Caerphilly's newest Welsh medium school has grown to four times its size in the first year, partly owing to the creation of the first Welsh medium special needs class in the county. Ben Jones of RhAG Caerffili reports...
Utter delight was the response of Welsh medium education supporters at the establishment of a new school in Aberbargoed last September, but few at the time imagined that this new school would grow so incredibly quickly.
Ysgol Bro Sannan opened with just 21 children in September 2004, yet when it re-opened for its second year in September 2005 it had quadrupled in size - to 92! This meant there were now five teachers and three assistants on the payroll leaving the headteacher free from classroom duty. What a difference in staffing compared to just two a year back.
Whilst delighted at the success of the new school, headteacher Mrs Elaine Tambling was keen to explain that there were a number of reasons for the amazing growth.
“The Education Authority made two key decisions,” she said. “Firstly, they wanted to develop the school to take Keystage 2 children this year. This meant that a number of families with children further down the school could bring over their brothers and sisters. This was very important for families living in the village of Aberbargoed.”
The second significant decision made was to establish a Special Education Needs class for Welsh medium children across the county. “This is the first class of its kind in the county,” said Mrs Tambling, “and it is targeted at children from ages 5-8. When this is shown to be a success, the plan is to replicate the system in other schools, including local schools.” This has meant that there is a teacher here on secondment with an assistant to provide support for her. There has been great demand for this sort of provision for years now but the Authority was unable to meet the demand since all the Welsh medium schools were at capacity. “But what is really heartening,” said Mrs Tambling, “is the fact that we have 29 in the reception class this year.”
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