🔗 Share this article Ministry of Defence Allocates Millions on Private Schools to Bypass Welsh Education RAF Valley prepares British military aviators as well as personnel for mountain and naval operations The Ministry of Defence spends around £1m each year to place students to private educational institutions in northern Wales because "public schools provide various lessons in the Welsh tongue". It paid £1,019,000 in day school allowance in north Wales for 83 children of military families in 2024-2025, and £942,000 for seventy-nine students in 2023-2024 under a longstanding practice. A spokesperson stated "service children can experience regular relocations" and the allowance "seeks to reduce interruption to their schooling". Plaid Cymru called it a "complete waste of money" and "a disrespect to our tongue" while the Tory party argued families should be able to select the language in which their kids are taught. The Duke of Cambridge served in RAF Valley between 2010 to 2013 These numbers were obtained following a request under the Freedom of Information Act. The online portal of the military installation on Anglesey informs its workforce, "if you live and serve in northern Wales, where public schools provide various classes in the Welsh tongue, you can opt to send your children to an English-language independent school". "Provided you are accompanied by your family at your duty station, you can use this benefit to cover the expense of tuition fees, educational excursions/residential learning programs and regular commuting." An MoD spokesperson told, "the aim of Day School Allowance in the northern region (DSA-NW) is to assist service families stationed to the area, where the Welsh tongue is the primary medium of public schooling". "As mobility is a aspect of service life, service children can encounter regular transfers and the this allowance aims to lessen disruption to their education." "The MoD supports the sacrifices service personnel, and their relatives undertake, and from DSA-NW assists with the expenses of private education provided in English." 'Where teaching is bilingual or non-English' The benefit includes tuition fees up to a limit of twenty-two thousand seven hundred fifty-five pounds annually, £7,585 per term, and is accessible to people living in the counties of Conwy, the area, Gwynedd, Anglesey or Flintshire and serving in one of the following establishments: The military base, the island The combined forces alpine training facility, Anglesey Joint Services Mountain Training Wing, the town Wales University Officers' Training Corps (UOTC), Bangor detachment, Caernarfon The eligible private schools are Treffos institution, the village, Anglesey; Rydal Penrhos preparatory institution in Colwyn Bay; St Gerard's school, the city and St David's College, Llandudno. The relevant joint service publication confirms that "payment of the stipend is limited to those areas where instruction in the public system is on a bilingual or non-English foundation". People serving elsewhere in the three branches of the military - the Army, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force - can claim a educational continuity benefit which helps with residential and/or school charges up to a maximum rate, with a required family share of 10% for each eligible child. Tory Senedd member the politician said "personnel of the UK military relocate across the country and the globe, and the ministry has always tried to ensure that their kids have availability to consistency in schooling". "While we strongly endorse Welsh-medium education throughout the country, it's important to remember there are two official languages in our nation, the English tongue and the Welsh language, and local councils and school boards should accommodate each." "Parents should always have the option to select the language in which their children are taught." Plaid Cymru's education spokesperson the assembly member said "not just is this a total misuse of money, it is an insult to our tongue". "I cannot think of any valid reason to be allocating such money every year, on preventing young people living in Wales from having the chance to acquire the Welsh tongue." "Bilingualism enhances life and supports the development of young people, but the UK government is obviously unaware to this." "This money is a clear illustration of the attitude of the Westminster parties towards the nation and the native tongue - namely unawareness and insults."