St Cyres Comprehensive School
Encyclopedia
St Cyres School is a co-educational foundation status comprehensive school
and Sixth form college
located in Penarth
, Vale of Glamorgan
, Wales
, 5.2 miles (8.4 kilometres) south west from the Welsh
capital city
of Cardiff
. The school has produced several notable International sportsmen and sportswomen.
The school currently has approximately 1,479 pupils aged between eleven and eighteen on the roll (age nineteen in special circumstances) in years seven to thirteen, with a thriving sixth form of 251 pupils. The school is currently split across two sites with the lower school, for some pupils in years 7 to 9, located in nearby Dinas Powys
.
Former headmaster Brian Lightman returned to lead the school into the 2008 - 2009 academic year after a twelve month long secondment, when he represented the more than 14,000 members of the Association of School and College Leaders as UK President. During his year in office he travelled some 70,000 miles and gained an exceptional insight into the education systems of the UK and the other countries that he visited.
St Cyres Comprehensive School was previously St Cyres Secondary Modern School prior to becoming a comprehensive.
Between 1958 and 1968 the school roll was bolstered by children from Radyr
on the other side of Cardiff
as it was quicker and easier for them to travel the nine miles by train to Penarth and attend either St Cyres Secondary Modern or Penarth Grammar School, than it was to walk or drive to nearer Cardiff schools. The arrangement only ceased when the direct rail link was removed by the Beeching axe
.
is also located on the Penarth Site and currently has 251 pupils according to the latest Governors’ report. The New Block is surrounded by a series of smaller buildings identified as the "Old Block" and temporary "Terrapin
" buildings.
The Penarth site is due to receive a refurbishment and rebuild in the near future as part of a development package proposed by the Vale of Glamorgan Council
to the value of £18 million ($32 million US). The package will also feature the refurbishment of two other schools in the county, (these being Cowbridge Comprehensive school and Llantwit Major Comprehensive school). St Cyres is likely to be given second priority in the programme with Cowbridge being refurbished first. The estimate was that work would start on the St Cyres new buildings in January 2011 with completion by early 2012, but funding delays prevented that original timescale. The delayed development, which was eventually spared the axe in Cardiff Bay cost savings, will still see the transformation of the St Cyres site into a brand new learning campus, incorporating St Cyres school on a single site, along with Ysgol Er’w Delyn, Ashgrove and Maes Dyfan special schools. Completion will see the school reunited on the single Penarth site with the Dinas Powys annexe being closed.
The Dinas Powys annexe currently houses years 7 to 9 for some children aged between 11 and 14 with others located at the Penarth site. Although only a third of a mile distant from the main school site "as the crow flies" there is no direct road route, entailing a vehicle journey of just over two miles (3.2 kilometres).
. St Cyres was also one of the first schools to offer the qualification at Intermediate level (GCSE). The Course has proved very successful, with many leading assembly members commenting on the course. Prominent Welsh Assembly member Jane Hutt
has said:
and became the first secondary school in Penarth to be so recognised. It was also one of the first Fairtrade schools in the Principality. Penarth has been a "Fairtrade Town
" since 2006. The school has a long-standing link with the Penarth Town Fairtrade Forum and its support was recognised when Penarth became the first Fairtrade Town in the area. The Forum consists of the Town Mayor, local councillors and business people, representatives from the voluntary sector and the school has had teacher and pupil representatives as members for twelve years. The pupils who run the Fairtrade scheme in the school were recognised in October 2009 by the award of the prestigious national Diana Award for Excellence - made to groups of young people who have given of their time and energy to help others over a prolonged period. Under the chairmanship of Penarth Councillor Mark Wilson, the forum has gone from strength to strength and is delighted that the school is once again at the forefront of the forum.
The competition started in October 2007 and ran until June 2008, organised and partially sponsored by The Share Centre. Schools taking part had to initially raise £1,500 as their investment funds.
Penarth Rotary Club was one of the main sponsors of St Cyres. Rotarian Neil McFarlane went into the school once a week to guide and mentor pupils and make the investments along with St Cyres head of business studies Lisa Shearer. Mr McFarlane said at the time: "The aim is to have the team of students experience stock market investment for real, and in the process develop and enhance skills such as team working, decision making, research and analysis."
