The unfairness of it all. There were lots of jobs for grammar-school boys - and we were all boys - and no one worried about the future. But there were some places its pupils werent going. That magazine is redolent with the things we would like for our children today. At some point in time the grammar school was split in two sections, one half being known as Porth County Girls and the other half being known as Porth County Boys. This year the invitation was for the 'I can't believe it's been 50 years' lunch! You might well have had a Porth County boy as a teacher or even as a headmaster - well-educated Welsh school boys went on to many such roles. All information provided to Nation.Cymru will be handled sensitively and within the boundaries of the Data Protection Act 2018. View the catalogue description for. But we were really a rare breed. SPOKANE, WASH. CITY PLAN BOARD I 1.) But more was gained, for more pupils, across the whole of the Rhondda, by treating everyone as though they had the right to the best that school could offer, by refusing to make anyone think they might be second best for life just because they hadnt excelled in a certain sort of test when they were 11. Porth Community School is a Community School located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Get this The Spokesman-Review page for free from Thursday, May 15, 1919 SMAN-REVIEW. Nothing to do with the above school, entirely different schools in different areas. So the education I experienced gave a phenomenal boost for the careers of a fewanda good boost to many because of the range of middle-class jobs on offer. Cilla recalled telling Ringo to "post the [wedding] bands in 48 hours and I'll do it". 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'. (Add a good Welsh accent to get the real effect). Keep up to date with the latest stories with our WalesOnline newsletter. This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Porth County Community School, and is written by contributors. Some of my schoolmates were later imprisoned for running an extortion racket that began at school. [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'. 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. Santos fostered a special link with one of the top Oxford colleges. Porth is now described as a good school and the previous Porth Infants and Porth Juniors schools have all moved to the Porth Community School to form the new school. The film made a bit of a splash at the time. The Rhondda Cynon Taff council has said that the school closures would be part of their proposed 75million investment, which they say would provide "improved educational facilities" and "opportunities" for nearly 7,000 children.[19]. Emphasis was given to natural ventilation. He was initially an English and History teacher at the school, then head of the History department, and eventually headmaster of the school. 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. 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. And even if you left school at 14, as my dad and others like him did, there were still a lotof decentlypaid blue-collar jobs to go to. 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. Rachel Evans (the schools former English teacher and 'Filmclub' co-ordinator) said that "it ('Filmclub') gives the pupils a chance to discuss the films they watch". There was a great deal of controversy over providing further education in the Rhondda. The fights, the boredom, the worry. 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. Committee on Energy and Commerce. She has 2 boys who attended Bryn Celynnog Compregensive and 2 grandchildren. 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. Im told that when that college researched its own past to mark its 500th anniversary recently, it found that, in all that time, over any ten-year period, no other headmaster had secured more admissions. "[13], On 18 May 2009 acclaimed Welsh actor Michael Sheen spoke with members of the schools film club. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! 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. And all sorts of other performers dancers and swimmers, Treorchy rugby icon Adrian Owen, Huw Davies (who taught me English! 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. 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. And the English we spoke, though we might not have realised it, was full of Welsh too. Miners put pennies aside, built schools for their sons and daughters, and when universal secondary education became a right, the Rhondda Borough Council invested heavily in it. 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. This superb school selected from the finest minds in the Rhondda, despite the lack of affluence amongmany of its pupils. The dearth of privacy. Her enthusiasm for world cinema and opera were also transmitted to friends of all ages. . We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. 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. Are your grandchildren at Welsh School, perhaps? Sistema constructivo en tierra informes de la construccin vol. Born in Llwynypia, the son of Daniel Thomas and Violet, with a younger brother Norman, Vernon attended Tonypandy Grammar School. This behaviour must stop, Santos scolded us. Porth County had always been about more than passing a rugby ball and passing exams. