Cwmtawe Comprehensive School
Encyclopedia
Cwmtawe Community School (in Welsh
: Ysgol Gymunedol Cwmtawe) is a modern, English-medium
education comprehensive school
situated in Pontardawe
, South Wales
.
The school moved to newly built premises in 1996, its old building now being used by the local Welsh-language primary school, Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Pontardawe. Cwmtawe recently won an eco-schools award for environmentally friendly
schools, which is based on school improvements, community and curriculum links as well as saving money and raising awareness. Although Cwmtawe is not a Welsh-medium
school, Welsh
is taught at second-language level, as it is mandatory under the National Curriculum that all Welsh school children
up to the age of 16 be taught the language.
Cwmtawe has very good Key Stage 3
and GCSE results that exceed the targets set in the national standard for Wales. In 2000 the school was in 113th place in Wales
for GCSE passes (based on 5 GCSEs, grades A-C). Since then, however, examination results have improved dramatically and according to the latest inspection report by Estyn
the school has a GCSE pass rate of 73%, putting it in equal 12th place (and within the top 10% of all schools) in Wales
.
show produced by the pupils.
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
: Ysgol Gymunedol Cwmtawe) is a modern, English-medium
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
education comprehensive school
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
situated in Pontardawe
Pontardawe
Pontardawe is a town of some 5,000 inhabitants in the Swansea Valley in south Wales...
, South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
.
The school moved to newly built premises in 1996, its old building now being used by the local Welsh-language primary school, Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Pontardawe. Cwmtawe recently won an eco-schools award for environmentally friendly
Environmentally friendly
Environmentally friendly are terms used to refer to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies claimed to inflict minimal or no harm on the environment....
schools, which is based on school improvements, community and curriculum links as well as saving money and raising awareness. Although Cwmtawe is not a Welsh-medium
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
school, Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
is taught at second-language level, as it is mandatory under the National Curriculum that all Welsh school children
Education in Wales
Education in Wales differs in certain respects from education elsewhere in the United Kingdom. For example, a significant number of students all over Wales are educated either wholly or largely through the medium of Welsh: in 2008/09, 22 per cent of classes in maintained primary schools used Welsh...
up to the age of 16 be taught the language.
Cwmtawe has very good Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3 is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14...
and GCSE results that exceed the targets set in the national standard for Wales. In 2000 the school was in 113th place in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
for GCSE passes (based on 5 GCSEs, grades A-C). Since then, however, examination results have improved dramatically and according to the latest inspection report by Estyn
Estyn
Estyn is the education and training inspectorate for Wales. Its name comes from the Welsh language verb meaning "to extend". Its mission is to achieve excellence for all in learning in Wales by providing an independent, high quality inspection and advice service to the Welsh Assembly Government and...
the school has a GCSE pass rate of 73%, putting it in equal 12th place (and within the top 10% of all schools) in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Drama productions
Each year Cwmtawe has a dramaDrama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
show produced by the pupils.
- 2003 Bugsy MaloneBugsy MaloneBugsy Malone is a 1976 musical film, very loosely based on events in New York City in the Prohibition era, specifically the exploits of gangsters like Al Capone and Bugs Moran, as dramatized in cinema...
- 2004 GreaseGrease (musical)Grease is a 1971 musical by Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey. The musical is named for the 1950s United States working-class youth subculture known as the greasers. The musical, set in 1959 at fictional Rydell High School , follows ten working-class teenagers as they navigate the complexities of love,...
- 2005 Oliver!Oliver!Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
- 2006 An Evening With Cole Porter
- 2007 High School MusicalHigh School Musical on Stage!High School Musical on Stage! is a musical based on the Disney Channel Original Movie High School Musical, with music and lyrics by Matthew Gerrard, Robbie Nevil, Ray and Greg Cham, Drew Seeley, Randy Petersen, Kevin Quinn, Andy Dodd, Adam Watts, Bryan Louiselle, David N. Lawrence, Faye Greenberg...
- 2008 Fiddler on the roofFiddler on the RoofFiddler on the Roof is a musical with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, set in Tsarist Russia in 1905. It is based on Tevye and his Daughters by Sholem Aleichem...
- 2009 The WizThe WizThe Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is a musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls and book by William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the context of African American culture. It opened on October 21, 1974 at the Morris A...
- 2010 Joseph and the amazing technicolour dreamcoat
Feeder primary schools
The feeder primary schools for Cwmtawe are:- Alltwen Primary SchoolAlltwen Primary SchoolAlltwen Primary School is an English-speaking Junior School in Alltwen. Established in 1904, it caters for children aged 3-11. It is a feeder school for Cwmtawe Comprehensive School. The school is situated at the top of the fly over from lower down Pontardawe. The school has three yards, a garden...
- Godre'r Graig Primary School
- Llangiwg Primary School
- Rhos Primary School
- Rhydyfro Primary School
- Cynlais Primary School
Sports
- Bleddyn BowenBleddyn BowenBleddyn Bowen is a former international Wales rugby union player.Bleddyn Bowen played club rugby for South Wales Police and Swansea RFC. His first international game was in 1983, along with five other first caps, against Romania; a game that Wales lost heavily, 24-6.Bowen retained his place and...
, rugby union player - Aled BrewAled BrewAled Brew is a Wales international rugby union player who plays as a winger for Newport Gwent Dragons in the Celtic League. He made his debut with the Wales national rugby union team against Ireland in the 2007 Six Nations Championship.-Biography:...
, rugby union player - Gareth EdwardsGareth EdwardsGareth Owen Edwards CBE is a former Welsh rugby union footballer who played scrum-half and has been described by the BBC as "arguably the greatest player ever to don a Welsh jersey"....
, rugby union player - James GriffithsJames Griffiths (rugby union)James Griffiths is a Welsh international rugby union player who played club rugby for Swansea RFC. Griffiths has played over 125 games for Swansea, and made his only international appearance against Samoa in 2000. In 2003 he played regional rugby for the Scarlets.-External links:* at scrum.com*...
, rugby union player - Robert Jones, rugby union player
- Joanne Melen, Judo Commonwealth Games medalist
- Elgan ReesElgan ReesHarold Elgan Rees is a former Welsh international rugby union player. He toured with the British Lions to New Zealand in 1977, when he had yet to be capped by Wales, and South Africa in 1980 and at the time played club rugby for Neath...
, rugby union player - Arwel ThomasArwel ThomasArwel Camber Thomas is a former Wales international rugby union player. An outside-half, he played his club rugby for Swansea RFC....
, rugby union player