Education
Permanent head for Ysgol Dewi Sant
UNDER threat local community school, Ysgol Dewi Sant (St David’s School), this week appointed a permanent Head Teacher, Mr David Haynes. He had previously been acting Head at the school
The appointment follows months of uncertainty at the school.
In a report earlier this year, ESTYN assessed the school as having an overall performance rated merely adequate and also stated their prospects for improvement as also being just adequate.
They deemed the school’s leadership and management as unsatisfactory and expressed concern that middle leaders of the school had not had enough impact on improving the quality of provision and raising standards in their areas of responsibility.
They also criticised lines of accountability, stating that they were unclear, and that line management arrangements lacked vigour and consistency in holding these middle leaders to account.
That report was in stark contrast to the finding of the Real Schools Guide, published in September, which placed Ysgol Dewi Sant as Pembrokeshire’s best achieving secondary school.
Speaking with The Herald, David Lloyd, School Governor and local County Councillor, discussed the positive aspects to arise from the appointment of a new Head Teacher.
“It is an interesting and uncertain period for education in Pembrokeshire. The local authority was reluctant for us to appoint a head on the basis it (the school) may be closed. Therefore, the governors had to appoint a head without the blessing of the local authority.#
‘’We have been careful not to reject their advice but always working with what is best for the school. ESTYN have objected to too many temporary acting Heads in Pembrokeshire.”
He went on to point out that such acting Heads did, in ESTYN’s opinion, undermine the leadership of a school, and that the school, therefore, faced the paradoxical position of being rated only adequate/unsatisfactory in leadership but with the local authority asking for the school not to appoint.
He continued: “This is an impossible situation, making the school vulnerable. I’m happy to say that the new incoming director of education (for Pembrokeshire County Council) gave us their blessing to appoint, and we are happy with the working relationship we now have with the local authority.”
On the issue of the school maintaining its current status Mr Lloyd said: “We are quietly confident that all the hard work will ultimately succeed in retaining a secondary school in St David’s. We are happy to appoint a Head Teacher to consolidate our efforts to keep the school and we are very happy to work with the new team at the County Council. We accept their decision will be evidence based”.
Mayor Glenys James spoke to The Herald saying: “We are delighted to have Mr Haynes. People are more comfortable now that we have a Head. He has addressed the (City) Council and given us a précis of what is being put into place. We also took the councillors around the school for them to see what is going on.”
On potential closure to the school she continued: “The fear is with us until we know (the result of any closures). If you take the school, you take the community, and there is the link with The Cathedral and the St David’s choir.
‘’This school is working well, now, and is full to capacity. We will wait for the review and see what happens from there. We would be devastated if the school closed. We are a community working closely with the school”.
Speaking on behalf of the County Council, and of the continued worry by the school as to what their fate might be, a spokesperson said: “The review of secondary education in the St. Davids area is part of a wider review of secondary provision in Pembrokeshire. The St Davids review is due to be completed in November.
‘’Members have been assured that no decisions regarding school closures or mergers have been taken. Closures and mergers are just two of a number of strategies for consideration once recommendations have been presented.’’
The four principles underpinning the process of developing and implementing school organization proposals are:
* Quality and future sustainability of educational provision;
* Sufficiency and accessibility of school places;
* The condition, suitability and standard of school buildings;
* Value for money.
The prime focus is currently on secondary schools due to the estimated projected 2,000 surplus places in the future. The review of secondary provision will significantly inform recommendations as to how these challenges can be addressed.
In a recent meeting of the Children and Families Scrutiny Committee, the shared Head of School Effectiveness, Alan Walters, stated that while school performance at primary level was mostly positive, performance within secondary schools was disappointing and a cause for concern.
The judgment was made following consideration of national and regional results of Estyn inspections.
Education
Council failed Welsh language standards over school closure
CARMARTHENSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL failed to properly assess the Welsh-language impact of plans to close Ysgol Llansteffan before moving to publish a statutory closure notice, the Welsh Language Commissioner has found.
The adjudication follows a complaint by Cymdeithas yr Iaith over the council’s handling of the future of the Welsh-medium school, which is due to close formally on August 31, 2026.
In correspondence with Cymdeithas yr Iaith, the Commissioner said the council had accepted that its original Welsh Language Impact Assessment was insufficient.
The Commissioner did not uphold every part of the complaint. Cymdeithas had argued that there was insufficient capacity in other Welsh-medium schools in the Carmarthen town area, and that some pupils could be pushed out of Welsh-medium education. However, the Commissioner said it was not within her powers to investigate school-place data in that way.
But she did find that the council’s original assessment failed to deal “conscientiously” with the effect that closing the school would have on the community of Llansteffan.
Cymdeithas yr Iaith had argued that it was unreasonable for the council to describe the language impact of closing what it called the most important Welsh-medium institution in the village as “neutral”. The group said the decision ran counter to efforts to strengthen rural Welsh-speaking communities.
The Commissioner found that Carmarthenshire County Council had failed to comply with Welsh Language Standards 88, 89 and 90, which require public bodies to assess the impact of policy decisions on the Welsh language.
Her adjudication says the council later revised its Language Impact Assessment during the course of the investigation. However, the Commissioner made clear that such consideration should have formed part of the decision-making process from the outset.
The Commissioner said: “To comply with the standards, it is essential that consideration of Welsh language effects forms an integral part of the policy-making process from the outset, rather than being separate from the decision itself or addressed at the end of the process.”
She added that the council’s process flow chart should include a clear requirement for the Welsh-language effect of a proposed school closure to be considered from the very start.
The Commissioner does not have the statutory power to overturn the school closure decision itself. Her role is to determine whether the council complied with the Welsh Language Standards and to require future compliance.
Speaking on behalf of Cymdeithas yr Iaith in Carmarthenshire, Ffred Ffransis said the decision confirmed that the council’s process had been flawed.
He said: “The simple truth of the matter is that the Cabinet of Carmarthenshire County Council in November 2025 took the decision to issue a Statutory Closure Notice for Ysgol Llansteffan based on a defective Language Impact Assessment.
“The fact that they took later steps to amend and mitigate does not compensate for the harm done by this injustice to the pupils and the local community.
“We have already been informed that one young family has put their house on the market to move to an area which has a school.
“We shall be drawing the attention of the Chief Executive Officer, Wendy Walters, to the lack of a strategic approach across departments.
“There is an application to build affordable homes in the village, but attempts to revive the community by attracting young families are being undermined by the closure of the school by another council department.”
The council’s Cabinet decided on November 17, 2025, to issue a closure notice for Ysgol Llansteffan using the shortened process available for schools with fewer than ten pupils. Cymdeithas says the number of pupils had risen from eight to 17 during the process.
The full council later agreed to close the school after considering the objections report at the beginning of March 2026. Cymdeithas says councillors were not told at that meeting that a complaint had been made about the original Language Impact Assessment.
Parents have already had to register their children at other schools for the next academic year.
A legal challenge to the closure decision is understood to be due to be heard in August, shortly before the school’s formal closure date.
Education
Ysgol Glannau Gwaun celebrates prestigious Gold Active Travel award
Pupils at Ysgol Glannau Gwaun have been celebrating after their school became one of only nine in Wales to achieve Gold Active Travel status
The Fishguard school recently travelled to the Senedd in Cardiff to receive its prestigious Walk, Wheel, Cycle Gold Active Travel Award, recognising the work pupils and staff have done to promote walking, cycling and scooting.
It was the second time pupils from Ysgol Glannau Gwaun had travelled to the capital to present their active travel projects to a range of audiences.
The school now has a fleet of 60 scooters and 40 bicycles, allowing children from Nursery through to Year 6 to build their confidence and skills.