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. But we can't bring back a country full of opportunities for working people without fixing the real problems of our economy, and that will need more than new faith schools and university-sponsored academies. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, As head of modern languages at Ellen Wilkinson school for girls in Ealing, west London, Christine Llewelyn had a reputation for getting the best out of her pupils. Or, you can request a quotation for a copy to be sent to you. Have you found an error with this catalogue description? 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. The relationship between Wales and England is a hell of a lot better than a few hundred years ago. One of the greatest grammar schools in South Wales was the school my father and his brother went to Porth County. Did you send your children there? If not, be warned We waited for the terrible threat. House. l For further information on this annual event please ring Pearl (nee Jenkins) McCabe (01834 871733) or Diane (nee Davies) Coombs (01443 227148). Vernons daughter Cheryl Hill paid tribute to her father on behalf of the family. Makeshift projectiles were launched. We need cutting-edge industrial research and a national strategy to support our best companies as they take on the world. Find the perfect girls cricket england stock photo, image, vector, illustration or 360 image. Or, you can request a quotation for a copy to be sent to you. By then, Welsh had begun to flourish again in the Rhondda. We could gather them all together on top of Penrhys where the poem begins and get them to recite it there. And rightly so: a preparation for life needs to be about more than academic hothousing. This was done by pupils to gain entrance into teacher training colleges and become teachers themselves. During his time at the school, Jones was affectionately known as 'Santos' by the pupils, due to his Mexican "demeanor" and "moustache". Of course, it would have been different if Id been at the Welsh School the Welsh School its an odd phrase, isnt it? Instead, we need to make sure there is the globally competitive, progressive economy which can offer real hope to the many. [13] Steve Bowden (the school headteacher at the time) commented: "It is becoming more apparent now. 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 . [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. privacy policy, Need more context? And I mean tough, so we were not afraid of the secondary modern roughs. Christine attended Porth County grammar school for girls before graduating from Swansea University with a BA in French. He was said to have courted his wife by galloping on horseback up to her house on the steep slopes of Blaenclydach. A report on Porth Community School November 2019 1 About Porth Community School Porth Community School is an English-medium all-age (3-16) comprehensive school in Porth, Rhondda. Family History And Search. After a tour of the school, the ceremony was performed by Mr W. E. Thomas (the chairman of the Rhondda Education Committee) in the absence of Mr W. G. Howell (the Director of Education) due to ill-health. I could have signed for the club when I was 17, but I was in Porth County Grammar School and I'd completed the first year of sixth form so I . If we think of this group as also-rans, we are headed for disaster. There was less emphasis on the Arts. If any reader is aware of the whereabouts of any of them, please ask them to get in touch. View the catalogue description for. At the time the vast majority of children in the Rhondda were born into poverty. But, like Santos, Porth was a school with something of a split personality. The hours, the days, the weeks, the whole terms when you were sick and tired of it, simply ached for it to be over, for the summer holidays to be here. The school opened in September 2018 following the closure of Porth County Community School, Porth Infants School, Porth Junior School and Llwyncelyn Infants School. You can order records in. So, despite all the agonies of school life, real and imagined, Ill always be grateful for my time in Porth County: that it was there, and that it was then. So almost all of my class decided to try to parler franais. In recent years she suffered a series of health issues, but bore them all without complaint. the kitchen cafe brewster, ma menu. For too long the UK has separated education into a world of class and possibility. John On The Rhondda is based on John Geraints popular Rhondda Radio talks and podcasts. Something went wrong, please try again later. [1], The origins of the school dates back to the creation of Porth Higher Elementary School in 1904. He was also a mentor for many young people joining the corporation at that time. 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. Help us improve catalogue descriptions by adding tags. Chances are, if youre from the Rhondda, and depending on your age, you might have been with us, or your nieces and nephews were, or little Gareth or Sian from down the street, whore all grown up by now. It was known as The Ranch. [17], Along with eleven other schools (three secondary and eight primary schools) in the surrounding areas, 'Porth County Community School' could face closure. The former pupils of that intake have been meeting in October for the past three years and, while the organisers have managed to track down most of their fellow pupils, some are still missing. 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