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Education

Pembrokeshire schools ready to celebrate 15 years of travel to school challenge

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SCHOOLS in Pembrokeshire still have time to sign up to the UK’s largest walking, wheeling, scooting, and cycling to school challenge.

Taking place from the 11th to the 22nd of March 2024, Sustrans’ Big Walk and Wheel inspires pupils to make active journeys to school, improving air quality in their neighbourhood and discovering how these changes benefit the world around them.

The event sees schools compete each day to make the most journeys by travelling actively to school and is seeing its 15th anniversary by celebrating the success enjoyed across the years for pupils, parents, and schools.

The challenge is delivered by Sustrans, the charity that aims to make walking, wheeling, and cycling easier, in partnership with headline sponsors Schwalbe Tyres UK and Pembrokeshire County Council.

Siani Colley-Nester, Sustrans Cymru Curriculum and Communications Co-ordinator, said: “Millions of pupils have risen to the challenge and embraced active travel throughout these past 15 years of Sustrans’ Big Walk and Wheel, and who wouldn’t when the competition is such fun?

“Not only are pupils and their families enjoying the delights of an active school commute, they’re also saving money and improving congestion and the environment around their schools.”

Sustrans’ Big Walk and Wheel is open to all primary and secondary schools in the UK, including ALN schools and PRUs, with prizes to be won every day.

Free resources are available to encourage pupils to help reduce air pollution and learn about the benefits of active travel for themselves, their schools, their neighbourhoods, and the planet.

15 years of the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel

Since data collection for the challenge began in 2011, a staggering 23.9 million miles (1) have been travelled by pupils taking over 15.9 million active travel journeys to school.

That equates to around 200 trips to the moon, or over 1,900 journeys around the Earth (1), saving 12,700 tonnes of CO2 polluting the air on the school run, from 31.7 million car journeys had the participants been driven to and from school (1).

Just under 2.7 million active journeys to 1,862 participating schools took place during the 2023 challenge, saving an estimated 1,890 tonnes of CO2 emissions if the journeys logged had otherwise been made by car (2).

Xavier Brice, CEO at Sustrans, said: “For 15 years, millions of pupils across the UK have enjoyed taking part in the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel by walking, wheeling, and cycling to school with friends and family… and winning prizes along the way!

“The challenge shows how people of all ages want to travel actively. Parents save money by not having to drive and children get to be out and about exploring their world. This gives our children healthy habits they can take with them into adulthood.”

Join in

Comment and share your active journeys to school, using the hashtag #BigWalkandWheel.

Find out more about registering for the Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel 2024.

Follow us on Twitter @SustransCymru and on Facebook.

Education

Young entrepreneur Jake launches media business

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Pembrokeshire graduate focuses on weddings and live events

JAKE ALDRED, a former Level 3 Creative Media student at Pembrokeshire College, has successfully launched his own business, Jake Aldred Media, specialising in photography and videography.

With a strong focus on the wedding industry, Jake has quickly built a reputation for capturing life’s most important moments with professionalism and creativity. His expertise extends beyond weddings, having covered major events such as Ironman competitions, the Pembrokeshire County Show, Saundersfoot Fest, and promotional work for the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, the Cardiff Dragons Women’s Netball Team, and S4C. He has also provided videography for live music events, showcasing his versatility across various industries.

Jake credits Pembrokeshire College for providing the foundation of his skills, particularly the support of his tutor, Denys.

“I’m incredibly excited to take this next step and build something of my own,” said Jake. “The Creative Media course really helped me develop the skills I needed as a videographer and photographer. While studying, I started doing social media work for local businesses, which led to capturing my first wedding. My tutor, Denys, understood that university wasn’t my path and helped me make connections, including with the Enterprise Team at the College, who put me in contact with the local council and helped secure funding for my business.”

Jake Aldred Media is gaining recognition for its attention to detail, creative approach, and ability to capture raw emotion. Whether covering weddings, sporting events, or community festivals, Jake’s dedication to storytelling through visual content is evident in his work.

