Education

Governors respond to schools consultation

Published

11 years ago

May 13, 2015

Tom Sinclair

Pembrokeshire College: Recommended to be attached to a school.

AHEAD of the May 5 deadline for responses to the council’s consultation on the future of secondary education in mid and north Pembrokeshire, the governing bodies of schools affected by the changes have begun to submit their responses to the local authority.

Ysgol Bro Gwaun’s response endorses the thrust of the council’s plans while presenting its own vision to retain sixth form provision in Fishguard and St Davids through the use of remote teaching and information technology.

The council is consulting on one proposal only; i.e. 11-16 education is preserved at all secondary schools subject to the consultation, that a new Welsh medium school is built in Haverfordwest and – most controversially – that post 16 education is concentrated in a single location at Pembrokeshire College.

Ysgol Bro Gwaun’s governors have presented an alternative vision in a document titled Schools for the Future. The document states that the governing body supports: “The plan to create a new, independent, centrally funded and administered, split-site 6th Form College for Pembrokeshire with community campuses in Haverfordwest, St Davids and Fishguard. Making intelligent use of interactive and web-based learning, producing considerable economies of scale as an A-level provider for over 500 learners, and working in an integrated partnership with Pembrokeshire College this would provide a full range of academic and vocational learning options for post- 16 learners.”

That response chimes with Cllr David Lloyd’s surprising announcement at a meeting with Haverfordwest secondary school students during which he appeared to announce that the plan advanced by Ysgol Bro Gwaun was, in fact, the plan the Council was now pursuing. If the Council has abandoned its plans to concentrate post 16 education on one site, the question arises as to how it will be able to obtain the amount of match-funding it requires to fulfil its controversial vision of the future. It also calls into question why the Council has persisted with the present consultation if it now intends to adopt a different solution; one which was expressly rejected as an option at a preliminary stage.

The Governing Bodies of Sir Thomas Picton and Tasker Milward schools, in a closely argued document supported by a raft of statistical evidence that challenges and refutes the council’s own data, express concerns about the long term viability of coalescing sixth form provision at the college.

Pointing out that A Level provision accounts for only 1% of the college’s current budget, the response goes on to point out that the college’s core funding – after the recent £800,000 cut – is now below the viability threshold for FE colleges set by the Welsh Government. The governing bodies report that: ‘This represents a significant risk for A Level provision, should it all be devolved to the college’.

The response also notes, damningly, that the council has picked and chosen its way through the recommendations of its own chosen consultants, pointing out that the report by Tribal it cites to support building a single sixth form centre at Pembrokeshire College, recommends that the sixth form be attached to a school.

Students at both Haverfordwest schools have overwhelmingly rejected the council’s schools plan. 92% of students at Sir Thomas Picton School wanted to retain sixth forms within the school. At Tasker Milward the results were similarly overwhelming in rejecting the council’s scheme.

AM Paul Davies said: “I am finalising my consultation response where I will make clear my opposition to removing sixth form provision in Haverfordwest. I will, of course highlight that the current proposals will remove choice for pupils at sixteen which will be detrimental to the education of our young people in mid Pembrokeshire.”

Cymraeg

Welsh language report says students face mixed experiences across colleges and universities

Published

3 days ago

May 21, 2026

Tom Sinclair

A NEW report has found that Welsh-speaking students face inconsistent access to Welsh language services across Wales’ colleges and universities.

The research, published by the Welsh Language Commissioner on Monday (May 25), gathered responses from more than 1,500 further and higher education students.

It examined four key areas: whether students can submit written work in Welsh, choose accommodation with Welsh-speaking students, access a Welsh-speaking personal tutor, and receive wellbeing support through the medium of Welsh.

The report also looked at the wider language culture on campuses, including how institutions promote Welsh language services and support students to use Welsh naturally in academic and social settings.

Osian Llywelyn, Deputy Welsh Language Commissioner, said colleges and universities had a vital role in helping students use Welsh as part of everyday life.

He said: “Given the importance of sustaining and developing the continued use of the Welsh language, it is essential to recognise the key role that further education colleges and higher education institutions play in ensuring that students have the opportunity to use Welsh naturally as part of their academic and social lives.

