You dont know what youve got till its gone, or so they say. Born in the Rhondda, Sian attended Porth County Grammar school for girls. There was a row of big sliding, folding windows that could fully open on the south side of the building. There are adverts for jobs in banks, building societies and local industry, because most boys went straight from school to professional careers. Bells. But that won't happen without a revolution in our entire approach to education and industry. Get this The Spokesman-Review page for free from Thursday, May 15, 1919 SMAN-REVIEW. And the Cory Band. Enter your email address to receive instant notifications of new articles. Connect with Nation.Cymru on Facebook and Twitter. Eventually, thanks to them, and a summer spent working on a couple of farms in Carmarthenshire, I became fluent in Welsh well, fluent enough to make TV programmes in the language anyway. His collaboration with writers continued with William Nicholson, on the Bafta-winning, original television film Shadowlands, in 1985. This record is stored off site and will take. And the English we spoke, though we might not have realised it, was full of Welsh too. History. The people who benefitted most from the old educational system are those who got jobs that either no longer exist now or which today you need a degree to have any chance of getting into. . Home; Lectures . The family of Owen Vernon Jones, former headmaster of Porth County Grammar School for Boys and later of Porth County Comprehensive School, paid tribute to a treasure of a man. For too long the UK has separated education into a world of class and possibility. The local schools did not encourage the speaking of Welsh and he was forced to learn English. (Add a good Welsh accent to get the real effect). But then people said that too about where I went, Porth County Grammar School, so who am I to talk? Born in Wales from mining and shop-keeping stock, he was encouraged to read Classics at University by his school, Porth County Grammar School for Boys. We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all those, from near and far, who attended the funeral and for the overwhelming response we have received.. And this fact is what nobody is mentioning now. After 27 prolific years at the BBC, Richard joined the independent production company Opus to produce and direct award-winning dramas for S4C, including Y Palmant Aur (The Golden Pavement, 1996), reflecting the fortunes of Welsh dairies in London, the poignant family drama Nel (1990) and Y Weithred (The Act, 1995), a dramatic account of the 1963 bomb-blast on a transformer at the Tryweryn dam construction site, in north Wales. [16] During his visit, Michael Sheen spoke with the pupils and told them that he was "saddened" by the lack of funding for drama schools and clubs throughout Wales. This superb school selected from the finest minds in the Rhondda, despite. Being from Rhondda, I obviously played a lot of rugby at school level. So, in 2002, this crazy idea came to me how about making a film where that favourite poem of mine, Y Ffynhonnau got recited by every child who was at Welsh school in the whole Rhondda? [15] Porth County Community School is part of 'Filmclub' along with schools in the Tonypandy and Treorchy areas, and it is implemented through the schools "E3 after-school projects". The school was formed in 1973 by the amalgamation of two leading grammar schools, Porth County Girls and Porth County Boys, along with the amalgamation of the Secondary Modern Schools of Llwyncelyn, Trealaw and Ynyshir.Porth is now described as a good school and the previous Porth Infants . We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. [10][11] He retired from the school in 1984, and after retiring, he wrote a number of books about Porth, including one about his experiences as headmaster at 'Porth County'. If we think of this group as also-rans, we are headed for disaster. [7] [8] The school was formed in 1973 by the amalgamation of two leading grammar schools, Porth County Girls and Porth County Boys, along with the amalgamation of the Secondary Modern Schools of Llwyncelyn, Trealaw and Ynyshir. If we are to stand a chance in a post-Brexit world we need an education system that is part of this, with a real future for clever kids from any background to do good jobs with prospects. Smells. Christine retired from Ellen Wilkinson owing to ill health in 1993, but then spent many happy years as companion to her mother, travelling across Europe in search of new opera productions. Sporting a fine Zapata moustache, he was known to one and all as Santos. Of course, it would have been different if Id been at the Welsh School the Welsh School its an odd phrase, isnt it? She has 2 boys who attended Bryn Celynnog Compregensive and 2 grandchildren. We also may change the frequency you receive our emails from us in order to keep you up to date and give you the best relevant information possible. Porth Community Schoolis a Community Schoollocated in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. If you don't have an account please register. Its an epic poem, all about the Rhondda, by local minister Rhydwen Williams a kaleidoscope of the Valleys long history, coal mines and boxing booths, chip shops and sarsaparilla fountains, chapels and the Holy Well at Penrhys, all done by a chorus of voices speaking proper Rhondda Welsh, with a sprinkling of English phrases thrown in, naturally. Catcalls and sniggers. But the really important story about my school and others like them was not blazers, test results or even the teaching. You need to sign in to tag. Shwmae? If you don't have an account please register. Vernons daughter Cheryl Hill paid tribute to her father on behalf of the family. There were snacks to snaffle, dinner money to be extorted, pain to be inflicted simply for the pleasure of it. We needdemand for what the best whole system of education can provide. - and was attended by ex-pupils from all over the country with extra messages and letters to be read out after lunch from those who couldn't attend - including some now living abroad. The dearth of privacy. