Education

Meet ‘The Two Steves’

Published

11 years ago

February 17, 2015

BACK in the county again last week were Steven Barlow and Steven Skidmore, otherwise known as ‘The Two Steves’, bringing their unique brand of writing skills teaching to our local primary school children. The Herald had an exclusive opportunity to watch one of their lively sessions at the Pembrokeshire Archives offices.

In the session were three small groups of local primary school pupils, including Haverfordwest school, Fenton CPS. The object of the workshop is to get Key Stage 2 boys, predominately, writing and, more importantly, to give them an enjoyment of the writing process.

Each group attends either a morning or an afternoon session for the whole week. On day 1 they are introduced to each other and use memory and co-ordination games to break the ice, during which they will be given talks, and entertainment, by the Steves. On day two they partake in a visualisation game and have to decide what they would take on a desert island, as they develop their thinking and imagination skills. They are also asked to think about elements of a story; character, theme, settings, creating tension, foreboding and conflict, as they build towards writing their own story. By day 3 they are planning a story and coming up with ideas, and an ending, which they do first as, the Steves explained, prevents them from getting stuck or lost as they have already decided where their story is going. On day 4 they are writing and editing from a finished story they have written at home or in school, and on day 5 they have produced the finished work and are sharing each others stories.

At the end of the whole process they will have something concrete, that is published and of which they can get a copy.

The sessions are lively and very interactive with lots of discussion and shared ideas. They are given clear advice on story structure and there is much humour in the process, as both Steves are certainly fun. They are also given clear objectives, for example, the 4 opening sentences in stories that are either a question, some dialogue, a piece of information or a metaphor or simile. They learn the importance of beginnings, middles and endings and those vital components of a successful story; the who, what, where, when, why and how. The delivery is very kinaesthetic and accessible to all in the session and there is much opportunity for discussion and talk, which is not always a feature of the classroom.

We spoke with Fenton teacher, Mr Williams, who said of the workshops: “We can use these strategies in the classroom, and when we do, the children’s enthusiasm shoots right up. The planning process is excellent as the story is broken into segments from the end backwards. It is a great way to enthuse the boys and build self esteem.”

Steve Barlow explained a little bit about what they were doing: “For teachers it helps to be a good performer. In a recent Estyn finding it had been proven that the use of the right people and outside agencies leads to improvement. The best people for this tend to be ex-teachers. We work with all ages, from Kindergarten to staff, but our main focus is on key stage 2, as well as key stage 3. It is particularly rewarding working with primary schools as they can make time for this which is hard for secondary schools where the timetable is God”.

Steve Skidmore added to this point, saying: “It is more compartmentalised in secondary school. We work with boys and girls, indeed, the girls insist sometimes! Although there is a focus on boys, as in some schools it is very disparate between boys and girls achievements. There are simply not enough male role models in primary schools. Literacy is female dominated; mum is the one who tends to read at home, secondary school literacy teachers tend to be women, most primary school teachers are women and even most librarians are female, so literacy can be seen as a feminine thing by boys.”

They both stated that they felt ‘blokes tended to duck out of their responsibility’ with literacy and reading, and they criticised this as they said boys need a male role model and encouragement.

Steve Skidmore made the point that he and the other Steve can come along as a couple of blokes and have fun, which is, he said, also the sort of stuff they themselves tend to write.

The Herald asked what is going wrong in schools given that, despite having just as much creativity as girls, boys are still not performing so well in writing. Steve Barlow explained: “We have it the wrong way round in schools, because of the way education has been structured over the last few years. In these developing years there is a big emphasis on the mechanics rather than motivating kids to feel empowered to tell the stories they want to tell. We think that’s a retrograde step.”

Said Steve Skidmore: “If they are hung up on the whole mechanics of writing, spelling, punctuation and grammar, and that’s what they get judged on, then they will fail. A lot of the boys don’t develop on the mechanics like the girls, yet they are being judged on the same level. A lot of time boys need to get out that excess energy. Some children are more needy than others and teachers don’t always have that time in a class of 30. We talk about self esteem on the first day a lot. A lot of boys would rather get kicked out of a lesson than admit they can’t do something.”

As Steve Barlow stated, many boys tend to react negatively to failure as opposed to many girls who see it as a spur to try harder the next time.

Steve Barlow went on to question the curriculum schools use in literacy: “Part of the problem is that the curriculum contains too many different types of writing and so it’s all fragmented; writing for a purpose, writing an argument, writing a report, as well as writing stories. The point is it’s all writing and if you are failing in one you are failing in all of them. The priority ought to be to get them empowered, believing they can do it, using themselves as a resource and knowing they can develop and structure a story so that it succeeds. Once they’ve got that they can learn the other stuff in 5 minutes.”

Steve Skidmore added to this stating: “The other thing is about celebration, we don’t celebrate the writing they do in school. We, from our sessions, publish it, read it out, have time for a clap which they don’t have time for in school. We need to give them a reason for it.”

