But, like Santos, Porth was a school with something of a split personality. In 1961, he spotted an advert for a temporary assistant floor manager at the BBC in Cardiff. Enter the tag you would like to associate with this record and click 'Add tag'. Free delivery for many products! Enter the tag you would like to associate with this record and click 'Add tag'. Makeshift projectiles were launched. 04-06-08 Good Morning Porth. 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. Santos was determined that his school was going places. privacy policy, Need more context? I reckoned I'd have a flying start with Welsh. Mention schooldays and suddenly our minds are flooded with memories. Promoted to studio director in 1963, when I first met him in the news department, Richard worked on innovative news programmes including Wales Today and the first Welsh-language magazine programme, Heddiw. The Process of making this has already starting at the start of 2017 and should be finished mid 2018. Cowbridge was the posh place you aspired to - people who lived there worked in Cardiff. Christine attended Porth County grammar school for girls before graduating from Swansea University with a BA in French. You need to sign in to tag. Contribute to chinapedia/wikipedia.en development by creating an account on GitHub. 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? She wasn't worried about this, however, as she "just knew" his offer was not as sincere as it seemed. It means something like The Mountain Springs, I suppose. Visible Anyone can find this group. Clive first went to Kettering Grammar School before transferring to Porth County Grammar when his father was appointed borough architect to the Rhondda Valley. [5], After the death of headmaster John Stradling Grant in 1914, Richard Chalke took over as head of the school. Something went wrong, please try again later. The Pendyrus choir got involved. But I was a contrary so-and-so. 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. Year after year, exceptional candidates with exceptional results were rejected out of hand. . Upcoming Projects Help us improve catalogue descriptions by adding tags. Card schools got going on the back benches. 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. 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 . It was thejobs which were on offer when you left. (Add a good Welsh accent to get the real effect). While in charge of the grammar school, Mr Jones dedicated his life to proving to Rhondda boys that academic success was not impossible, something which the sons of miners had previously dismissed as unattainable. Enter your email address to receive instant notifications of new articles. Porth Community School. 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. 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. 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. The visit, by kind permission of the head, Steve Bowden, was hosted by Melanie Griffiths. It came to a point when rugby and football clashed, and it was always going to be football for me. Porth County Porth County Grammar School for Boys Porth Grammar School. Born in the Rhondda, Sian attended Porth County Grammar school for girls. 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. As always you can unsubscribe at any time. From The Very Beginning.. [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. Porth County was a girls grammar school that served the whole of the Rhondda valleys from Blaenrhondda to Maerdy. The secondary modern boys wore plain jumpers and would try to throw stones at you, but you knew you were the superior race. May 23, 2015 - Porth County Grammar School 1st XV rugby team 1968/69. This record has not been digitised and cannot be downloaded. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! 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. Keep up to date with the latest stories with our WalesOnline newsletter. Home; Lectures . He obtained his first BA honours degree in History at Cardiff University, to be followed by two other degrees, a BSc Econ and an M.Ed. But back then there was only one Junior School in the whole Rhondda that taught in Welsh Ysgol Gymraeg Ynyswen. Family History And Search. But the really important story about my school and others like them was not blazers, test results or even the teaching. By then, Welsh had begun to flourish again in the Rhondda. It was known as The Ranch. There followed a succession of compelling network dramas in close collaboration with the writer Paul Ferris, most notably Dylan: Life and Death of Poet (1982), Nye (1981), about Aneurin Bevan, the founding father of the NHS, and The Extremist (1984), on the attempted bombing of the Prince of Waless investiture in 1969. Gill Rowlands has died at a hospice near her home in Hemingford Grey, Cambridgeshire. I Will Make Them Play The Whole Concert All Over Again. [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"). of any that money could buy. For the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us create an independent, not-for-profit, national news service for the people of Wales, by the people of Wales. This information will help us make improvements to the website. Instead, we need to make sure there is the globally competitive, progressive economy which can offer real hope to the many. 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 film posed the question: which was the greater outrage, the blast itself, or the flooding of Tryweryn valley? Tom John (editor of the Rhondda Leader and the first Welshman to become president of the National Union of Teachers) said that "there was a laborious effort made by several speakers at the meeting [the opening ceremony] to dissipate the fear that this splendid institution would work serious opposition and injury to the county school nearby". My friend Richard Lewis, who has died aged 78, was a distinguished television producer and director, who worked for BBC Wales for more than 25 years. the kitchen cafe brewster, ma menu. Nevertheless, he won a scholarship to Porth County grammar school and, although he was a talented. The UK can be stronger but we do not have proper leaders who er, lead !! Now it became an even more rounded, more fully human place to learn. