Education Matters
Headteacher appointed at Christ the Word school
Amanda Preston has been confirmed as the new Headteacher of Christ the Word 3-16 Catholic School in Rhyl.
The school, which will be part of the Diocese of Wrexham, will open its doors in September in a brand new building and the appointment is a significant step forward.
The school, which will cater for 420 full time pupils aged 3-11 and 500 pupils aged 11-16, is funded in partnership by the Council and the Welsh Government through its 21st Century Schools Programme.
Christ the Word Catholic School will replace Ysgol Mair and Blessed Edward Jones Catholic High School. The building programme is progressing well and remains on target.
Amanda, who is currently deputy headteacher of Elfed High School in Buckley, said: “I am hugely excited and immensely privileged to have been appointed as the first Headteacher of Christ the Word Catholic School.
“I have been teaching for over 20 years in a range of schools. During my teaching career I have held several senior leaderships posts, including acting headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher and Head of Mathematics.
“I graduated from Strathclyde University with a Masters in Engineering and relish teaching Mathematics to all abilities.
“I have held responsibility for a number of key aspects of school leadership including standards and progress in Skills, Curriculum and Wellbeing.
“My immediate priority will be to ensure that both children and staff are settled and happy in our new school.
“I am passionate about learning and believe that, as well as ensuring outstanding educational provision across the board, a truly outstanding community school needs to nurture confidence and resilience in young people so that they are able to meet life’s challenges with enthusiasm.
“I believe that children need a secure foundation from which to grow and flourish, in all areas, and I am so looking forward to leading Christ the Word Catholic family. Supporting and developing every single young person’s faith, abilities and aptitudes and hence preparing our children to live and lead in a changing world.”
Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts, lead member for Education, Children, Young People and the Welsh language, said: “I’d like to congratulate Amanda Preston on behalf of the Council and wish her well in her new role.
“Amanda will provide vital leadership and help contribute to the success of Christ the Word Catholic School, which will offer first class facilities for pupils and provide a great learning environment for them to thrive. Supporting young people to reach their potential is a priority for the Council and providing modern school facilities that further enhance pupils’ learning helps us achieve that.”
Gill Greenland, Chair of the Temporary Governing Body, said: “This is really positive and exciting news for the new school. We look forward to welcoming Amanda to our community as a new chapter in Catholic education begins in Rhyl.”
Former pupil returns to Rhyl school to launch short film project
Pupils had a brush with Hollywood when a high-profile former student returned to a Rhyl school.
The Council and Blessed Edward Jones Catholic High School welcomed former student Paul Higginson, who is executive vice President EMEA for Twentieth Century Fox, to talk about how to pursue a career in the movie business.
Paul also launched a short film project in collaboration with Denbighshire's Curriculum Enrichment initiative and Tape Community Music and Film, after a scriptwriting masterclass in 2017, when film and television writer Jimmy McGovern visited the school and helped students start a script for a short film entitled Flight or Flight.
Paul has worked on a number of blockbusters, including 1997’s Titanic, and was responsible for bringing the premier of the Jim Carrey comedy Me, Myself and Irene to the town in 2000.
He said: “Rhyl is where I grew up, I went to this school and I wanted to be involved in this project.
“I was excited about coming back and it was very emotional. I wanted to get across to the students what is possible, there is so much negativity around reaching beyond your environment and what people around you set as your parameters.
“I wanted to tell students they can push beyond the boundaries. I am very proud to support an initiative that can help children feel that way.”
Pupils will now film and produce Fight or Flight, which deals with issues of self-esteem, body image and social media, with a premiere set to be held at the school later this year.
Mathew Smith, a year 11 pupil said Mr Higginson’s talk inspired the students.
He said: “One thing for me is that since he is from the same town as us, it makes it more relatable and makes it seem it is a possible thing to do.”
The project is a collaboration between Denbighshire Curriculum Enrichment initiative, the school and Tape, with funding also provided from the Thomas Howell’s Education Fund for North Wales.