For more information or to book services, contact jakealdred.media@gmail.com.

For details on creative courses at Pembrokeshire College, visit www.pembrokeshire.ac.uk.

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Education

Conservatives criticise Welsh Government over persistent absence in schools

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THE WELSH CONSERVATIVES have criticised the Welsh Government’s handling of pupil absenteeism in schools, highlighting that the number of persistently absent pupils remains significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Natasha Asghar, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education, said that while the average attendance rate in Welsh maintained schools has slightly improved to 91% compared to 90.4% the previous year, progress remains “unacceptably slow”. She highlighted that persistent absenteeism, at 12% this year, has more than doubled from pre-pandemic levels (14.7% in 2018/19 compared to a peak of 30.4% in 2023/24).

She further emphasised the widening attendance gap between pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their peers, noting FSM pupils had an attendance rate of just 85.3% compared to 92.8% for non-FSM pupils.

“Labour’s record in education is dreadful, and absenteeism is just one area they consistently fail to address effectively,” Natasha Asghar, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education, said. “Wales needs a change. Pupils eligible for free school meals are being left behind, and the Welsh Government is doing too little, too slowly, to bridge this gap.”

Illness remains the leading cause of absence, responsible for 4.1% of school sessions missed.

The Welsh Government noted the overall attendance rate for September 2024 to February 2025 improved to 91.0% and highlighted reductions in persistent absenteeism since last year as positive signs. It acknowledged that while challenges remain, especially post-pandemic, efforts are ongoing to support schools and pupils in improving attendance rates.

Understanding attendance trends and addressing underlying causes of absenteeism are critical priorities for policymakers, educators, and families across Wales.

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Education

Welsh schools ‘facing £500m repairs backlog’

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SCHOOLS in Wales face a total maintenance bill of more than £500m, with a £93m backlog of urgent works, a Senedd Member revealed.

Cefin Campbell, Plaid Cymru’s shadow education secretary, raised concerns about the 22 councils in Wales facing an average backlog of £24m each.

He told the Senedd that 355 schools, 24% of all schools in Wales, require urgent maintenance, according to responses to freedom of information requests.

Questioning Lynne Neagle on February 19, Mr Campbell pointed out that in Torfaen – the education secretary’s constituency – 31 out of 32 schools require urgent work.

Mr Campbell said responses to his earlier written questions revealed the Welsh Government “did not believe it had responsibility to collect this data centrally”.

Ms Neagle pointed to the Welsh Government’s announcement of an extra £35m for school and college repairs, with £20m earmarked for maintenance.

She pledged that funding to undertake repairs would be prioritised, arguing investment in Welsh schools is in “sharp contrast” to that over the border in England.

She told the Senedd: “What Plaid Cymru fails to ever do is recognise that when you call for money for things, you never have to actually identify where that money has to come from.”

“It’s your responsibility,” Mr Campbell heckled.

Ms Neagle continued: “Every week you stand up here and you call for different pots of funding … without any concept of what we’re doing in terms of trying to prioritise the budget.

“I’m proud of our record on school capital … we’re continuing to invest in school buildings.”

Plaid Cymru MS Cefin Campbell
Plaid Cymru MS Cefin Campbell

Calling for a national survey of the condition of school buildings, Mr Campbell argued funding allocated so far “won’t touch the sides” of the estimated £500m backlog.

“You don’t even know the extent of the problem because you don’t collect the data,” he said.

The former lecturer added: “Students’ educational attainment is enhanced and improves in schools with better physical learning environments.

“Labour in Wales is clearly failing pupils by not providing them with a safe environment in which to learn. This also has an impact on teachers, a recent survey found that a third of them said that poor buildings and facilities disempowered them professionally.”

Ms Neagle replied: “I find this line of questioning a little puzzling given we are making record amounts of investment in our school buildings. Nearly £2bn since this latest programme started on new buildings and that’s aside from the money we provide for repairs.”

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