Ysgol Gymraeg Plasmawr
Encyclopedia
Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Plasmawr is a Welsh
secondary school
in Cardiff
. It opened in September 1998 in buildings that had formerly been used as Waterhall School and more recently as the Lower School site for Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf
, and became Cardiff's second Welsh-medium comprehensive school
. The current headteacher is John Hayes.
During its first nine years, the school has been acclaimed for its work in the fields of equality of opportunity and social inclusion, developing emotional intelligence and in the performing arts. The school also offers a wide range of sporting activities including all major team sports and rowing
, canoeing
and climbing
. During the 2007/08 rugby season, Plasmawr 1st XV won South Wales League B for the first time in the history of the school
, Ely
, Caerau
, Grangetown
, Butetown
, Riverside
, Canton
, Pontcanna
, Fairwater
, Pentrebane
, Llandaff
, Radyr
, Creigiau
, Pentyrch
, and Gwaelod-y-Garth
.
Students have become regular winners at the National Urdd
'Eisteddfod' in a range of dramatic and musical competitions. The school is also an EU Comenius school and has active overseas partners in France, Brittany, the Netherlands, Lesotho & Japan. The school also offers the Welsh Bacculaureate qualification in addition to GCSE, BTEC and A Level courses.
79% of the pupils come from homes where Welsh is not spoken. 9% of the pupils belong to the wide range of ethnic minorities which make up the population of Cardiff.
Over the five year period from 2001-2006, an average of about 70% of the population gained 5 or more higher level GCSEs. According to the latest inspection report by Estyn
the school has a GCSE pass rate of 79% (based on 5 GCSEs, grades A-C). This puts the school in joint 7th place in Wales
with Bishopston Comprehensive School in Swansea
. It is also the third best performing secondary school in Cardiff
behind Bishop of Llandaff Church in Wales High School
and Cardiff High School
. The A Level points score reached a high point of 24 points in 2006.
Upon the opening of Ysgol Bro Morgannwg in Barry, Ysgol Plasmawr'r catchment area of primary schools changed, pupils from Penarth, and Cowbridge are now diverted to Ysgol Bro Morgannwg. In addition, a reworking of the catchment areas between Plasmawr and Glantaf resulted in a higher intake of pupils from socially diverse backgrounds.
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...
secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
. It opened in September 1998 in buildings that had formerly been used as Waterhall School and more recently as the Lower School site for Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf
Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf
Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf is the largest Welsh-medium school in Wales. It is located on Bridge Road, Llandaff North, Cardiff, on the banks of the river Taff. The name 'Glantaf' means 'The bank of the river Taf' in Welsh. Of the two Welsh-medium secondary schools serving Cardiff, it was the first...
, and became Cardiff's second Welsh-medium 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...
. The current headteacher is John Hayes.
During its first nine years, the school has been acclaimed for its work in the fields of equality of opportunity and social inclusion, developing emotional intelligence and in the performing arts. The school also offers a wide range of sporting activities including all major team sports and rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
, canoeing
Canoeing
Canoeing is an outdoor activity that involves a special kind of canoe.Open canoes may be 'poled' , sailed, 'lined and tracked' or even 'gunnel-bobbed'....
and climbing
Climbing
Climbing is the activity of using one's hands and feet to ascend a steep object. It is done both for recreation and professionally, as part of activities such as maintenance of a structure, or military operations.Climbing activities include:* Bouldering: Ascending boulders or small...
. During the 2007/08 rugby season, Plasmawr 1st XV won South Wales League B for the first time in the history of the school
Pupils
The school serves a mixed demographic , which includes Culverhouse CrossCulverhouse Cross
Culverhouse Cross is suburban district in the west of Cardiff, capital of Wales, lying on the border with the Vale of Glamorgan.The busy Culverhouse Cross roundabout is an important part of the primary road network to the west of the city and connects the A4232 , the A4050 , and...
, Ely
Ely, Cardiff
Ely is a community primarily dominated by council housing in western Cardiff, capital of Wales.-The Roman era:In Roman times, Ely was the site of a Roman villa, near the old racecourse...
, Caerau
Caerau, Cardiff
Caerau is a community in the west of Cardiff, capital city of Wales. Heol Trelai is the main road or avenue which is very much lined with large trees and shrubbery. Dominated mostly by council housing, it has the Western Leisure Centre, supermarkets, schools, churches and an Ely Police Station...
, Grangetown
Grangetown, Cardiff
Grangetown is a community in the south of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It is one of the largest districts in the south of the city and is bordered by Riverside, Canton and Butetown. The River Taff winds its way through the area...
, Butetown
Butetown
Butetown is a community in the south of the city of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. It was originally a model housing estate built in the early nineteenth century by John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute, for whose title the area was named...
