URGENT works to address structural issues at Ysgol Greenhill in Tenby have commenced and will proceed over the coming months. 

The Council said this week the school received correspondence from concerned parents and the Headteacher is responding to these concerns in a letter which will go out to all parents/carers on May 2.

The Council is providing the necessary support to the school to ensure that the work is carried out safely and thoroughly and is supportive of the Headteacher’s actions in ensuring that all parents/carers are kept fully appraised of the situation.

It is anticipated that the work will continue throughout the summer term and be completed by the new academic year. 

Every effort will be made to minimise the impact on teaching and learning, particularly during the period of external examinations.

The Headteacher will be providing further updates to parents/carers in due course.

SENEDD Members demanded urgent action to address an “epidemic” of violence after a 14-year-old became the first person convicted of attempted murder in a Welsh school.

Natasha Asghar led a debate in the aftermath of a schoolgirl being sentenced to 15 years’ detention on Monday for stabbing two teachers and a pupil at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman.

The Conservatives’ shadow education secretary expressed concerns about record levels of physical assaults on teachers and a tripling of fixed-term exclusions from 2015 to 2023.

“This is just the tip of the iceberg,” she said, warning of chronic under-reporting of violence.

Ms Asghar pointed to “extremely concerning” statistics which showed the exclusion rate for pupils for additional learning needs more than doubled to almost 12%.

She told the Senedd: “Something is clearly seriously wrong when over 50% of pupils with ADHD have indeed been excluded during a school year.”

Ms Asghar said a union’s survey found nearly three in five teachers believe social media negatively impacts pupil behaviour, leading to increasing misogyny and sexism.

She quoted Sharron Daly, a teacher from Bridgend, as saying: “An awful lot of young people come to us… without boundaries… at home and then that comes into the classroom.”

Plaid Cymru’s Cefin Campbell – whose brother, a teacher at the Carmarthenshire school, was hailed a hero after trying to restrain the girl – spoke of his deep personal regret.

Mr Campbell, who himself attended the school, said: “It’s a regret that’s echoed in the tight-knit, friendly community of Ammanford, amid horror that this kind of wholly intentional attack was perpetrated by a young woman with a knife in her hand. “

The former lecturer had no doubt the “pervasive” nature of social media has exacerbated issues such as bullying, misogyny and racism.

He added: “It is crucial, therefore, that we recognise the significant impact of social media on student behaviour and develop clear policies for schools to manage its negative influence.”

Addressing education secretary Lynne Neagle, he said: “A year has now passed since the events at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman and no solutions have been proposed by the government on safety in schools. We cannot… wait for another similar attack before you respond.”

Labour’s Carolyn Thomas stressed that worrying trends following the pandemic around children and young people’s behaviour in school are not unique to Wales.

“Similar evidence is shown throughout the UK and even internationally,” she said.

Adam Price, who represents Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, told the Senedd: “The attack… has sent a tremor through every staff room and every kitchen table in the country.

“It is the lightning bolt that shows the storm already overhead; violence, once exceptional, is edging towards routine – an ugly new normal.”

Mr Price added: “The tragedy in Ammanford was not unforeseeable. No-one shouted louder than deputy head Ceri Myers: between January and the morning of the attack, he emailed the Welsh Government seven times pleading for guidance on challenging behaviour.

“In an interview with ITV, he said he was palmed off.

“The girl who stabbed Fiona Elias, Liz Hopkin and another pupil had already brought a knife into school the year before. The signs were there – the system didn’t see them.”

Responding to the debate on April 30, Lynne Neagle said Estyn will publish a thematic review on school behaviour on May 8 – the same day as a summit on the subject.

The education secretary told the Senedd: “I am deeply concerned about this, about the impact that poor behaviour has on our children’s ability to learn and succeed… on our education workforce… and about the impact that it has on the image of the profession.”

She refuted the notion that the then-deputy head was “palmed off”, saying: “Ceri Myers never wrote to [the] Welsh Government about anything to do with knives nor violence. He raised concerns about behaviour and in particular about things like vapes.

“He had a full response on a number of occasions and also met officials.”

Mr Price responded: “Here was a senior leader in Ysgol Dyffryn Aman setting out the truth and, well, the cabinet secretary was saying, ‘I refute that, I listen but if I don’t like what teachers are telling me then I’m going to ignore it.’ That’s unacceptable.”

Senedd Members voted 35-13 against the Tory motion, with Plaid Cymru’s amendment also falling before the Welsh Government’s amendment was agreed – 25-13 with ten abstaining.

NEW funding will transform educational facilities for students with additional learning needs (ALN) in FE Colleges across Wales.

All 13 FE Colleges in Wales will benefit from the £5m to create more accessible and inclusive learning environments.

On a visit to Gower College Swansea the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Vikki Howells, toured the dedicated ALN department at the College and met with students benefiting from specialist support.

She met learner Juno, who spoke about the importance of having support.

Juno said: “These facilities are essential to my time here at college, for example the quiet room I use daily and the environment there helps me. It’s important to me that this support is available.”

Vikki Howells said: “The £5m I’m announcing today will make a real difference to students with additional learning needs in FE Colleges up and down the country, making sure they have the facilities they need to reach their full potential.

“The inclusive learning environment I have seen here today at Gower College Swansea, demonstrates how important specialist facilities are in providing a high-quality education for learners with ALN. This funding reinforces our commitment to making education accessible for all students, regardless of their learning needs.”

The £5m of capital investment will enable colleges to:

Upgrade existing specialist facilities
Purchase new equipment
Improve college buildings to enhance accessibility
Gower College Principal, Kelly Fountain, said:

“We are delighted to welcome the Minister to Gower College Swansea to visit the staff and students within our dedicated ALN provision,”

“At the College, we have a team of experienced staff who are on hand to help our students with additional learning needs at every step of their journey, from supporting their transition from school to providing assistive technology support on campus. We also have a specialist Neurodiversity team who can provide support for students with a range of conditions such as dyslexia, ADHD and autism.