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account. Available for both RF and RM licensing. Makeshift projectiles were launched. During his time at the school, Jones was affectionately known as 'Santos' by the pupils, due to his Mexican "demeanor" and "moustache". If you would like to donate to help keep Nation.Cymru running then you just need to click on the box below, it will open a pop up window that will allow you to pay using your credit / debit card or paypal. Support our Nation today - please donate here. Betws-y-coed school was planned in 1913 but the First World War delayed construction until 1924. Family History And Search. Upcoming Lectures; Lecture Archive; Projects . Committee on Energy and Commerce. But its not just in retrospect that our eyes can be opened to the worth of education. Porth Community School is a Community School located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. But there were some places its pupils werent going. Paula Bailey Butlins Holidays Wales Beach Porthcawl Nostalgic Pictures Hartlepool London History Seaside Resort Worlds Away Can anyone help me. 63, 523, 2011 issn: eissn: doi: construccin con tierra en el siglo xxi earthen construction in Innate intelligence can be targetted and developed. The school was formed in 1973 by the amalgamation of two leading grammar schools, Porth County Girls and Porth County Boys, along with the amalgamation of the Secondary Modern Schools of Llwyncelyn, Trealaw and Ynyshir. Between lessons, when the teachers retreated to the Staff Room, it could be bedlam. View the profiles of professionals named " Stephen Gray" on LinkedIn. French was a proper modern language, a language with a future, the Common Market and all of that. Its architect was Rowland Lloyd Jones, who also designed most of the other Caernarvonshire schools. There were hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of them. They were nervous, worried, frightened - and clad in a school uniform which they were expected to 'grow into'. So almost all of my class decided to try to 'parler franais'. Porth County Community School is a secondary school located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Porth County Grammar School, Wales Activity We're bringing over 60 speakers together for Config 2021. At the time, so its pupils boasted, with schoolboy exaggeration, there were only three such computers in the whole world in the Kremlin, the Pentagon and Porth County. 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The legends about him were legion. What does that mean for the future? The school was formed in 1973 by the amalgamation of two leading grammar schools, Porth County Girls and Porth County Boys, along with the amalgamation of the Secondary Modern Schools of Llwyncelyn, Trealaw and Ynyshir. More like this History Projects Local History Steep South Wales Auntie Lineup Parents April Wedding Photography April 1961. Help us improve catalogue descriptions by adding tags. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Hugely interesting! Who will create the wealth and pay the taxes, and how? Please ensure the tag is appropriate for the record. The compulsion to fit in, the desire to stand out. She will be particularly remembered by alumni of that period for her participation in Debates. From as late as 1915, school inspectors found students aged nineteen to still be attending the institution. When the schools closed during the pandemic, many Rhondda parents told me that they began to appreciate for the first time what these institutions do for children it turns out its far more than reading, writing and arithmetic. BREVITIES-11 I cJ LOG RIDE FATAL 1 i MORE , MEN REGAIN JOBS! A DISTINGUISHED and much loved former headteacher has passed away at the age of 90. Porth Community School is a Community School located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. French was a proper modern language, a language with a future, the Common Market and all of that. And when up on the big screen those hundreds of children, all of them Welsh speakers, stood in front of the statue on Penrhys, up above the Spring and the Holy Well, and they began to chant the poems most famous line, Maer ffynhonnaun fyw! (The mountain springs are alive!), it really did feel like we were all part of something vital and thriving; and that Welsh, too, was a language of the future right there in the Rhondda. From The Very Beginning.. The school opened in September 2018 following the closure of Porth County Community School, Porth Infants School, Porth Junior School and Llwyncelyn Infants School. It seems to come from a macho gym culture. Catalogue description Glamorgan: Porth County Grammar School Ordering and viewing options This record has not been digitised and cannot be downloaded. The place was packed out. Porth Community School is a Community School located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. He obtained his first BA honours degree in history at Cardiff University (to be followed by two other degrees, a BSc Econ and an MEd), and did his teachers training at 'Porth County Grammar School for Boys'. But Santos was certainly ahead of his time. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. Vernon was also a Justice of the Peace and a member of the Court of University College, Cardiff, and a Governor of the Rhondda College of Further Education. Nevertheless, he won a scholarship to Porth County grammar school and, although he was a talented artist, there loomed ahead another obstacle: the prospect of national service. In the pauses between pieces, Santos might make a show of chastising the boys with a swish of his cane. Once the first acceptance came, many more followed. A lively member of the staff room, Christine became head of modern languages at Ellen Wilkinson, and had a reputation for getting the best out of her pupils, as well as for having a positive influence on their lives outside of school. This local democracy/ Senedd is not working.Read more , Rhondda in the early 1800s had a higher percentage of Welsh speakers than the most Welsh speaking parts of Gwynedd. I was lucky in Porth County: I had a succession of brilliant and committed Welsh teachers Berian Davies and Delyth John, Olwen Peters and Eleanor Aubrey. Something went wrong, please try again later. He modernised the schools technology, pioneering the use of a Language Lab, and commandeering a whole classroom to install a mainframe computer. