Robert Lloyd - a Sir Gar Blog of random news . . . and some Clecs!

A Welsh medium primary school in Llanelli has become the first in the county to win a new language charter award. Ysgol Gymraeg Brynsierfel in Llwynhendy has been given a Codi Caerau Sir Gâr Bronze Award for the progress the school and its pupils have made in promoting the use of incidental Welsh. The Language Charter aims to help bring about an increase in the social use of Welsh by children by inspiring them to use the language in all aspects of their lives. The Charter asks for all members of the school community – the school council, pupils, the workforce, parents, governors and the wider community – to contribute. Each school sets its own challenging but achievable vision. The award has been presented at a celebration at the school with a performance of the musical drama ‘Y Welsh Not’ by the school’s drama club ‘Bobl Bach Brynsierfel’ in partnership with CISP Multimedia. Scarlets commercial manager Garan Evans, poet Mererid Hopwood and two harpists from Ysgol y Strade will be am...

Pupils and staff in Llwynhendy received an early Christmas present – a £6.6million state of the art new school. The official opening of Ysgol Gymraeg Brynsierfel took place with a special ‘festive themed’ ceremony and the unveiling of a plaque by Carmarthenshire County Council Chair Cllr Ivor Jackson. The Welsh primary school, which has a capacity for 210 pupils and a nursery for 30 children, was built through the council’s Modernising Education Provision (MEP) programme. The hi-tech, eco-friendly building opened its doors a few weeks ago after being completed ahead of schedule by contractors Kier Western. An architectural design team from the council’s Property Services worked with the contractors to develop an inspiring learning environment. Its most iconic feature is the split level corridor which brings light into the building and creates space for pupils to display their artwork. Work included a compete remodelling of the former school campus and the demolition of the old school w...

A Llanelli school which was the first in Carmarthenshire to be inspected under a new framework has passed with flying colours. Ysgol Gymraeg Brynsierfel was also one of the first schools in Wales to be inspected using the new guidance. The Estyn inspection team noted that almost all pupils made solid progress in their learning and that their skills were consistently good. Pupils were found to make very good progress in their use of Welsh from the time they began in the school. The report stated that behaviour was consistently good and that the curriculum was broad with a clear focus on developing pupils’ skills. The inspectors said the school was a very close and caring community which ensured equal opportunities for every pupil, and that it had positive relationships with parents and carers. Parents expressed positive opinions about the school; they felt that the teaching was good and that they received good information about their children’s progress. The report was welcomed by the s...