YSGOL Greenhill and Pembrokeshire County Council have welcomed a strong and very positive Estyn report for the school. 

Estyn, the education and training inspectorate for Wales, has released its findings following a full inspection of the school, based in Tenby, carried out in January 2024.

The report noted:

• Under the supportive leadership of the Headteacher, staff at Ysgol Greenhill work together effectively to secure a happy and respectful learning community. Together they have developed a culture of openness and collaboration and share an ambitious goal to become a self-improving school.
• Leaders have secured improvements in many important areas of the school’s work, such as pupils’ learning and attitudes and the provision of care and support for pupils’ wellbeing. 
• There is a suitably coordinated approach to improving pupils’ literacy, numeracy and digital skills, including support for pupils who have weak basic skills.
• Leaders seek pupils’ views regularly on the quality and suitability of its provision and make changes accordingly. This includes amendments to pupils’ learning experiences and to the provision for developing pupils’ personal and social education.
• Teachers plan their lessons well to ensure that pupils make good progress in their learning, subject knowledge and in developing relevant literacy and numeracy skills. Teaching assistants collaborate well with teachers to ensure that pupils who require support receive beneficial assistance as they work.
• The school has a broad and valuable range of provisions to support pupils’ well-being. These include individual, tailored resource centres that provide learning, behavioural and emotional support as well as a nurture centre for pupils with low attendance. The school also hosts a local authority learning centre for pupils with autistic spectrum conditions.
• The additional learning needs team work relentlessly to ensure that pupils who access these provisions are supported purposefully to enable them to make progress in their learning and social skills.
• Pupils have positive attitudes towards school and their learning. They feel safe and value the friendly and supportive nature of staff. They settle swiftly in lessons and engage well in activities.  Pupils value the ‘Ready to Learn’ system which rewards positive behaviour and provides relevant support for any pupil who displays negative behaviour.
• Sixth form pupils are strong ambassadors of the school. They are friendly and polite towards visitors, conduct themselves well and are good role models for the younger pupils. Nearly all sixth form pupils say they are well supported to make progress in their academic, personal and social development. Many benefit well from valuable opportunities to lead and influence aspects of the school’s work.
• Senior prefects run the school’s numerous pupil groups, house captains and deputy captains organise and manage house activities and trained peer mentors support younger pupils with their learning and social skills. Overall, sixth form pupils develop into mature, knowledgeable young people who speak highly of the valuable experiences they have had during their time at school.

Headteacher, David Haynes said: “I am delighted and immensely proud of this report. The school has made consistent progress over recent years and I very much look forward to Ysgol Greenhill being placed amongst the best schools in Wales.

“I must pay tribute to the outstanding staff and governors who have worked relentlessly to ensure that every pupil is valued and that their wellbeing and progress in their learning has been paramount.

“Ysgol Greenhill is a school that our pupils, families and wider community can be justifiably proud of.”

Councillor Guy Woodham, Cabinet Member for Education and Welsh Language, said: “The school has made good progress in the past two years and this is reflected in the inspection report.

“The strong and dedicated leadership of the Headteacher has contributed significantly to the inspection outcome. Alongside this the contribution of the governing body and the support from the local authority has also helped the school to achieve well. I am confident the school will continue to improve and thrive.”

Chair of the Governing Body, Mrs Heulwen Lear added: “I am thrilled that the report recognises that ‘building a supportive and positive working relationship with their pupils is a strong feature of teaching at Ysgol Greenhill’. Many pupils make secure progress in their learning and subject knowledge and understanding.

“Ysgol Greenhill’s values of kindness, respect, empathy and the celebration of diversity are reflected well in its strong commitment to pupils’ personal and social development. Staff care deeply about the well-being of their pupils and are sensitive to their individual circumstances.”

The full report is available online.

FROM May 3 to May 23, the Joanna Field Gallery at the Torch Theatre, Milford Haven will be exhibiting art works by pupils from Milford Haven Comprehensive School. This will be their fourth exhibition at the Torch.

The exhibition will see 44 pupils, aged 15 to 16, who undertook GCSE Art last summer taking part. Previously, the exhibition was held at the Milford Haven Town Hall before being relocated to the Torch.

“The exhibition is a celebration of art-work created by the pupils in their final year and a chance to see what they have achieved,” explained Katie George, the Art Technician at Milford Haven Comprehensive School.

Katie added: “This will be the ninth exhibition that the school has arranged. We started off in Milford Town Hall and then were very excited to be able to show our annual art event in the Torch. This will the fourth year showing in the Torch, which has been really fantastic as it gives us a chance to show the work of the pupils in a professional setting, and the pupils have spent a great deal of time and effort completing their masterpieces under the watchful eye of their Art Teacher, Mr Chris Green. They re encouraged to use as many different materials as possible ranging from painting in watercolours and acrylics, printing, sculpture, collage, clay work, printing and many more.