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. Children of various ages attend the school, ranging from 316 years old. And rightly so: a preparation for life needs to be about more than academic hothousing. 5 Tips about schematic wiring diagram You Can Use Tod. In 1961, he spotted an advert for a temporary assistant floor manager at the BBC in Cardiff. I chose Cymraeg. The group is for ex pupils to get in touch with fellow pupils and share memories Private Only members can see who's in the group and what they post. During lessons, it was a crammer: the masters dictated, and the pupils filled their notebooks with the formulae and theorems that would secure outstanding grades from the WJEC. So there we all were, a thousand strong, one summers morning, processing across Penrhys, behind the Maerdy Miners Lodge Banner, and the Treorchy Comprehensive school band. My sister, Christine Llewelyn, who has died aged 72, was a popular French teacher who inspired pupils with her enthusiasm both for the subject she taught and for life in general. [13] Steve Bowden (the school headteacher at the time) commented: "It is becoming more apparent now. [9] His eccentric behaviour was well known at the school, and although he was strict at times, his pupils described him as "fair". After senior house officer posts at Cardiff and Sully hospitals he joined the Hammersmith Hospital, where he was registrar under Ralph Shackman and Geoff Chisholm. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. A DISTINGUISHED and much loved former headteacher has passed away at the age of 90. So almost all of my class decided to try to parler franais. Professor of English Literature and Literary Studies at the University of Greenwich and, since 2019, President of the Victorian Popular Fiction Association. It sent off those children to careers around the UK and the world. Enter the tag you would like to associate with this record and click 'Add tag'. Subscribe now for regular news, updates and priority booking for events, All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated, BD - Records created or inherited by the Welsh Office and the Wales Office, Division within BD - Records of the Education divisions, BD 50 - Welsh Office and predecessors: HM Inspectorate of Schools: Unregistered Papers, About our I have not seen any improvement to our way of life in North Wales since the early 70s. Nevertheless, he won a scholarship to Porth County grammar school and, although he was a talented. So many families in areas that used to be thought of as English-speaking Wales, areas like the Rhondda, have an active connection with the Welsh language nowadays, and thats great to see. of any that money could buy. Porth Countys reputation was well established by the time an ambitious but unconventional young headmaster was appointed to the Boys School in 1961: Owen Vernon Jones. Cilla recalled telling Ringo to "post the [wedding] bands in 48 hours and I'll do it". View the catalogue description for. He was one of a new breed of broadcasting professionals who grasped the opportunity presented by still-rudimentary television in the 1960s, and made it into a medium by which the Welsh nation could become better known to its neighbours, and to itself. The film posed the question: which was the greater outrage, the blast itself, or the flooding of Tryweryn valley? Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account. This was done by pupils to gain entrance into teacher training colleges and become teachers themselves. To be clear Im a sucker for nostalgia but Im not arguing for a return to the good old days of Grammar Schools. Porth Community School is a Community School located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. . And once I managed to persuade the schools it was a good idea, the thing began to snowball. You will need a reader's ticket to do this. [14] All of the students that met the actor were members of 'Filmclub' (a Film Agency of Wales and Skillset Screen Academy Wales initiative to give children access to thousands of "classic film titles"). This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. . Jammy that our time happened to be the very time when the Boys began to meet the Girls in class as well outside of school. There was less emphasis on the Arts. I mean all the schools in Wales are Welsh. Delwyn Jones, former head of Gelli Primary School, read one of Vernons own poems called County Ties as part of the celebration of a remarkable life. Catalogue description Porth county school for girls, Rhondda Mid Glamorgan Ordering and viewing options This record has not been digitised and cannot be downloaded. privacy policy, county secondary LEA 357, 551, 557, 559, 574/40004169, Need more context? She is survived by her siblings, Myra and me, and by a large extended family of nieces and nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews. Porth County proved it! Want the latest Rhondda news sent straight to your inbox? All Im saying is that I was jammy. Back when I was in Junior School things were a bit different. Keep up to date with the latest stories with our WalesOnline newsletter. [7][8]The school was formed in 1973 by the amalgamation of two leading grammar schools, Porth County Girlsand Porth County Boys, along with the amalgamation of the Secondary Modern Schoolsof Llwyncelyn, Trealawand Ynyshir. He is survived by his wife, Bethan (nee Pierce), a teacher, whom he married in 1964, their three children, Elen, Sin and Gwenllian, and six grandchildren. SPOKANE, WASH. CITY PLAN BOARD I 1.) Paul Kelso, Duncan Mackay and Matthew Taylor, "Headteacher dedicated life to his pupils", 'Porth County Community School' 2003 Demolition, "From gym to club to school: the shock spread of steroid abuse", "Actor Michael Sheen to visit local school", "Michael Sheen hits out at lack of drama funds", "Eleven schools could shut in 75m Rhondda education shake-up ", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Porth_County_Community_School&oldid=1096285706, Educational institutions established in 1973, Short description is different from Wikidata, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, 15 out of 212 secondary schools in Wales (as of 2014), This page was last edited on 3 July 2022, at 13:37.