The badge was originally created by Mr Stan Jones, Head of Art when the school became a comprehensive secondary school.
The use of the image in this article will have no effect on the school's commercial use of the image in question. To allow identification and critical commentary on school and school logo for article about the school itself.
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...
and Sixth form college
Sixth form college
A sixth form college is an educational institution in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, Belize, Hong Kong or Malta where students aged 16 to 18 typically study for advanced school-level qualifications, such as A-levels, or school-level qualifications such as GCSEs. In Singapore and India, this is...
located in Penarth
Penarth
Penarth is a town and seaside resort in the Vale of Glamorgan , Wales, 5.2 miles south west from the city centre of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff and lying on the north shore of the Severn Estuary at the southern end of Cardiff Bay...
, Vale of Glamorgan
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough in Wales; an exceptionally rich agricultural area, it lies in the southern part of Glamorgan, South Wales...
, 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...
, 5.2 miles (8.4 kilometres) south west from the Welsh
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...
capital city
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
of 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...
. The school has produced several notable International sportsmen and sportswomen.
The school currently has approximately 1,479 pupils aged between eleven and eighteen on the roll (age nineteen in special circumstances) in years seven to thirteen, with a thriving sixth form of 251 pupils. The school is currently split across two sites with the lower school, for some pupils in years 7 to 9, located in nearby Dinas Powys
Dinas Powys
Dinas Powys is a large village and a community in the Vale of Glamorgan in South Wales which takes its name from the Dinas Powys hillfort that dates from the Iron Age...
.
Former headmaster Brian Lightman returned to lead the school into the 2008 - 2009 academic year after a twelve month long secondment, when he represented the more than 14,000 members of the Association of School and College Leaders as UK President. During his year in office he travelled some 70,000 miles and gained an exceptional insight into the education systems of the UK and the other countries that he visited.
St Cyres Comprehensive School was previously St Cyres Secondary Modern School prior to becoming a comprehensive.
History
The school was established in 1958 and celebrated its 50th anniversary year during the Autumn term of 2008. Several special events took place marking the anniversary.Between 1958 and 1968 the school roll was bolstered by children from 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...
on the other side of 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...
as it was quicker and easier for them to travel the nine miles by train to Penarth and attend either St Cyres Secondary Modern or Penarth Grammar School, than it was to walk or drive to nearer Cardiff schools. The arrangement only ceased when the direct rail link was removed by the Beeching axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
.
Estate
The Penarth Site is the principal location of the school, catering for some years 7 - 9 and all years 10 -13. The roof of the main building or "New Block" is considered to be the current highest vantage point in Penarth. The top floor of New Block suffered a serious fire six years ago but was fully repaired. There was also a minor 4th floor electrical wiring fire in 2007 put out with a single extinguisher. The Sixth FormSixth form
In the education systems of England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, and of Commonwealth West Indian countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Belize, Jamaica and Malta, the sixth form is the final two years of secondary education, where students, usually sixteen to eighteen years of age,...
is also located on the Penarth Site and currently has 251 pupils according to the latest Governors’ report. The New Block is surrounded by a series of smaller buildings identified as the "Old Block" and temporary "Terrapin
Portable classroom
A portable classroom A portable classroom A portable classroom (in Australian English a demountable and often referred to as a demountable, a "Terrapin" or a "Portakabin" (after the two companies) in the UK and called a prefab in Ireland (not to be confused with a prefabricated building) is a...
" buildings.
The Penarth site is due to receive a refurbishment and rebuild in the near future as part of a development package proposed by the Vale of Glamorgan Council
Vale of Glamorgan Council
The Vale of Glamorgan Council is the governing body for the Vale of Glamorgan, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. It is run by the Conservative Party after the United Kingdom local elections, 2008, taking over the council from no overall control....
to the value of £18 million ($32 million US). The package will also feature the refurbishment of two other schools in the county, (these being Cowbridge Comprehensive school and Llantwit Major Comprehensive school). St Cyres is likely to be given second priority in the programme with Cowbridge being refurbished first. The estimate was that work would start on the St Cyres new buildings in January 2011 with completion by early 2012, but funding delays prevented that original timescale. The delayed development, which was eventually spared the axe in Cardiff Bay cost savings, will still see the transformation of the St Cyres site into a brand new learning campus, incorporating St Cyres school on a single site, along with Ysgol Er’w Delyn, Ashgrove and Maes Dyfan special schools. Completion will see the school reunited on the single Penarth site with the Dinas Powys annexe being closed.