“The pupils work on their individual investigations. They pick a theme of their choice and then work through with artist research that connects to their theme. They then follow with lots of experimentation using different media and materials also painting, drawing and sketching. They then have their two-day exam, which they have spent time planning for using all the skills and materials they have now become familiar with to produce a final piece that will be shown in the exhibition,” explained Katie.

“It’s always exciting to tell the pupils that their final pieces will be on show in an exhibition in The Torch and generally they are excited for that to happen. They are so busy trying out new materials and ideas during their lessons, that they don’t really think about the exhibition itself until they are invited to see their work at the Torch. When they come with their parents or friends, it’s usually a real ‘Feel Good Factor’ of achievement, which is always great to see. The whole ambiance and setting created at the Torch is perfect,” concluded Katie.

To see the exhibition by pupils from Milford Haven Comprehensive School from 3 May to 23 May at the Joanna Field Gallery, Torch Theatre visit www.torchtheatre.co.uk or call by during Box Office opening hours.

A TARGET to reach a million Welsh speakers by 2050 is “almost impossible” to hit due to real-terms budget cuts, with demand for courses outstripping capacity, a committee heard.

Dona Lewis, chief executive of the National Centre for Learning Welsh, gave evidence to the Senedd’s culture committee as part of a one-day inquiry into post-16 Welsh provision.

Ms Lewis warned that the “massive” growth the National Centre for Learning Welsh had hoped to achieve this year will no longer be possible.

She told the committee there are waiting lists for people who want to learn Welsh, “so the demand is higher than what we can reach at the moment”.

Ms Lewis said: “Our work has grown since the centre was established back in 2016 and funding has grown with that. But, to reach more people, clearly, more funding is needed.”

Llyr Gruffydd warned that budget pressures jeopardise the chances of meeting the target of a million Welsh speakers and doubling daily use of the language by 2050.

The Plaid Cymru MS for North Wales said: “Reaching the targets of Cymraeg 2050 was challenging already and almost impossible now.”

Mr Gruffydd suggested it is a tragedy that the National Centre for Learning Welsh cannot meet demand, saying: “There’s a risk that we’re missing out on an historic opportunity.”

The Welsh Government’s 2024-25 budget allocates £53.5m to support Welsh language spending, with a near-£3m reduction compared to last year, according to a report.

Ioan Matthews, chief executive of Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol, which works with colleges, universities and employers, said further education and apprenticeships are crucial.

Dr Matthews told the committee that opportunities to study through the medium of Welsh have been few and far between until relatively recently.

Dafydd Evans, representing Colleges Wales, welcomed a more positive approach since Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol’s remit was widened to include further education.

Pressed about whether the Cymraeg 2050 targets are realistic, Mr Evans, who is chief executive of Gr?p Llandrillo Menai, was not confident the aims are achievable.

Mr Evans, who has worked in the sector for 30 years, said: “If we’re going to have new Welsh speakers then we would need a lot more resources in the pot to reach that target.”

Carolyn Thomas, a Labour backbencher, highlighted the Welsh language commissioner’s warning that attempts to expand post-compulsory provision have been an uphill battle.

Dr Matthews said there has traditionally been a lack of investment but the picture is changing and he was hopeful funding will be restored next year.

Asked about the impact of the re-prioritisation of the Welsh Government’s budget, he told MSs that there is a risk of losing momentum and opportunities as a result.

Dr Matthews agreed that budget pressures will make the 2050 target more challenging.

He said: “What we need is a plan and trajectory which sets out milestones for us. But any slowing down of that momentum will make that trajectory more challenging.”

Mr Evans stressed the importance of focusing on transitions from education and promoting the value of Welsh in the workplace, so young people see the language as a skill.

Lisa Mytton, strategic director of National Training Federation Wales, raised concerns around recruiting qualified assessors and cuts to the apprenticeship budget.

Mr Evans called for a national strategy to create a bilingual teaching workforce, saying there is  a “massive problem” in recruiting Welsh speakers in fields such as science.

He welcomed a review of vocational qualifications, carried out by Sharron Lusher, the former principal of Pembrokeshire College, but warned that progress on its findings has been slow.

Mr Evans said made-in-Wales qualifications and resources are currently not in place.

Dr Matthews pointed to the potential role of the forthcoming Welsh language education bill, which aims to transform provision in schools and give learners more meaningful skills.