Dominic Tobin, Headteacher at the school, said: “Our students relish the opportunity to put themselves outside of their comfort zone. Having an opportunity for professionals to come into school, work with our students and extend their skills and experiences is fantastic. In addition, this will boost their confidence and self-belief, opening their minds to future career possibilities.”
A whistle stop tour of the achievements of Denbighshire’s 21st Century Schools projects
Ten years ago Denbighshire Councillors approved the commencement of the Modernising Education Programme in Denbighshire which has placed investment in school buildings as a key priority. This support from Councillors together with partnership working with the Welsh Government will have seen nearly £97m spent on new or improved school buildings in Denbighshire since 2010 on projects from Rhyl and Prestatyn in the North down to Llangollen and Cynwyd in the South.
The Modernising Education Programme is responsible for reviewing school provision in Denbighshire and investing in school buildings and facilities. The first wave of funding for 21st Century schools, a national programme which has seen the Welsh Government provide match funding for school building projects, is coming to an end this year and to date there have been a number of excellent school projects completed, with three more to be completed this year.
The programme has also boosted the local economy. The majority of the schemes have been progressed by companies based in North Wales with a strong emphasis on ensuring local procurement. This has brought training opportunities and employment to the local economy
The primary school projects completed to date include:
The secondary projects completed to date include:
The ongoing 21st Century Schools projects are as follows:
To find out more about each of the individual projects above, click on the links.
Dee Valley: Ysgol Dyffryn Iâl, Llandegla
The school opened in November 2013 at a cost of £900,000 which was funded by the Council.
The project involved the provision of a new building for teaching and learning adjoining the local village hall.
This enabled the school to operate from a single site in purpose built classrooms.
Dee Valley: Ysgol Gwernant / Ysgol Bryn Collen, Llangollen
The school opened in September 2011 at a cost of £900,000 which was funded by the Council and Welsh Government.
Investment at this Primary site in Llangollen saw a three classroom extension built and refurbishment of parts of the existing school.
This project accommodated the growth in demand for places in the town, the removal of old mobile facilities and provided spaces for the displacement of pupils following the closure of Ysgol Glyndyfrdwy
Dee Valley: Ysgol Bro Dyfrdwy, Cynwyd
The school opened in June 2014 at a cost of £1.4million.
It was funded by the Council and Welsh Government as part of the 21st Century Schools Programme.
This project allowed for a three classroom extension and refurbishment of other classrooms together with new reception area and school administration facilities.
The completion of the project enabled the newly amalgamated school to operate from one site and for the removal of a mobile classroom.
Prestatyn Area: Ysgol y Llys, Prestatyn
The school opened in September 2014 at a cost of £2.8million.
It was funded by the Council and Welsh Government.
With an increased demand for Welsh Medium Education this project provided an eight classroom extension and refurbishment to accommodate future requirements.
The completion of the project enabled the removal of mobile classrooms from the site.
Prestatyn Area: Bodnant Community School
Ysgol Bodnant Community School opened in September 2016 at a cost of £3.5million.
The build was funded by the Council and Welsh Government as part of 21st Century Schools Programme.
The extension at the Junior site enabled the school to operate from a single site. The project provided a seven classroom extension and refurbishment of other teaching areas together with a new reception area, school administration facilities and hall. The project also enabled the removal of all mobile accommodation and enabled the recently amalgamated school to operate from a single site.
Ruthin Area: Rhos Street School / Ysgol Pen Barras
The schools opened in April 2018 at a cost of £11.3million.
The build was funded by the Council and Welsh Government as part of 21st Century Schools Programme.
This project saw the schools of Rhos Street School and Ysgol Pen Barras relocate to a new site designed to meet their needs in a modern environment.
The new school building replaced the existing site which was overcrowded and had extensive use of mobiles.
Denbigh Area: Ysgol Twm o'r Nant, Denbigh
The school extension opened September 2014 at a cost of £1.4m.
