Abersychan Comprehensive School
Encyclopedia
Abersychan Comprehensive School (Welsh: Ysgol Gyfun Abersychan) is a state-funded and non-selective comprehensive school
in the Pontypool
suburb
of Abersychan
, Wales
.
The school supports a Special Needs Resources Base for pupils in Torfaen with MLD, and these pupils play a full and active role in the school.
The re-organisation of education in the north of the borough was supported by a considerable capital investment in Abersychan School which has improved the teaching and learning facilities, most notably in the form of several state-of-the-art classrooms, a sports laboratory, an ICT suite with a 60 PC capacity, an Art and Technology design area, a floodlit astro-turf and a new multi-purpose sports field. In 2009 a multi-media learning plaza was opened. In January 2008 the school received a Welsh Secondary Schools Association award for its outstanding contribution to the transition of pupils from the Trevethin Community School to Abersychan School during the period 2006-7.
Comprehensive school
A comprehensive school is a state school that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude. This is in contrast to the selective school system, where admission is restricted on the basis of a selection criteria. The term is commonly used in relation to the United...
in the Pontypool
Pontypool
Pontypool is a town of approximately 36,000 people in the county borough of Torfaen, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire in South Wales....
suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Abersychan
Abersychan
Abersychan is a settlement and community north of Pontypool in Torfaen, Wales, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It has a population of 6,826.It lies in the narrow northern section of the Afon Lwyd valley...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
.
Admissions
Abersychan School has over 930 pupils on roll. It serves the north of Torfaen including the communities of Blaenavon, Garndiffaith, Talywain, Abersychan, Pontnewynedd, Cwmffrwdoer, Trevethin, Penygarn and St Cadocs. The local diversity is exemplified by the fact that some areas qualify for Communities First status, while the northern half of the Afon Llwyd encompasses a World Heritage Site.The school supports a Special Needs Resources Base for pupils in Torfaen with MLD, and these pupils play a full and active role in the school.
Grammar school
It was known as Abersychan Grammar Technical School. or Abersychan Bilateral School, initially the Abersychan Grammar School colours were brown whilst the Technical School were black.Comprehensive
The closure of Trevethin Community School in September 2007 has resulted in large numbers of pupils from its former catchment choosing Abersychan as their preferred school.The re-organisation of education in the north of the borough was supported by a considerable capital investment in Abersychan School which has improved the teaching and learning facilities, most notably in the form of several state-of-the-art classrooms, a sports laboratory, an ICT suite with a 60 PC capacity, an Art and Technology design area, a floodlit astro-turf and a new multi-purpose sports field. In 2009 a multi-media learning plaza was opened. In January 2008 the school received a Welsh Secondary Schools Association award for its outstanding contribution to the transition of pupils from the Trevethin Community School to Abersychan School during the period 2006-7.
Sports
In recent years several pupils have represented Wales in a variety of sports, and teams from the school have won regional, national and UK competitions in Magistrates Courts, Stock Market Challenge, Girls Rugby, Design and Construction, and Dance.Notable former pupils
- Allen ForwardAllen ForwardAllen Forward was a Welsh rugby union forward who favoured the position of flanker. Forward played club rugby for Pontypool and various Police teams. He played in six internationals for Wales and was part of the 1952 Grand Slam winning side...
- Welsh international rugby player - David LlewellynDavid Llewellyn (author)David Llewellyn , is a Welsh novelist. He grew up in Pontypool and graduated from Dartington College of Arts in 2000. His first novel, Eleven, was published by Seren Press in 2006. His second novel, Trace Memory, a spin-off of the BBC drama series Torchwood was published in March 2008. Everything...
- Welsh novelist - Mark TaylorMark Taylor (rugby player)Mark Taylor is a former Wales international rugby union player who played at centre. He is a former captain of Wales and was the first person to score a try at the newly built Millennium Stadium against South Africa in 1999. He signed for Sale Sharks from Llanelli Scarlets in April 2005 and in...
- Welsh rugby unionRugby unionRugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player
Abersychan Grammar School
- Prof Geoffrey Arthur, Professor of Veterinary Surgery from 1974-9 at the University of BristolUniversity of BristolThe University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
, and Professor of Veterinary Obstetrics and Diseases of Reproduction from 1965-73 at the Royal Veterinary CollegeRoyal Veterinary CollegeThe Royal Veterinary College is a veterinary school located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. The RVC was founded in 1791 and joined the University of London in 1949... - Roy Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of HillheadRoy JenkinsRoy Harris Jenkins, Baron Jenkins of Hillhead OM, PC was a British politician.The son of a Welsh coal miner who later became a union official and Labour MP, Roy Jenkins served with distinction in World War II. Elected to Parliament as a Labour member in 1948, he served in several major posts in...
- founder of Social Democrat Party, and Labour MP from 1950-77 for Birmingham StechfordBirmingham Stechford (UK Parliament constituency)Birmingham Stechford was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Stechford district of the city of Birmingham. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.The constituency was created...
, and SDP MP from 1982-7 for Glasgow HillheadGlasgow Hillhead (UK Parliament constituency)Glasgow Hillhead was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 1997... - Rear-AdmRear AdmiralRear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Brinley Morgan CB, Director from 1970-5 of the Naval Education ServiceBritannia Royal Naval CollegeBritannia Royal Naval College is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and... - Robert Ryder, pathologist who found the link between emphysemaEmphysemaEmphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
and coal dustCoal dustCoal dust is a fine powdered form of coal, which is created by the crushing, grinding, or pulverizing of coal. Because of the brittle nature of coal, coal dust can be created during mining, transportation, or by mechanically handling coal.-Explosions:...