| Radyr Comprehensive School | |
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| Established | 1973 |
| Type | Comprehensive |
| Religion | Secular and non denominational |
| Headteacher | Steven M Fowler |
| Chair of Governors | Mrs Margaret Lloyd |
| Specialism | Sixth Form College |
| Location | Heol Isaf Radyr Cardiff CF15 8XG  Wales |
| Students | 1,400 |
| Gender | Co-educational |
| Ages | 11 to 18 |
| Colours | Pale Blue and Maroon |
| Website | Radyr Comprehensive School Website |
Radyr Comprehensive School is a coeducational comprehensive school and Sixth Form college located in Radyr, a suburb of Cardiff, Wales, that opened in 1973. It the current roll is around 1,400 students from ages 11–18, with around 250 in the sixth form.
The school is controlled by the Cardiff Education Authority.[1] In the community, the school is considered to have a first-class reputation[2] and for the 2000-01 school year demand for places from parents exceeded supply.[3]
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History
Prior to 1968 the majority of children from Radyr travelled nine miles to Penarth County Grammar School and St Cyres Secondary Modern School in Penarth by steam train daily, a quicker and easier option than road journeys to closer Cardiff secondary schools. The arrangement ceased when the direct rail route was closed by the Beeching Axe. The new Radyr Comprehensive School opened in 1973. In 2004, a new state-of-the-art sports hall was built for the school, that includes a fitness suite.[1]
In June 2007, the school site was said to be worth £25m, and it was reported by the South Wales Echo that Cardiff Council are considering plans to close the school as part of a reorganisation.[4]
The school was criticised, in February 2008, after pupils aged just 13, were instructed by a teacher to write imaginary suicide notes in an English lesson, in order to "get into the mind of a troubled teenager". This was part of a study of the non curriculum novels Noughts and Crosses, by Malorie Blackman. However, the school is just a few miles from Bridgend where there have been multiple teenage suicides. The headmaster of the school stated that "the task was a 'spontaneous piece of writing' where children were asked not to turn over the page to find out what the letter said - but to write their own version of the suicide note." and "the teacher setting the text did not associate the task with news stories but rather considered it part of the textual study of a serious book dealing with serious issues in a serious way". Several relatives of the recently deceased Bridgend teenagers expressed their sorrow and regret that the unsuitable subject featured in a school project for such young children.[5]
Academic performance
The proportion of pupils who achieved five or more grades A* to C in the 2003 GCSE examinations was well above the national average, though the proportion of students achieving A level success at grades A to C in 2 or more subjects was, however, below the national average.[1] In summer 2007, over 95% of the school's students achieved at least 5 A*-C GCSE grades, the highest yet.[citation needed]
However, in the last Estyn inspection in April 2004, the standards reached in Religious Education at Key Stage 4 were considered unsatisfactory, but the remaining assessments ranged between satisfactory and very good, with notable performances in Art, Music, and Physical Education.[1] In 2005, the school had a major reshuffle of its Religious Education department, hiring new teachers, and a new head for the department.[citation needed]
Sport
The girls' hockey team won the 2002 RAF Careers under-18 Schools Hockey Champions with a win over Chepstow School.[6]
In the Wales Region Hard Track Cycling Championships, held in July 2006, a pupil won the under-14 Girls' Omnium.[7]
The pupils starting in 1995 were a particularly successful team on the field, winning the Welsh schools football championship, the Welsh Schools tennis championship, and the Cardiff schools cross country championship. They were also pretty good at chess.[citation needed]
The Senior Rugby Team of 2007 beat Bridgend College in the final of the Bay Resouring Plate (Welsh Schools Cup) at Taff's Well RFC. A conversion from the touchline in the dying minutes made the final score 17-15.
Extra-curricular activities
The School's Big Band was invited to entertain guests in Euro Disney, Paris in October 2006 and on 1 March 2007.[8]. The Band continued touring, and headed to Chicago in August 2008.[9], for a packed week of events including a performance at the North American Welsh Festival and the Field Museum. The Jazz Band is run by students from 6th form with the help of the music department. The Jazz Band also has a training band which is open to students from Year 7 to Year 11.
The school's Green Flag Committee ensure that the school remains loyal to its eco-friendly policy, as set down in late 2008 following the granting of emergency powers to the Committee in order to deal with what was perceived as an imminent threat to the school's environmental well-being. With their main aim to aid the school in achieving the prestigious 'Eco Schools Green Flag Award', the Committee leads by example and tolerates neither litterers nor other undesirable elements. The school currently holds the silver award in the scheme, and is now aiming to achieve the award itself, which would firmly strengthen the influence of the Committee's Chairman, Adolf Barbie. In accordance with this, the green flag committee is affiliated with the Radyr and Morganstown Association. The RGFC has taken proceedings one step further recently, by taking on the duties of providing extra care to Radyr Railway Station as part of the Arriva Trains Wales adopt a station scheme.[citation needed]
Notable alumni
- Timothy Benjamin, runner.[10][11]
- Jimi Mistry, Actor, famous for roles on EastEnders, The Guru and East Is East.[12]
- Paul Duddridge, writer, producer/director. Creator of Director's Commentary, Annually Retentive, The Keith Barret Show.
- Lucie Jones, X Factor UK 2009 final twelve contestant and singer [13].
References
- ^ a b c d Report of Inspection 26–30 April 2004, Estyn
- ^ "Education", Radyr and Morganstown Community, accessed 14 July 2008
- ^ School Decisions Committee, Cardiff Council, 8 May 2001
- ^ "Shock plan to shut top school", Moira Sharkey, South Wales Echo, 28 June 2007
- ^ "Outrage as pupils in school near 'suicide hotspot' Bridgend are told to write imaginary suicide notes", Luke Salkeld, Daily Mail, 26 February 2008
- ^ "Hockey: Great career move for the Radyr girls.", South Wales Echo, May 28, 2002.
- ^ "Wales Region Hard Track Championships, British Cycling
- ^ "Education Matters", New Directions education, Spring 2007
- ^ "School Newsletter October 2008", Radyr Comprehensive School Newsletter, October 2008
- ^ Rowbottom, Mike. "Athletics: 'I had got sick of people telling me I wasn't running", The Independent, October 24, 2005. Accessed June 12, 2007. "Getting started: Always 'the fast kid at school', Benjamin excelled at sprints, winning first national title in 1997, at 14, in the Under- 17 indoor 200m. He was also the captain of the Welsh roller hockey team as a teenager and played rugby at Radyr Comprehensive in Cardiff."
- ^ Davies, Gareth A. "My Sport: Tim Benjamin", The Daily Telegraph, February 8, 2005. Accessed June 12, 2007. "Running took over aged 14, although I carried on playing rugby for my school, Radyr Comprehensive."
- ^ Bourton, Tom. "On the global Taff Trail", BBC News, August 21, 2002. Accessed June 12, 2007. "Making all the noise this week across the UK media is the premiere of Hollywood meets Bollywood flick The Guru, starring Jimi Mistry and Heather Graham.... I went to school in Radyr, and my wife's from Brecon, so my feet are firmly in Wales - I was always a regular in the hotspots of Cardiff, he said."
- ^ X Factor UK series 6 finalist leak
External links
Official site Official website
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Coordinates: 51°30′33.38″N 03°14′52.60″W / 51.5092722°N 3.247944°W
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