, Riverside
Riverside, Cardiff
Riverside is an inner-city southern area of Cardiff, capital of Wales. Riverside is also the name of the electoral ward, which can be split into two very different parts, Riverside and Pontcanna...
, Canton
Canton, Cardiff
Canton is an inner-city district and community in the west of Cardiff, capital of Wales, lying west of the city's civic centre. One of the most ethnically diverse of Cardiff's suburbs, with a significant Asian population such as Pakistanis and Indians, Canton has a population just in excess of...
, Pontcanna
Pontcanna
Pontcanna is a western district of the city of Cardiff, Wales. Its area is bounded approximately by Llandaff Fields to the north, the Riverside district and Cowbridge Road to the south, the River Taff to the west and the district of Canton to the east.Pontcanna is a very well to do area of wide...
, Fairwater
Fairwater, Cardiff
Fairwater is a district in the west of Cardiff, capital of Wales. It is located a few miles from Culverhouse Cross which connects Cardiff to the M4 motorway.- History :The name Tyllgoed, meaning "dark wood" goes back to the 15th century...
, Pentrebane
Pentrebane
Pentrebane is a district in the west of Cardiff, capital of Wales.Pentrebane sits on the top of the hill overlooking the adjacent suburbs of Fairwater and Llandaff, and on the cusp of St. Fagans and the Vale of Glamorgan...
, Llandaff
Llandaff
Llandaff is a district in the north of Cardiff, capital of Wales, having been incorporated into the city in 1922. It is the seat of the Church in Wales Bishop of Llandaff, whose diocese covers the most populous area of South Wales. Much of the district is covered by parkland known as Llandaff...
, Radyr
Radyr
Radyr is an outer suburb of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The suburb is situated in the west of the city, although it was originally a separate village, and is located around 5 miles north west of Cardiff city centre. According to 2009 estimates, the suburb has a population of 6,000...
, Creigiau
Creigiau
Creigiau is a dormitory settlement in the north-west of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The village currently has about 1,000 houses and a population of approximately 2,400 people.- History :...
, Pentyrch
Pentyrch
Pentyrch is a suburban community located on the western outskirts of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The village gives its name to a Cardiff local authority electoral ward, which covers the village and surrounding area.-Geography:...
, and Gwaelod-y-Garth
Gwaelod-y-Garth
Gwaelod-y-garth is a village in the parish of Pentyrch, Cardiff in Wales.- Location :It is situated approx 6 miles north of Cardiff and 7 miles from Pontypridd. Castell Coch, the Fairytale castle of South Wales, is within easy reach of the village, by car or by foot.- History :In Elizabethan...
.
Students have become regular winners at the National Urdd
Urdd Gobaith Cymru
dde|200px|thumb|The Urdd logoUrdd Gobaith Cymru, literally, the Welsh League of Hope, but normally translated as the Welsh League of Youth, or merely referred to as the Urdd, is a Welsh-medium youth movement with over 1,500 branches and over 50,000 members...
'Eisteddfod' in a range of dramatic and musical competitions. The school is also an EU Comenius school and has active overseas partners in France, Brittany, the Netherlands, Lesotho & Japan. The school also offers the Welsh Bacculaureate qualification in addition to GCSE, BTEC and A Level courses.
79% of the pupils come from homes where Welsh is not spoken. 9% of the pupils belong to the wide range of ethnic minorities which make up the population of Cardiff.
Over the five year period from 2001-2006, an average of about 70% of the population gained 5 or more higher level GCSEs. 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 79% (based on 5 GCSEs, grades A-C). This puts the school in joint 7th 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...
with Bishopston Comprehensive School in Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
. It is also the third best performing secondary school in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
behind Bishop of Llandaff Church in Wales High School
Bishop of Llandaff Church in Wales High School
Bishop of Llandaff Church in Wales High School is a Church in Wales, Christian faith comprehensive school in the Llandaff area of Cardiff, Wales...
and Cardiff High School
Cardiff High School
Cardiff High School is a comprehensive school in the Cyncoed area of Cardiff, Wales. Cardiff High School is two miles from the city centre, serving a neighbourhood of privately-owned houses. According to the 2007 ESTYN Report, "Cardiff High School is a very good school with many outstanding...
. The A Level points score reached a high point of 24 points in 2006.
Upon the opening of Ysgol Bro Morgannwg in Barry, Ysgol Plasmawr'r catchment area of primary schools changed, pupils from Penarth, and Cowbridge are now diverted to Ysgol Bro Morgannwg. In addition, a reworking of the catchment areas between Plasmawr and Glantaf resulted in a higher intake of pupils from socially diverse backgrounds.