
129,493	Number of pupils	2024/25	All schools	Can speak Welsh but not fluently
129,134	Number of pupils	2004/05	Secondary schools	Cannot speak Welsh/Information not obtained

Showing 1 to 100 of 316 rows

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Main information

• Most recent update: 24 September 2025
• Next update expected: July 2026
• Designation: Official statistics
• Data provider: Welsh Government
• Data source: Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC)
• Time period covered: September 2003 to August 2025

Data notes

Overview

• Summary of dataset and variables:

  Data from the annual School Census which collects information on schools, pupils, classes, ethnicity, free school meal eligibility, additional learning needs and special educational needs.

• Data collection or calculation:

  The data in this report is collected by the Welsh Government from local authority maintained schools in a return called the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC). PLASC is an electronic collection of pupil and school level data. Schools record data on pupils and the school throughout the year in their Management Information System (MIS) software. This data is collated into an electronic PLASC return and submitted to the Welsh Government through DEWI, a secure online data transfer system developed by the Welsh Government. Various stages of automated validation and sense-checking are built into the process to ensure a high quality of data to inform policy making and funding.

• Statistical quality:

  The returns are authorised by headteachers and validated by local authorities.

  The school census date is usually in January. Due to the level of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in January 2022, the 2022 census date was delayed to 15 February 2022. School closures between December 2020 and March 2021 due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic meant that the 2021 census date was delayed to 20 April 2021.

  Pupils are eligible for free school meals if their parents or guardians are in receipt of certain means-tested benefits or support payments. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic may have impacted on the quality of this data and may have resulted in over recording of this data in 2020 to 2022. These figures do not include pupils who only receive free school meals due to the universal primary free school meal policy.

• Related reports:
  • Schools' census results

Published by

• Organisation: Welsh Government
• Contact email: school.stats@gov.wales

Metadata

The metadata for this dataset is not included when you download the data. You can download this separately. This contains all the information from the 'About this dataset' tab.