Ysgol Bro Gwaun (formerly Fishguard County Secondary School) is a secondary comprehensive school in the town of Fishguard in north Pembrokeshire. It is a predominantly English-medium school with significant use of Welsh,[2] and has a catchment area covering the towns of Fishguard and Goodwick, the villages of Scleddau, Letterston and Newport and the surrounding areas including the Gwaun valley.
| Ysgol Bro Gwaun | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Address | |
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Heol Dyfed Fishguard , Pembrokeshire , SA65 9DT Wales | |
| Information | |
| Type | Comprehensive school |
| Motto | Welsh: Angori doeth, dyfodol disglair (Anchor wise, bright future) |
| Head teacher | Paul Edwards |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Age | 11 to 17 |
| Enrolment | 498[1] |
| Website | https://ysgolbrogwaun.com/ |
The school was built in the 1960s because the old building (now demolished for Ysgol Glannau Gwaun) was too small. It was designed, like Sir Thomas Picton School, to be a cold war hospital in case of war.
The school typically has around 500 pupils and 50 members of teaching staff.
School Redevelopment
editIn November 2017, a £10.9 million extension (funded jointly by the Welsh Government and Pembrokeshire County Council as part of the 21st Century Schools Programme) was officially opened.[3] The extension - which involved the demolition of a significant amount of the previous building - provides new classrooms, designated provision for bilingual Special Educational Needs and new community facilities.[4]
Academic Performance
editFrom 2011 to 2016, the school saw a large increase in the percentage of students obtaining at least 5 GCSE A*-C grades - rising from 62.4% in 2011 to 90.4% in 2016,[5] thus significantly outperforming the England and Wales average of 66.6% (2016).[6]
The school's Science results are exceptionally strong with more than 95% of students obtaining at least a C grade pass at GCSE,[5] far exceeding the Welsh national average of 75.6%.[7]
The school's most recent monitoring report from Estyn (the Welsh Education Inspectorate) in October 2016 stated the school was showing "strong progress", making "significant improvements" across the board.[8]
Competitions and Olympiads
editThe school regularly fields a team in the national Biology Challenge and British Biology Olympiad (both organised by the Institute of Biology), and has won at least one Gold award on an annual basis.[9][10][11]
In 2014, Science teacher Robert Woodman won the 'Teachers of Physics' award by the Institute of Physics, an annual award covering the whole of the UK.[12]
Notable former pupils
edit- Mark Delaney (footballer) - ex-professional football player for Cardiff City and Aston Villa
- Meri Huws - Welsh Language Commissioner
- Melbourne Johns - WWII munitions factory worker whose retrieval mission to obtain crucial machinery was made into the film The Foreman Went to France
- Major Francis Jones - Historian and Wales Herald Extraordinary (1963–1993)
- Sue Jones-Davies - actress and singer
- Very Reverend Jonathan Lean - Dean of St. David's Cathedral (2009–2017)
- Josh Macleod - professional Welsh Rugby Union player (Scarlets)
- Cerys Matthews - singer, radio presenter and co-founding member of Catatonia (band)[13]
- Thomas James Stretch - Reverend involved in the liberation of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in April 1945
Notable former staff
edit- David John Williams - Co-founder of Plaid Cymru and prominent Welsh-language writer was an English and PE teacher at the school 1919–1936, and Welsh Master 1937–1945.[14]
- Glenys Cour - Artist and member of The Welsh Group taught at the school in the 1940s[15]
References
edit- ^ "Fishguard/Bro Gwaun Cluster of School". Pembrokeshire County Council. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
- ^ "Ysgol Bro Gwaun". Welsh Government: My Local School. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- ^ "Merit shield winners, governors and guests take a first look at the new Ysgol Bro Gwaun, Fishguard". Western Telegraph. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
- ^ "Fishguard: Ceremony held for Ysgol Bro Gwaun extension". Pembrokeshire Herald. Retrieved 21 December 2017.
- ^ a b "Ysgol Bro Gwaun". Welsh Government: My Local Schools. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- ^ "A*-C grades in dramatic decline as GCSE results are published". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- ^ "Examination Results of Wales 2016-2017" (PDF). Welsh Government: Statistics and Research. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- ^ "Estyn Monitoring Report October 2016" (PDF). Welsh Government: Estyn. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- ^ "Ysgol Bro Gwaun's Biology Brilliance". The County Echo. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- ^ "Ysgol Bro Gwaun Pupils Enjoy Science Success". The Western Telegraph. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- ^ "Pupils take part in Biology Challenge". The Pembrokeshire Herald. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- ^ "Exceptional Physics Teacher Honoured". The Western Telegraph. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
- ^ Sherwin, Adam (14 September 2018). "Cerys Matthews: 'I don't play public school pop stars on my BBC 6 Music show'". inews.co.uk.
- ^ "Dictionary of Welsh Biography; Williams, David John". Retrieved 21 December 2017.
- ^ "Glenys Cour The Blue Room". Retrieved 21 December 2017.