The Dinas Powys annexe currently houses years 7 to 9 for some children aged between 11 and 14 with others located at the Penarth site. Although only a third of a mile distant from the main school site "as the crow flies" there is no direct road route, entailing a vehicle journey of just over two miles (3.2 kilometres).
Most recent ESTYN inspection report
Estyn is the office of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales. The most recent ESTYN school inspection report in June 2007 commends the school for:- The Headteacher’s outstanding leadership giving the school a clear sense of direction
- The way in which the school’s values are understood by all staff
- Standards of achievement in the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification
- Excellent relationships between teachers and pupils
- Range of extra-curricular provision
- The way the school tackles social disadvantage and provides equality of opportunity
- Support and guidance given to pupils and students, including those with additional learning needs
- Arrangements for managing and improving the performance of staff
- Effectiveness of school self-evaluation and planning for improvement
- Clear sense of direction and promotion of high standards promoted by the Headteacher and Governing Body.
Welsh Baccalaureate
St Cyres has been one of the leading pioneer centres for the introduction and development of the Welsh Baccalaureate and was one of the very first schools to offer the course at Advanced Level (A Level) in the PrincipalityPrincipality
A principality is a monarchical feudatory or sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of prince or princess, or by a monarch with another title within the generic use of the term prince....
. St Cyres was also one of the first schools to offer the qualification at Intermediate level (GCSE). The Course has proved very successful, with many leading assembly members commenting on the course. Prominent Welsh Assembly member Jane Hutt
Jane Hutt
Jane Hutt AM is a Welsh Labour politician and a Minister in the Welsh Assembly Government. Hutt has represented the Vale of Glamorgan constituency since the National Assembly for Wales was established in 1999...
has said:
"St Cyres School has been a flagship in developing the Welsh Baccalaureate which is central to our age 14-19 education agenda in Wales"
Catchment area
The main feeders schools for St Cyres are Llandough Primary, Fairfield County Primary, Cogan Primary and all the primary schools in Dinas Powys. Currently 20% of pupils are from outside the feeder schools and attend by parental choice.Fairtrade school
In 2008 St Cyres was granted "Fairtrade status" by Fair Trade WalesFair Trade Wales
Fair Trade Wales is an organisation based in the United Kingdom that exists to grow the Fair Trade movement in Wales. It is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government...
and became the first secondary school in Penarth to be so recognised. It was also one of the first Fairtrade schools in the Principality. Penarth has been a "Fairtrade Town
Fairtrade Town
Fairtrade Town is a status awarded by a recognized Fairtrade certification body describing an area which is committed to the promotion of Fairtrade certified goods...
" since 2006. The school has a long-standing link with the Penarth Town Fairtrade Forum and its support was recognised when Penarth became the first Fairtrade Town in the area. The Forum consists of the Town Mayor, local councillors and business people, representatives from the voluntary sector and the school has had teacher and pupil representatives as members for twelve years. The pupils who run the Fairtrade scheme in the school were recognised in October 2009 by the award of the prestigious national Diana Award for Excellence - made to groups of young people who have given of their time and energy to help others over a prolonged period. Under the chairmanship of Penarth Councillor Mark Wilson, the forum has gone from strength to strength and is delighted that the school is once again at the forefront of the forum.
Shares4Schools
St Cyres School was the only school in Wales that took part in the Shares4Schools investment competition, using real funds, amongst 84 schools in the rest of the UK.The competition started in October 2007 and ran until June 2008, organised and partially sponsored by The Share Centre. Schools taking part had to initially raise £1,500 as their investment funds.
Penarth Rotary Club was one of the main sponsors of St Cyres. Rotarian Neil McFarlane went into the school once a week to guide and mentor pupils and make the investments along with St Cyres head of business studies Lisa Shearer. Mr McFarlane said at the time: "The aim is to have the team of students experience stock market investment for real, and in the process develop and enhance skills such as team working, decision making, research and analysis."