He went on to talk about the issue of changing Governments and their approach to education: “Are we saying there is a political elite that need people not to question things? I thought that with Gove; he had no idea what teaching was about. They (politicians) have come through a particular schooling system (private) and people like Gove are trying to impose the same values on children from very different backgrounds. For instance, Gove saying they should be doing Dryden at 14; how is this a life skill for some of these children?”

Steve Barlow added to this criticism saying: “Decisions are taken by elected education secretaries and it’s all to do with vanity projects rather than to do with actual need. The basic problem is those people making decisions are not listening to those at the grass roots. Politicians like to make big bold statements like ‘we will have every child literate by 2020’ for example.”

Steve Skidmore, laughed in disdain at this suggestion, saying: “You have children who are special needs. All children literate? No they won’t be; there are physical problems here. You are dealing with human beings who have different needs. Governments/ Estyn look at data – data doesn’t tell you everything. For example, we had a child whose mum and father had recently died – that impacts on the child, does data tell you this? Take Fenton school, who might be lower graded, but they have a special needs unit that gets aggregated onto the whole school so they get judged on that. It’s a really good school, with good teachers who look after the kids, and a great head that will argue the toss with Estyn, re. data, but a lot of heads don’t have that confidence. It would be lovely if politicians had the same sort of nonsense from people higher above them. There’s just no accountancy. Academies are not improving education – it’s about money and leadership. Data is not a way to judge human beings.”

Community

Pleas to save fire-ravaged Manorbier school site heard

Published

22 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A PLEA for councillors to not act as “judge, jury and executioner” when the potential closure of fire-ravaged Manorbier is decided upon next year was heard at full council.

At the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, members received a petition opposing the potential closure of Manorbier School.

Manorbier Church in Wales VC School and its adjoining schoolhouse was severely damaged by a fire on October 11, 2022, which broke out in the school roof space.

After that, a ‘school from school’ was set up in Jameston Village Hall.

It had been hoped the school would be rebuilt, but earlier this year members of Pembrokeshire County Council backed a report of the School Modernisation Working Group which, amongst other recommendations, included a statutory consultation on proposals to discontinue Manorbier Church in Wales Voluntary Controlled School.

The decision attracted strong local opposition, with more than 1,500 people signing a petition on the council’s own website calling for the school to be rebuilt, meaning it passed the threshold for a formal hearing by members of the council.

The formal consultation for the discontinuation of Manorbier closes in just a few days on December 19.

Manorbier community councillor Richard Hughes

However, many of the council’s figures, especially on the level of surplus places at the school, have been strongly disputed.

Speaking at the December meeting, Richard Hughes, of Manorbier Community Council, said the council consultation was “deeply flawed and unlawful,” the quoted capacity figures after the fire damaged the original building “null and void,” with a true surplus of some 21 per cent.

“The school is clearly thriving under less-than-ideal conditions, your report claims 59 per cent [surplus], it’s misleading and artificial.”

He said the council was acting as “judge, jury and executioner” in its “deeply flawed” consultation.

Cllr Phil Kidney

Local member Cllr Phil Kidney said the staff, parents and pupils had been “living this process for three years,” adding: “At worst light we were misled for three years, living under this shadow, it’s not fair.

“We’ve been promised all along ‘we will rebuild this school; no matter what we do we will have to spend on this school, we have to hand it back in [a useable] condition.

“How members of staff have worked under these conditions for three years is amazing, the service they are providing in that school is fantastic.”

He criticised the consultation wording, feeling it painted Manorbier in an unfair light, saying it was stacked heavily in favour of St Florence school in a submitted question heard later at the meeting.

“We do feel there’s a hidden agenda, nothing more than a boost for St Florence school; we were led to believe was all about the positives and the negatives for the school; we have lost the trust in the director of education, we still feel we’re not been listened to.”

He said it was important councillors, when a final vote on Manorbier’s future, expected in March, keep an open mind “not just going along with the narrative: ‘We can’t afford it, and the figures are going down’.”

He went on to say: “We want to get the right vote, the moral vote, and get the school rebuilt.”

Cllr Guy Woodham

Cabinet member for education Cllr Guy Woodham praised the work at the school following the fire, saying he intended to “set the facts out” when it came to a final decision.

Leader of the independent group Cllr Huw Murphy said: “It just doesn’t sit right with me to close a school that has burned to the ground. Yes, we will respect the decision in March, however we haven’t handled the decision well. We need to do what’s right, and we haven’t done what’s right for Manorbier.”

Members agreed to note receipt of the petition prior to the final report before council in 2026.

Later in the meeting, Cllr Woodham disputed Cllr Kidney’s submitted question claim, Cllr Kidney telling Cllr Woodham: “We’ve put a lot of trust and faith in you on this consultation to make sure it’s fair and transparent. St Florence was referenced more times than our school, for a consultation I think it’s misleading.”