It was funded by the Council and Welsh Government.
The project provided for a three classroom extension at the rear of the site and refurbishment of some areas in the school together with a new reception area and school hall. The project was designed to remove mobile accommodation and meet growing need for Welsh Medium Education
Rhyl High School / Ysgol Tir Morfa, Rhyl
The school opened April 2016 at a cost of £24m.
It was funded by the Council and Welsh Government as part of 21st Century Schools Programme.
This project saw Secondary education transformed in the town of Rhyl. The old buildings spread across the site, many of whom were in very poor condition were replaced by a new state of the art facility. The new replacement school provides 1200 places for pupils at Rhyl High School and 45 places for Ysgol Tir Morfa.
Ysgol Glan Clwyd
The new extension was opened in November 2017 at a cost of £16.5m.
It was funded by the Council and Welsh Government as part of 21st Century Schools Programme.
This project was completed in phases. A new large extension was completed in December 2017 which then provided the space for the refurbishment of most of the main block including the Victorian building which was a prominent feature on the St Asaph landscape together with the demolition of poorer accommodation. This project also enabled the removal of mobile accommodation and was designed with capacity to meet growing demand for Welsh Medium Education
Ysgol Carreg Emlyn, Clocaenog
The ongoing 21st Century Schools projects which are expected to be completed this year are as follows:
The school is scheduled to open Summer 2019 at a cost of £5m.
It has been funded by the Council and Welsh Government as part of 21st Century Schools Programme.
A new single site school for Ysgol Carreg Emlyn is being built in the village of Clocaenog, to replace the current buildings in Cyffylliog and Clocaenog.
Ysgol Carreg Emlyn has operated on both the Clocaenog and Cyffylliog sites since the amalgamation of Ysgol Clocaenog and Ysgol Cyffylliog in 2014.
The main contractor Wynne Construction started on site in May 2018 and during the construction phase staff and pupils have visited the site at key milestones during the project to view the progress.
The new site will include new classrooms, additional learning areas, hall, community room, external play areas, new vehicle access and car parking with a drop-off area.
The project is on schedule, with build now in the final stages of construction, it is expected that pupils will move into the new school site in the summer term 2019.
Ysgol Llanfair
The school is scheduled to open Summer 2019.
The cost of the build is £5.3m and is being funded by the Council and Welsh Government as part of 21st Century Schools Programme.
A new bilingual church school for Ysgol Llanfair DC, is being built on land opposite Bryn y Clwyd, Llanfair DC.
The project is joint funded by Welsh Government and the Council, in partnership with the Diocese of St Asaph and will provide new classrooms, additional learning areas, a reflection area, hall, community room, external play areas, new vehicle access and car parking with a drop-off area. This is a much needed investment for the school, as the current school facilities are dated and are in desperate need of modernisation. There had also been concerns about the lack of car parking, staff areas, public areas and accessibility to the school, which is located on the busy A525 in the centre of the village.
Bodelwyddan-based Wynne Construction, the main contractor, started on site in June 2018. Great progress has been made on site during the construction phase and staff and pupils have visited at key stages of the project to take a sneak peek at their new facilities, as the building work progresses on site.
It is expected that pupils will move in to the new school during the summer term 2019.
Christ the Word Catholic School
First phase of the school scheduled to open Autumn 2019.
The cost of the build is £23m and is funded by the Council and Welsh Government as part of 21st Century Schools Programme.
Work continues to progress well on Christ the Word Catholic School in Rhyl. The new school, which will replace Ysgol Mair primary school and Blessed Edward Jones Catholic High School, will cater for 420 full time pupils aged 3-11 and 500 pupils aged 11-16 with the new building is set to open in autumn 2019. Following this the existing school buildings will be demolished and make way for sports/ play areas with the completion of the whole site set for summer 2020.
To follow the development of this project please follow the education blog: https://educationindenbighshire.wordpress.com/