School badge
The school badge consists of a quartered shield depicting:- A Castle Keep (relating to the Dinas Powys castle)
- A Celtic Cross (relating to the Welsh national symbol)
- A Welsh Harp (relating to Erw'r Delyn - the "Field of the Harp" - the original shape of the land)
- A Welsh Dragon (relating to the Welsh symbol)
The badge was originally created by Mr Stan Jones, Head of Art when the school became a comprehensive secondary school.
The use of the image in this article will have no effect on the school's commercial use of the image in question. To allow identification and critical commentary on school and school logo for article about the school itself.
Head Pupils
Since 2000/2001, St Cyres has operated a 'Head Pupils' system, where a Head Boy/Deputy Head Boy and Head Girl/Deputy Head Girl are appointed by application and interview by the senior staff at the school.| Academic Year | Head Boy | Head Girl | Deputy Head Boy | Deputy Head Girl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000/2001 | Matthew Crocker | Rebecca Clarey | ? | ? |
| 2001/2002 | Tim Edwards | Sarah Teagle | Tim Naylor | Sarah Farmer |
| 2002/2003 | Edward Silva | Jared Ursell | ||
| 2003/2004 | Amin Amin | Rachel Cliff | Chris Smith | Rhian Hobrough |
| 2004/2005 | Daniel Wiggins | Hannah Jarvis | Mark Hughes | Caroline Stewart |
| 2005/2006 | Ben Clarke | Leah Cliff | Tom Parkinson | Ishtar Madhi |
| 2006/2007 | Christopher Hampshire | Lauren Smith | Matthew Devereux - Cole | Kate Wiltshire |
| 2007/2008 | Scott Kihlberg | Sophie Parry | Craig Jefferies | Megan Roberts |
| 2008/2009 | Andrew Rosser | Jenna Illingworth | Jacob Lowery | Lowri Edwards |
| 2009/2010 | Jordan Lloyd | Rebecca Gerrard | Todd Coles | Bethan Frugniet |
| 2010/2011 | Nielson Beddoe | Nia Morgan | Adam Fisher | Kelly Jervis |
| 2011/2012 | Elias Jamieson |
Notable former pupils
- David DaviesDavid Davies (swimmer)David Davies is a Welsh Commonwealth Games and Olympic distance swimmer. Born in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Davies swam for Wales at the 2002 and 2006 Commonwealth Games and represented Great Britain at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics...
– OlympicOlympic GamesThe Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
long distance swimmer and winner of the silver medal in the 2008 Beijing 10 kilometre race. - Dame Carys Davina ("Tanni") Grey-ThompsonTanni Grey-ThompsonCarys Davina "Tanni" Grey-Thompson, Baroness Grey-Thompson, DBE is a Welsh athlete and TV presenter.Grey-Thompson was born with spina bifida and uses a wheelchair. She is considered to be one of the most successful disabled athletes in the UK...
DBEOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
– Paralympic all round athlete and winner of an all time record of 11 Gold medals in the Paralymics during her career. - Jamie RingerJamie RingerJamie Ringer is a Wales international rugby union player.A flanker, he played club rugby for Cardiff RFC and Neath RFC before joining Newport Gwent Dragons and earning two Welsh caps in the process...
– Welsh International Rugby unionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player who currently plays for Newport Gwent DragonsNewport Gwent DragonsNewport Gwent Dragons are one of the four professional Rugby Union regional teams in Wales. They are jointly owned by Newport RFC and the Welsh Rugby Union and play all their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12, the Anglo-Welsh Cup and the Heineken Cup...
. - Mark Isherwood - The first Rugby League Development Officer for Wales and current Quality Manager of Sporttrain Wales
- Robert Morritt (Author) ("Sifta")University of Manchester - Prehistory.Published works,' John Morritt - Travels to Troy 1794-96 '. 'Stones that Speak'- Linear A & B scripts,Paleography,Archaic trade routes. 'Echoes From The Greek Bronze Age' , 'Terra Artica', 'Terra Australis','Fragments-Early Appalachian Music & Recordings','Olde new England'- pre-Dominion Era,'Rockin' in the Desert".Advent of Recording Industry in , Arizona ,'Carson J.Robison,biography & discography.Morritt was one of the first pupils at St.Cyres in 1958
External links
- http://www.stcyres.org/ The St Cyres Homepage