Through a range of grants and funding opportunities, weekly cycling and scooter sessions are now offered to all pupils, regardless of age or ability.
In 2023, only 11 of 41 pupils were able to complete their Level 1 and 2 cycle training, as many did not have access to a bicycle.
Since then, the school has worked hard to change that. Thanks to investment in school bikes, every pupil can now take part in cycle training.
Older pupils have also taken on leadership roles, supporting younger children with balance bike and scooter sessions.
Progression Step 3 pupils have designed a 1.5km community scooter trail, beginning at Fishguard Library and finishing in Goodwick. The route has been created not only for pupils, but for the wider community.
To further encourage active travel, the school also loans scooters to families, helping to ensure everyone has the opportunity to take part.
Staff help run a walking bus to after-school music activities at the secondary school, while the School Senedd regularly develops new ideas to promote active travel.
One recent initiative was a six-hour scootathon, which raised £1,000 for the RNLI.
To mark the Gold award, the school held a special celebration day for all pupils. Fusion Extreme delivered BMX workshops, while British BMX champion Matti Hemmings impressed pupils with a spectacular display of skills.
Pupils also presented their journey to achieving Gold status to parents, governors and community partners, including Transition Bro Gwaun, which helped fund the school’s bicycle fleet.
Headteacher Mrs Mari Jones said: “I am incredibly proud of our pupils, whose enthusiasm, leadership and commitment have driven many of the initiatives that contributed to this award.”
Deputy Headteacher Mrs Sharon Osborne added: “We are extremely grateful to the Pembrokeshire Road Safety Team, Alice from the Walk, Wheel, Cycle Trust, Transition Bro Gwaun and the Catrin Vaughan Foundation for their support.
“Their funding and resources have enabled our pupils to develop exceptional cycling and scooting skills, alongside valuable leadership and communication skills.
“This has culminated in pupils confidently presenting their achievements to a wide range of audiences.”
Pupils say their active travel journey does not end with the Gold award, with more ideas already being planned.
As they proudly put it, nothing stands still at Ysgol Glannau Gwaun.
Education
Education secretary vows to tackle ‘root causes’ of antisocial behaviour in schools
WALES’ education minister has vowed to tackle the “root causes” of antisocial behaviour in schools.
Plaid Cymru’s Anna Brychan was pressed on the Welsh Government’s plans to fix the issue by Reform MS Paul Marr on Wednesday July 1.
Referencing Plaid’s 100 day plan, Ms Brychan said the government will address the root causes of behavioural challenges, including “attendance, wellbeing and wider needs”, through a “co-ordinated whole system approach.”
She noted the importance of early intervention and aligning support services to “enhance learning environments”.
Welcoming Ms Brychan’s commitment to early intervention, Mr Marr said parents in his Ceredigion Penfro constituency want to know “why schools are increasingly being expected to deal with the threat of knife crime without proper resources.”
Calling on the Welsh Government to commit to funding preventable security measures and emergency response training, he noted: “Policies and plans, with respect, Minister, do not stop blades.”