Cllr Woodham responded: “I will do my utmost to give a balanced report when I bring it back to full council.”

Community

Plea to save Tegryn Ysgol Clydau school heard by councillors

Published

2 days ago

December 16, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A PLEA to not “pluck the heart out of a community” by closing a Pembrokeshire village school was heard by councillors just days after a consultation into its future was launched.

At the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, members received a petition opposing the potential closure of Ysgol Clydau, Tegryn, which had generated 648 responses on the council’s own website, meaning it crossed the threshold to be heard at full council.

A council statement accompanying the launch of the consultation said: “At its meeting on May 8, Pembrokeshire County Council considered a report of the School Modernisation Working Group which outlined the findings of a review of education provision in the Preseli area.

“In particular the review considered the extent of surplus school places in the area, set against a significant decline in the pupil population.”

The Ysgol Clydau petition states: “We demand that Pembrokeshire County Council reconsider its decision to close Ysgol Clydau and instead prioritise the needs of our community by keeping the school open. We oppose the closure of Ysgol Clydau and call for full public scrutiny before any decision is made.

“We urge you to engage in a meaningful dialogue with the community, listen to our concerns, and work with us to find alternative solutions that support the needs of our children and families.”

Sarah Farnden

Speaking at the meeting on behalf of the petitioners, Sarah Farnden, in an emotive plea, said the school was “not just a school but a sanctuary, a nurturing environment,” which offered “warmth, belonging and safety”.

“A village without a school becomes a village without families, a village without families becomes a village without a future,” she told members, adding: “Ysgol Clydau is not in debt, it’s not overspent, we’ve done everything asked of us, so why are we being punished?

“There has been a school on this site for 145 years, if you close Ysgol Clydau you are not closing a building you are closing a heritage; we are not here to fight you, we are here to beg you.”

Cllr Iwan Ward

Local member Cllr Iwan Ward said: “The decision of Pembrokeshire County Council to release this consultation on the closure a few days before Christmas is extremely disappointing, a time of year families should be concentrating on being together, not a time to have to face the threat of losing the heart of our community.”

To applause from the gallery, he added: “It’s not a matter of numbers on a paper, it’s a moral matter; the school is much more than four walls, it’s a safe place for children to grow and a cornerstone of community spirit.

“Closing a school like this rips the heart out of rural life, to threaten a school that isn’t failing is an action I cannot, and am not willing to, take quietly.

“I will stand with the staff, the governors, and the children also.”

Members heard the consultation had been expected to launch back in September but had been delayed due to staffing issues; its 42-day period due to now end in late January.

Members agreed to note the petition ahead of the consultation end, recommendations on the school’s future expected to be decided in March.

The final word went to Sarah Farnden, who said: “We’re not asking for special treatment, we’re asking for fairness and compassion; do not pluck the heart out of the community.”

Education

School leaders deliver Christmas cards to Senedd calling for fair funding

Published

2 days ago

December 16, 2025

Tom Sinclair

SCHOOL leaders from across Wales are delivering Christmas cards to the Senedd today in a symbolic call for fair funding for schools.

The cards, one for every Senedd member, are being delivered by school leaders’ union NAHT Cymru, urging politicians to give children in Wales what it describes as the “best Christmas gift” – a fully and fairly funded education.

NAHT Cymru national secretary Laura Doel and president Kerina Hanson are gathering outside the Senedd at 1:00pm today before handing the cards in at the Senedd reception.

The action follows the union’s warning last week that while £339m came to the Welsh Government as a result of increased education spending in England for the 2026/27 draft budget, only £39m has so far been allocated to core school budgets in Wales.

Earlier this week, an additional £112.8m was allocated to local government following a budget agreement between the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru, with some of that funding expected to reach schools.

However, NAHT Cymru says the additional money will fall well short of what is needed. The Welsh Local Government Association has predicted a £137m shortfall in school budgets in Wales for the next financial year, while local authorities are also facing a £200m deficit in social care funding.

The union has also raised concerns that the First Minister has declined to explain how the £339m of additional education funding has been allocated, prompting calls for urgent and transparent scrutiny of the budget.

Speaking ahead of the card delivery, Laura Doel said: “Christmas is a time of giving, and we’re urging the Welsh Government to give schools in Wales the funding they rightfully deserve.

“The money that comes to Wales for education should be spent on education, yet we know much of it has never reached schools. We urgently need clarity on where this money has gone and to see greater investment going directly to pupils.

“The system is at breaking point, and without action we are facing an incredibly bleak new year for schools across Wales.

“We’re calling on every member of the Senedd to act this Christmas and give children in Wales the best possible gift – a fully and fairly funded education.”

The Welsh Government says education remains a priority, pointing to additional funding agreed with Plaid Cymru for local government, some of which is expected to support schools.

However, teaching unions and local authorities continue to warn that funding pressures remain severe.