“While it is encouraging to see strong examples of good practice, that experience is not consistent across the sector. As a result, we have identified clear improvement actions, and we will be asking the relevant institutions to address them.”

Five improvement actions have been identified. These include standardising Welsh-medium assessment arrangements, proactively offering Welsh language services rather than simply making them available on request, addressing gaps in workforce Welsh-language skills, strengthening students’ sense of belonging through Welsh, and improving self-assessment and monitoring.

James Owen, Chief Executive of Medr, the body responsible for funding and regulating tertiary education in Wales, said the findings showed the need for more support across the sector.

He said Medr’s new Welsh Language Condition would place a clearer focus on providers promoting and supporting the use of Cymraeg, and on creating formal and informal opportunities for staff and learners to develop their Welsh-language skills.

Ioan Matthews, Chief Executive of Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, said students’ experiences of Welsh at college or university could influence their willingness and ability to use the language later in the workplace.

He said the report showed the need for the Welsh-language experience to extend “well beyond the classroom”.

The report will be officially launched at the Welsh Language Commissioner’s stand at the Urdd Eisteddfod in Anglesey at 11:00am on Monday (May 25).

Education

£1,500 cash bursary announced for aspiring local youngsters

Published

4 days ago

May 20, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

FOLLOWING its previous success, Ceredigion Youth Service is fortunate to accept another opportunity provided by West Wales Holiday Cottages to support young people with a cash bursary this year.

The purpose of the bursary is to provide young people aged between 11 and 25 with the chance to receive £1,500 to help with their future aspirations. The successful applicant(s) will be chosen by Ceredigion Youth Forum, which is a panel made up of young people from Ceredigion.

Gwion Bowen, Senior Support Officer Participation, said: “We are very grateful to West Wales Holiday Cottages for providing us with this opportunity for young people in Ceredigion for the ninth year in succession. Like ourselves, West Wales Holiday Cottages recognise that many young people living in Ceredigion may experience difficulties in accessing training, support and social activities due to socio-economic issues. The bursary was extremely successful last year, with a young person gaining financial support to help them with their mobile beauty start up business.”

Councillor Wyn Thomas, Cabinet for Schools and Lifelong Learning, said: “I would like to encourage anyone aged between 11 and 25 who needs financial support to reach their goals to consider this fantastic opportunity. As with previous years, I hope that the bursary is a success again this year, and that it will benefit young people in Ceredigion.”

Lisa Stopher, Managing Director at West Wales Holiday Cottages said, “West Wales Holiday Cottages are delighted to be supporting the bursary once again in partnership with Ceredigion Youth Service. We recognise that many young people can face barriers when accessing opportunities, training and resources, and we hope this bursary will continue to make a positive difference by giving young people the support they need to pursue their goals and aspirations.”

Do you need financial support to reach your goals? Would you benefit from having financial support to help you with training or equipment that is required for your chosen vocation? Are you looking for support to start your own enterprise? Are you a member of a community group and looking for financial support to purchase resources or equipment?

The closing date for applications is midnight on 19 July 2026. If you’re interested, contact Gwion Bowen on 07790 812939 or e-mail [email protected] for an application form.

Education

Ashmole & Co fund future accountants with financial donation to primary school

Published

4 days ago

May 20, 2026

Sarah Jane Absalom

CARMARTHENSHIRE’S would-be mathematicians are being given a major boost in their careers thanks to an Ashmole & Co donation to Ysgol Llandybie Primary School.

The donation, funded by the company’s Ammanford office, will help with the annual purchase of the online MyMaths resource which uses the online resource to help pupils and parents with the teaching of maths at home as well as allowing teachers to set tasks and provide them with tutorials to show them the mathematical concepts being taught.
The programme can assist in all areas of mathematics from shape to space, and from data to financial literacy.

Laura Craddock, Partner in Ashmole & Co’s Ammanford office, said, “We are always keen
to offer our support locally. We are more than happy to help fund the online resource
MyMaths to help train the local accountants of the future from a young age.”

Llandybie Primary School Head Teacher, Rhian Pritchard, said, “We are keen to continue
using online resources to enhance our pupils’ learning experience but they come at an extra
cost. We are grateful to Ashmole and Co for the donation which will enable us to continue
the provision of online maths learning.”