Mr Marr also referred to his experience working in the prison service, where he said attacks on staff with bladed instruments became “a regular occurrence”.
He called for assurances for teachers from Ms Brychan that, with rising numbers of incidents, these attacks are “not expected to be their new norm”.
She said: “Every learner has the right to feel safe and know they belong in a school, are able to attend, participate and achieve.
“And the same is true of members of staff, and ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our school workforce is equally a priority for us.”
Labour’s Shav Taj spoke of the importance of correctly framing the debate around antisocial behaviour in schools.

She said: “While challenging behaviour is obviously a real concern, we’re hearing very clearly from unions but also staff on the ground, that it is actually increasingly linked to unmet needs, particularly around mental health and additional learning needs as well.”
Ms Taj went on to emphasise the importance of ALN reforms and ensuring the right level of support is in place through “a person-centred, needs-led system”.
She continued: “What teachers and teaching assistants are continuously telling us is that too often they’re being left to manage increasingly complex needs without it.
“So while some may frame this purely as an issue of discipline, isn’t the reality that where needs aren’t being met early, those pressures are simply playing out and compounding in the classroom?”
Ms Taj asked how the Welsh Government plans to ensure mental health provision in schools is properly resourced, including school counselling and wider ALN support.
Ms Brychan responded saying her points are “exactly the reasons” the programme will look at “wellbeing, attendance, and wider needs through a co-ordinated whole-system approach.”
She added: “She [Ms Taj] touches on ALN; that is a wider issue in our system, and that’s precisely why we want to bring all of these areas together and to recognise the barriers to learning that are part of this area of concern for us, and that’s why we have framed our response in this way.”
Ms Brychan was also pressed for an update on the progress made so far towards introducing a foundational literacy and numeracy plan.
Reform MS David Mills told the Siambr that Estyn found roughly 20% of pupils leave primary school functionally illiterate – a figure he described as “frightening”.

He called for the minister to set out “a clear timetable” for bringing the plan forward, and how it will deliver “measurable improvements” in both literacy and numeracy.
Ms Brychan stressed the problem is not with Welsh learners, and said: “Our learners are able to achieve and have potential comparable to anywhere in the world. It isn’t the lack of a willing workforce either.
“It is, I think, a lack of understanding of the expectations around progression in literacy and numeracy, and that’s precisely why we are introducing this literacy and numeracy foundational plan.”
Ms Brychan reassured the member that she is working “at pace”, noting that on her second day in the job she wrote to schools to outline the Welsh Government’s work on the plan, promising an update at the end of the summer term, before the framework is introduced in the autumn.
Natasha Asghar, of the Welsh Conservatives, questioned the deputy minister on what steps the Welsh Government is taking to boost the number of apprenticeships in Wales.
Noting that university isn’t “for everyone”, Ms Asghar stressed the importance of apprenticeships as a route into the workplace for “those who want to earn and learn at the same time”.

Recalling a commitment from Plaid’s election manifesto, she noted the party promised to expand both work experience and apprenticeships.
However, Ms Asghar went on to share a conversation she had recently with Jane Blackwell – a franchisee of five McDonald’s restaurants in the Newport area – who noted that despite wanting to take on more apprenticeships she is limited to due to the strict criteria of the apprenticeship levy.
Ms Asghar said: “We have a situation here where a business owner with multiple sites is contributing towards the apprenticeship fund, but isn’t able to access it to take on her own apprentices; it is, frankly, absurd”.
She called on the deputy minister to commit to meeting with Jane to discuss the issue and “iron out the problems” to start getting more young people into work.
In response, Cefin Campbell – the deputy minister for skills and tertiary education – said the Welsh Government is currently investing £151 million in apprenticeships to support delivery across Wales.

He said: “We believe that apprenticeships are a cornerstone of Wales’s post-16 skills system and a key policy, as you mentioned, for economic growth, fair work and productivity.
“They provide high-quality routes into employment, supporting people of all ages and helping employers develop the workforce they need.”
The deputy minister agreed with Ms Asghar that the current apprenticeship offer needs changes to reflect both “changing economic needs and the needs of businesses”.
He added: “A new apprenticeship programme from August 2027 will deliver a more flexible and responsive model for employers and delivery partners, shaped by extensive engagement, led by Medr.
“Now, this reform should be seen as part of a wider drive to create clearer pathways, improve parity of esteem with academic routes, and strengthen alignment between skills and economic growth.”
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