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. 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]. Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. The coming Comprehensive ethos was helpful too recognising different kinds of achievement, different measures of success. Curt on. This record is stored off site and will take. 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. We could gather them all together on top of Penrhys where the poem begins and get them to recite it there. Madness! Help us improve catalogue descriptions by adding tags. John On The Rhondda is based on John Geraints popular Rhondda Radio talks and podcasts. 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. Our grandparents really valued education. He modernised the schools technology, pioneering the use of a Language Lab, and commandeering a whole classroom to install a mainframe computer. Did you send your children there? The curse of every childs life. [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. He retired in 1997 to write poetry and spend more time with his family. If any reader is aware of the whereabouts of any of them, please ask them to get in touch. Children of various ages attend the school, ranging from 316 years old. But that won't happen without a revolution in our entire approach to education and industry. View the catalogue description for. ), Italian caf owners and a man who kept champion racing pigeons. 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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. Nothing to do with the above school, entirely different schools in different areas. 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. All episodes of the John On The Rhondda podcast are availablehere, John Geraints debut in fiction, The Great Welsh Auntie Novel, is available from all good bookshops, or directly fromCambria Books, You can find the rest of Johns writing on Nation.Cymru by following his link on thismap. The Wild West had nothing on it. For me, because poems and plays were my thing, that last piece of luck was the best of all: because I fell under the spell of someone who would never have taught me otherwise, one of the Girls School staff: an inspirational English teacher who knew how to conjure life out of words on a page, how to spark magic on stage, how to work the alchemy that brings poetry alive in young minds. You can order records in. If you provide contact details, we will be in touch about your request within 10 working days. I am tracing my family tree and my grandfathers family are all from the Porth, Ferndale, Dowlais Area. These were both on Cemetery Road in Porth and amalgamated to become the comprehensive school on the old Porth County site. From as late as 1915, school inspectors found students aged nineteen to still be attending the institution. Sian is passionate . To be clear Im a sucker for nostalgia but Im not arguing for a return to the good old days of Grammar Schools. The school catered for 240 pupils under the headmaster ship of John Stradling Grant. 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. Support our Nation today - please donate here. It was here, in the makeshift, black-and-white 405-line studios, built in the shell of an old chapel, that Richard found the outlet for his talents. When Porth went Comprehensive, its Oxbridge tradition withered and died. The place was packed out. 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. If you don't have an account please register. China Entrepreneur Voices Of Experience From 40 Business Pioneers Paperback . We need more of the kind of degree apprentice routes my own university offers to industry-sponsored young people who may not pass an 11-plusbut who, with the right training and support, can and will become the engineers and industry CEOs of the future. We could bring back every damn aspect of my grammar School, and some of it would be heaven to someone like me. Porth county school for girls, Rhondda Mid Glamorgan, Have you found an error with this catalogue description? There were snacks to snaffle, dinner money to be extorted, pain to be inflicted simply for the pleasure of it. Her first teaching posts were in the private sector, at Wycombe Abbey school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, and then at the City of London school for girls in central London. I knew I was made for life; everyone had told me that in each pitying remark that I heard about those who "failed" the 11-plus examination. He was initially an English and History teacher at the school, then head of the History department, and eventually headmaster of the school. There was a row of big sliding, folding windows that could fully open on the south side of the building. 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. 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. Available for both RF and RM licensing. In Porth, we were given the choice of two languages to learn Welsh or French. He adored his own boys his grandsons, Greg, Alex and Owen and his great-grandchildren Rowan, Sadie, Sebastian and Poppy. 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. 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". After all, it was twenty years ago. 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. A true education, as those early pioneers of schools in the Rhondda knew, makes the very best in human learning and human experience accessible to all. Community school in Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. The falling out and the falling in. The school wasn't opened to the public until 19 January 1905. Your search results for obituary: 11 newspaper articles contained information about obituary filtered by: Date from: 1st Jan 1948 - Date to: 1st Jan 1948 Homework, tests, exams, reports. For too long the UK has separated education into a world of class and possibility. Porth County Grammar School, Mid Glamorgan, Wales 1970- 1976 View Wayne's full profile See who you know in common Get introduced Contact Wayne directly Join to view full profile Looking for. The boys who are taking the drugs are not top sportsmen, they are just looking for respect in their communities and for whatever reason are turning to the gym and sometimes steroids. Porth County proved it! But, in practice, something may have been lost in the transition: the ambition to give every child not just schooling, which focuses the mind, but education which broadens it. [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. The first three forms were housed in a wooden structure put up as a temporary measure during the Second World War. Porth County Grammar School for Girls Experience Directorate Communication and Engagement Manager dvla Mar 2012 - Present10 years 11 months Education Porth County Grammar School for Girls -. Porth Community School is a Community School located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. "Poor so-and-so, and his dad is so clever, they must feel terrible". It produced phenomenal Physicists, champion Chemists, brilliant Biologists, maestros of Maths. SPOKANE, WASH. CITY PLAN BOARD I 1.) 