History beneath the classroom in Rhuddlan school

Thanks to a talk led by Heneb Archaeologist, Ian Grant, members of the summer club (Jester’s Fun Club) at Ysgol y Castell in Rhuddlan got to learn about the history which sits right underneath their school grounds.

Pupils, representatives from the Council, Bryn Build and Heneb in front of new work at Ysgol y Castell, Rhuddlan.

Ysgol y Castell is currently undergoing extension works which will see 16 square metres of addition classroom space added to four classrooms, producing a total extension of 64 square metres for pupil use, with updated learning facilities to be added at the same time. As the school sits on a protected site, excavation work must be monitored by an archaeologist, with the most recent work, the excavation of land for the attenuation tank and yard extension, also falling under this requirement.

During the talk, pupils got to learn about Rhuddlan and their school site through the ages, and how the landscape and archaeological finds have helped archaeologists learn more about the behaviour patterns of people from a number of different key ages, including the medieval ages, and even earlier.

Heneb Archaeologist, Ian Grant.

Pupils got to see some of the archaeological finds that have been discovered at the site from a number of different digs (not the most recent excavation works), which included, but is not limited to, bits of medieval pottery, old animal bones and fragments from tools that were discovered.

Pupils attend a talk before visiting the site.

After the talk and the tour of the discoveries found at the school site, the pupils then got to see the progress on the work that is happening at the school by Bryn Build, who are undertaking the work, which included seeing the newly extended school yard and the dug-out space for the attenuation tank.

Councillor Diane King, Cabinet Lead Member for Education, Children and Families said:

“It was brilliant to attend the talk and the tour at Ysgol y Castell. I learned a lot about the fascinating history of the school site, which dates back much further than I realised.

It was also great to see the progress on the extension work, which will both upgrade and enhance pupils learning and wellbeing, with updated learning facilities to be added at the same time as the extension.”

Councillor Arwel Roberts, School Governor, County Councillor for the Rhuddlan Ward and Chair of the Council said:

“It is so important that pupils learn about the history of their area, and the rich and interesting stories that are right underneath their feet.

Engaging with their local history helps pupils discover more about how and why the area they live and learn in came to be as it is today. The pupils at Ysgol y Castell have the rare opportunity of actually learning about the history that is literally right under their feet, in their school field.”

Councillor Ann Davies, County Councillor for Rhuddlan Ward said:

“At the meeting it was good to see how engaged and well informed the children were.

They were clearly very interested in the archaeological dig and in seeing the artifacts on display.

It is important for the children to know the history and that some of the relics found next to the school in Rhuddlan are up to 9000 years old. I would like to thank Heneb staff for the excellent presentation and all those involved with the archaeological dig.

Having been involved with the school for the last 50 years, I am delighted that the much-needed extension is going ahead.”

The first phase of this project is 65% match funded by the Welsh Government, through its Sustainable Communities for Learning Programme. The remaining 35% of funding has primarily come from a developer’s contribution provided by the Tirionfa housing development in Rhuddlan.