Education

Teens explain barriers to activity

Published

8 years ago

April 12, 2018

Increase range of available activities: A key ask by teens

LOCAL, cheaper, good quality activities are just a few recommendations made by teenagers who took part in a study by researchers based at Swansea University.

The recommendations made by the teenagers shed light on the barriers to exercise and what they feel could be done to help them engage more in sporting activities.

Physical inactivity is one of the most important issues in public health today, with heart and circulatory disease killing around one in four people in the UK. It has been linked to health issues later in life and is considered a key contributor to increased obesity. Studies have indicated that there is a decline in physical activity in adolescence. There are growing concerns that these young people are spending increasing amounts of time on sedentary activities including watching television, using a computer and playing video games.

The ACTIVE project, funded by the British Heart Foundation, worked with over 70 teenagers from 7 secondary schools in Swansea. It aimed to see whether giving teenagers vouchers to spend on activities of their choice – such as dancing, swimming, karate, skateboarding or BMXing – could reduce the time spent being sedentary, improve fitness, lower the risk of heart disease and improve general health.

As part of the study, the research team wanted to give the teenagers the chance to make their own recommendations to help other young people be more active and carry on being active in the future. The findings were very interesting with teenagers making several recommendations, including:

Lower activity cost without sacrificing quality. The teenagers said that lowering the cost of activities would help them become more active. They recommended that more free activities should be made available.

Local activities. Removing the need to travel to venues would go some way to making physical activity more accessible to teenagers.

Improve the standards of existing facilities. The teenagers who took part in the study all said that their local facilities need to be improved. Spaces, such as the local parks, have fallen into states of neglect and equipment is broken.

Make activities more specific to teenagers. The young people stated that there is very little that specifically invites teenagers to attend. They believed that council run services in particular neglected their age group.

Give teenagers a choice of activities. Teens don’t want to just be restricted to a small range of sports. The activities they suggested were less traditional, for example, dodgeball, trampolining or going to the gym.

Provide activities that teenage girls enjoy. Teenage girls in the study said that if they do not like what is on offer, they will not do it and would actually prefer to be inactive. The girls said they are more likely to be active if they can do activities they enjoy.

Michaela James, Trial Manager for the ACTIVE project, at Swansea University Medical School, commented: “It is clear that what is currently available for teenagers is not meeting their wants and needs. The ACTIVE Project is aiming to address this by empowering teenagers and giving them a voice. We are very proud to be working collaboratively with this group to help them become more active.”

Adam Fletcher, Head of British Heart Foundation (BHF) Cymru said: “Levels of physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour amongst young people in Wales remain stubbornly high, and increasing participation in physical activity is essential to improve our children’s health and preventing future cardiovascular disease.

“There are lots of different ways people can keep active, from playing football to dancing. The important thing is to find a form of exercise you enjoy, so that you make time for it in your weekly routine.”

“The ACTIVE research project is providing new insights and a better understanding of the barriers to physical activity by teenagers and this report includes some great recommendations into developing new ways to engage with teenagers and to tackle the growing problem of inactivity in young people.”

Community

Plea to save Tegryn Ysgol Clydau school heard by councillors

Published

6 hours 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

8 hours 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.

Education

School issues safeguarding alert over children’s use of Roblox

Published

1 day ago

December 15, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Ysgol Penrhyn Dewi warns parents about addictive gameplay, unsafe chat functions and scammers

YSGOL PENRHYN DEWI in St Davids has issued a safeguarding warning to parents after concerns were raised about children’s use of the popular online gaming platform Roblox.

In a letter sent to families today (Dec 15), Assistant Headteacher Louise Gray said the school had been made aware of a series of risks linked to the platform, which is widely used by children aged 8–13 – and in some cases younger.

Roblox allows users to create and play games developed by other players. However, the school says this user-generated model can expose children to inappropriate or harmful content depending on which games they access.

Range of risks highlighted

The letter sets out several specific safeguarding concerns, including:

Inappropriate content in user-created games
Highly addictive gameplay, with daily quests and reward systems designed to increase screen time
Easily changed parental controls, allowing children to adjust settings without verification
Chat features that expose younger players to inappropriate messages
Peer pressure from in-game ‘connections’, with children believing they know other users
Emotional dysregulation linked to heavy use of the platform
Scams, including fake offers of free Robux or cosmetic items

Parents are being urged to closely monitor how their children use the platform, who they interact with, and what content they can access.

Guidance available

The school has directed families to the Welsh Government’s Hwb website for further advice on parental controls and safe use of Roblox.

A Roblox spokesperson said: “Roblox is committed to providing a safe and positive experience for every member of our community, especially children and young people. We use a combination of chat filtering, human and AI-assisted moderation, parental controls and age verification tools to help protect our users from inappropriate content or behaviour.

“Younger players have more restrictive settings by default, and features such as voice chat and unfiltered text chat are limited to age-verified users. We encourage parents and carers to make use of our safety features, review their child’s settings regularly, and talk with them about staying safe online.”

“We continuously update our policies and systems in response to emerging risks, and we work closely with safety experts and regulators to help ensure Roblox remains a secure environment for creativity and play.”