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. We need cutting-edge industrial research and a national strategy to support our best companies as they take on the world. More like this History Projects Local History Steep South Wales Auntie Lineup Parents April Wedding Photography April 1961. 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. And loads of other top-class talents from the Rhondda: the actors Daniel Evans from Cwmparc and Judith Roberts from Ferndale; the wonderful folk singer from Treherbert, Siwsann George; and the legendary Penygraig rock guitarist, Tich Gwilym. Richard avoided it by qualifying as a biology teacher, but found his creativity stifled. [1], The origins of the school dates back to the creation of Porth Higher Elementary School in 1904. The BBC have sent Stephen Evans to North Korea, so they most likely know he went to my school. A few went to university to become doctors or teachers, and some even to become scientists, like me. l For further information on this annual event please ring Pearl (nee Jenkins) McCabe (01834 871733) or Diane (nee Davies) Coombs (01443 227148). When I got to my O level year, the set poem for group recital in the Urdd Eisteddfod turned out to be Y Ffynhonnau. Swansea, City and County of Swansea, United Kingdom. [5], In 1922 the school became officially recognised as a secondary school. His collaboration with writers continued with William Nicholson, on the Bafta-winning, original television film Shadowlands, in 1985. 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. A DISTINGUISHED and much loved former headteacher has passed away at the age of 90. Who will create the wealth and pay the taxes, and how? This was done by pupils to gain entrance into teacher training colleges and become teachers themselves. I saw it when I looked at a copy of the school magazine from the 1960s. This record is stored off site and will take four working days to be delivered to The National Archives. Something went wrong, please try again later. Who will be the employers in a globalised world, which increasingly relies on automation of blue-andwhite-collar roles. It sent off those children to careers around the UK and the world. Enter your email address to receive instant notifications of new articles. Porth Community School is a Community School located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. May be an image of 1 person and text that says 'WIKIPEDIA Mako Vunipola Article Talk A Vunipola (born 14 January 1991) professional rugby union player who plays loosehead prop English club Saracens and the England national team. Let us know. In Porth, we were given the choice of two languages to learn - Welsh or French. The 1891 and 1901 census show William and Sarah living at Lake Street in Ferndale. This superb school selected from the finest minds in the Rhondda, despite. Continuing our series written by John Geraint, author of The Great Welsh Auntie Novel, and one of Waless most experienced documentary-makers. I often talk about the Porth County opportunity for socially deprived pupils from working / lower working class homes and what it did for them. Wrestling matches broke out. 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. Author: United States.Congress. Jammy to come under the sway of Santos and his staff and their ambitions. Porth Community School is a Community School located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Sian Assiratti is a Councillor for Pontyclun East. Porth County Grammar School badge and report card images by John Geraint The Ranch But, like Santos, Porth was a school with something of a split personality. Or, you can request a quotation for a copy to be sent to you. Born New Zealand Tongan parents, qualified England through residency having lived and been educated Wales . He was an inspirational father. 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. Alsatian (Alsatian: Elsssisch or Elssserditsch "Alsatian German"; Lorraine Franconian: Elssserdeitsch; French: Alsacien; German: Elsssisch or Elssserdeutsch) is the group of Alemannic German dialects spoken in most of Alsace, a formerly disputed region in eastern France that has passed between French and German control five times since 1681. During his time at the school, Jones was affectionately known as 'Santos' by the pupils, due to his Mexican "demeanor" and "moustache". 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. The sheer torture of the whole deal. 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. When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. Please ensure the tag is appropriate for the record. Much as the British voter may be nostalgic forMalory Towersand dreadGrange Hill, we need to look beyond the promises of boaters, blazers and extra Latin prep which will send only a tiny handful of our children to Oxbridge to read PPE. Porth Community School is a Community School located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Porth Grammar School. [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. We don't just want asupply-side education that feeds poor kids into degrees. Porth County Grammar School 1st XV rugby team 1968/69. 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. In fact pay has decreased since then and we pay more for a lot lessfood, fuel, clotheseverything.