Ysgol Bryn Elian
Encyclopedia
Overview
Ysgol Bryn Elian is an 11 - 18 English-language medium Comprehensive schoolComprehensive 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...
on Windsor Drive in Old Colwyn
Old Colwyn
Old Colwyn , is a small town just to the east of Colwyn Bay, in Conwy County Borough, Wales.Prior to local government reorganisation in April 1974 it was part of the Municipal Borough of Colwyn Bay, but the reorganisation established it as a separate parish , whose population at the 2001 census was...
. Along with Eirias High School
Eirias High School
Eirias High School is situated in Colwyn Bay, in Conwy county borough, North Wales. The school has approx 1600 pupils and over 120 teachers and staff. The school’s name is derived from its location, the grounds of Eirias Park. Its modern facilities include up-to-date science laboratories, modern...
and Coleg Llandrillo Cymru
Coleg Llandrillo Cymru
Coleg Llandrillo Cymru is the largest College in North Wales with around 22,000 learners studying either on campus, in the community, in the workplace or over the Internet....
(which is sixth-form-level only) it serves the state secondary education sector in the Colwyn Bay
Colwyn Bay
- Demography :Prior to local government reorganisation on 1 April 1974 Colwyn Bay was a municipal borough with a population of c.25,000, but in 1974 this designation disappeared leaving five separate parishes, known as communities in Wales, of which the one bearing the name Colwyn Bay encompassed...
area. The school has been in existence since the 1970s, when it was initially created as a Secondary modern school
Secondary modern school
A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed in most of the United Kingdom from 1944 until the early 1970s, under the Tripartite System, and was designed for the majority of pupils - those who do not achieve scores in the top 25% of the eleven plus examination...
to accept those unable to get into the town's Grammar school
Grammar school
A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and some other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching classical languages but more recently an academically-oriented secondary school.The original purpose of mediaeval...
, Eirias High School
Eirias High School
Eirias High School is situated in Colwyn Bay, in Conwy county borough, North Wales. The school has approx 1600 pupils and over 120 teachers and staff. The school’s name is derived from its location, the grounds of Eirias Park. Its modern facilities include up-to-date science laboratories, modern...
. In the mid-seventies, the Secretary of State for Education ordered both schools to become comprehensives.
History
Ysgol Bryn Elian's history prior to 1988 was largely uneventful, in that its performance was considered satisfactory to good in the inspections by EstynEstyn
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...
. In 1988, following the retirement of the incumbent headteacher and the secondment of a Deputy, the school underwent significant change, however, occasioned, in large part, by the appointment of a new Head teacher (James Whippe) with significant inner-city education experience, gained in both London and Liverpool, and a temporary, later to be made permanent, Deputy.
Today
The School recently won the Wales Quality Award "Prize for Learning". To date they are the only school in Wales to do so.The school has played host to the band the Ordinary Boys on the first day of BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation which also broadcasts internationally, specialising in current popular music and chart hits throughout the day. Radio 1 provides alternative genres after 7:00pm including electronic dance, hip hop, rock...
's Star Pupil competition in early 2007 and has also seen the likes of Lil' Chris
Lil' Chris
Christopher James Hardman , more commonly known by his stage name Lil' Chris, is an English singer-songwriter, DJ and television personality.-Rock School:...
and European Gold and Olympic Silver Medallist, Campbell Walsh
Campbell Walsh
Campbell Walsh is a Scottish slalom canoer. Competing in two Summer Olympics, he won a silver medal in the K-1 event at Athens in 2004....
making appearances.
They have a successful music department, achieving many prizes in the Urdd Eisteddfod and producing high quality musicals. this year (2009) they gained 1st place in the county round, progressing to the national finals in Cardiff and have won the Learner's Cerdd Dant Party Competition nationally for 4 years running. Their D of E programme is widely considered to be one of the best in the area due the sheer number of participants who achieve Bronze Silver and Gold, amounting to more than produced by the rest of the county. Estyn commented: "One way in which the school’s values are exemplified is through the provision of a wide range of extra-curricular activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, whereby the school enables a very large number of students to participate in the Award. The school has produced more than half of the gold Award winners in the county of Conwy."
The school also embarks on a great deal of charity work which recently has seen them raising money to develop a school in Madagascar, with an eventual target of £11000.
It's feeder schools are as follows:
Ysgol Cynfran (Llysfaen)
Ysgol Hen Golwyn (Old Colwyn)
Ysgol Llanddulas (Llanddulas
Llanddulas
Llanddulas is a village in Conwy county borough, North Wales midway between Old Colwyn and Abergele and next to the North Wales Expressway.The village lies beneath the limestone hill of Cefn-yr-Ogof...
)
Ysgol Tan Y Marian (Llysfaen)
Headteacher: Mrs. Eithne Hughes