Ysgol Bryn Alyn
Encyclopedia
Ysgol Bryn Alyn is a secondary school in the county borough of Wrexham
, Wales
. Its catchment area
includes its local primary schools within Gwersyllt
, but also other villages nearby.
Mr Brian Whiteley took up the position of headteacher in July 2011.
There are four assistant head teachers, Miss C Corfield, Mr M Allcroft, Mr R Ransome and Mr I Roberts.
The School has recently(March 2011) had a new website built for them by a Year 2 ICT Student on Work Placement from Glyndwr University, Wrexham. (Kate Jones).
(KS3), students at Ysgol Bryn Alyn are taught all the mandatory subjects required by the Welsh
National Curriculum. At the end of Key Stage 3 pupils are given Teacher Assessment (TA) levels from 3 to 7 in their core and foundation subjects. A special presentation afternoon during the year celebrates the achievement of Year 9 pupils throughout KS3.
At Key Stage 4
(GCSE level), students select four subjects to which they wish to subscribe, alongside mandatory English
, English Literature
Mathematics
, Double Science
, Welsh Short Course
and RS Short Course
. Non-exam subjects are Physical Education
and
PSE
. Students are also allowed to select up to four of the following GCSE subjects:
BTEC courses (since 2006):
In partnership with Yale College (Since 2006):
There are also other subjects which can be mixed with GCSE subjects, but a GCSE is not obtained at the end of these courses:
The school was previously an underachiever; however, since the introduction of new schemes of work and new staff, that perception has been largely reversed, and is proved by massive support raised for charities and funds such as the money that was raised for BBC Children in Need and awards won such as the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Award.
. These are hardback books with useful information and plenty of diary space to record homework deadlines, write comments and record "merits". These are given to each pupil for free at the start of each year, but replacements cost £2.50.
The school day in its current form was launched in June 2008. It previously consisted of six 50-minute lessons, and ending the day at 3.20pm
Many extra-curricular clubs are held in the school, Music
Department
and Library
activities.
Only pupils in the final year (Year 11) are allowed to leave the school site at lunchtime (with permission). Other pupils are permitted to leave the site. This permission is reflected in the form of a pass
for the rest of the school year. Regular 'blitzes' are held in which senior management
check whether the aforementioned passes are valid and genuine.
suites, a full in door swimming pool, a MUGA (Multi-Use Games Area), a sports hall and a library
with a wide selection of fiction
and non-fiction
books.
The school is currently undergoing a refurbishment, including the building of a new block of Science Labs. It is anticipated that some of the older facilities mentioned above will be upgraded over the next decade.
Also with the new refurbishment comes a new set of school rules to be put into effect September 2010.
Wrexham (county borough)
Wrexham is a county borough centred on the town of Wrexham in north-east Wales. The county borough has a population of 130,200 inhabitants. Just under half of the population live either within the town of Wrexham or its surrounding conurbation of urban villages. The remainder living to the south...
, 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...
. Its catchment area
Catchment area (human geography)
In human geography, a catchment area is the area and population from which a city or individual service attracts visitors or customers. For example, a school catchment area is the geographic area from which students are eligible to attend a local school...
includes its local primary schools within Gwersyllt
Gwersyllt
Gwersyllt is an urban village and a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales....
, but also other villages nearby.
Mr Brian Whiteley took up the position of headteacher in July 2011.
There are four assistant head teachers, Miss C Corfield, Mr M Allcroft, Mr R Ransome and Mr I Roberts.
The School has recently(March 2011) had a new website built for them by a Year 2 ICT Student on Work Placement from Glyndwr University, Wrexham. (Kate Jones).
Curriculum
At Key Stage 3Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3 is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14...
(KS3), students at Ysgol Bryn Alyn are taught all the mandatory subjects required by the Welsh
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...
National Curriculum. At the end of Key Stage 3 pupils are given Teacher Assessment (TA) levels from 3 to 7 in their core and foundation subjects. A special presentation afternoon during the year celebrates the achievement of Year 9 pupils throughout KS3.
At Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4 is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other exams, in maintained schools in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland—normally known as Year 10 and Year 11 in England and Wales, and Year 11 and Year 12 in Northern Ireland, when pupils are...
(GCSE level), students select four subjects to which they wish to subscribe, alongside mandatory English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
Mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, Double Science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, Welsh Short Course
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
and RS Short Course
Religious studies
Religious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
. Non-exam subjects are Physical Education
Physical education
Physical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
and
PSE
Personal and Social Education
Personal and Social Education is a component of the state school curriculum in Wales. PSE became a statutory requirement in schools in September 2003, and is compulsory for all students at Key Stages 1, 2, 3 and 4 , and shares some similar elements with Personal, Social and Health Education and...
. Students are also allowed to select up to four of the following GCSE subjects:
- ArtArtArt is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
- Business StudiesBusiness studiesBusiness studies is an academic subject taught at higher level in Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom, as well as at university level in many countries...
- Child DevelopmentChild developmentChild development stages describe theoretical milestones of child development. Many stage models of development have been proposed, used as working concepts and in some cases asserted as nativist theories....
- Design TechnologyDesign TechnologyDesign and Technology is a school subject offered at all levels of primary and secondary school. In some countries such as England it is a part of the National Curriculum. It is offered in many countries around the world such as Brunei, Bermuda, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Jordan...
- DramaDramaDrama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
- Food and NutritionHome EconomicsHome economics is the profession and field of study that deals with the economics and management of the home and community...
- FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
- GeographyGeographyGeography is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. A literal translation would be "to describe or write about the Earth". The first person to use the word "geography" was Eratosthenes...
- HistoryHistoryHistory is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
- Information TechnologyInformation technologyInformation technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
- Media StudiesMedia studiesMedia studies is an academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the 'mass media'. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly from its core disciplines of mass...
- MusicMusicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
- Physical EducationPhysical educationPhysical education or gymnastics is a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting....
- RS Full CourseReligious studiesReligious studies is the academic field of multi-disciplinary, secular study of religious beliefs, behaviors, and institutions. It describes, compares, interprets, and explains religion, emphasizing systematic, historically based, and cross-cultural perspectives.While theology attempts to...
- Welsh Full CourseWelsh languageWelsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
BTEC courses (since 2006):
- Sport
- Leisure and Tourism
In partnership with Yale College (Since 2006):
- GeologyGeologyGeology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
- Classical Civilisations
- DramaDramaDrama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
and Performing ArtsPerforming artsThe performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object... - Equine Studies
- Law and EconomicsLaw and economicsThe economic analysis of law is an analysis of law applying methods of economics. Economic concepts are used to explain the effects of laws, to assess which legal rules are economically efficient, and to predict which legal rules will be promulgated.-Relationship to other disciplines and...
There are also other subjects which can be mixed with GCSE subjects, but a GCSE is not obtained at the end of these courses:
- Working with the Community
- Landscape GardeningGardeningGardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants are grown for consumption , for their dyes, or for medicinal or cosmetic use...
- Life SkillsLife skillsLife skills are problem solving behaviors used appropriately and responsibly in the management of personal affairs. They are a set of human skills acquired via teaching or direct experience that are used to handle problems and questions commonly encountered in daily human life...
- CommunicationCommunicationCommunication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
- Working in the Community
Inspections
The school underwent a full Estyn inspection in early May 2007 http://www.estyn.gov.uk/schedule_inspections/sched_secondary.asp, and results were received in late July.
Ysgol Bryn Alyn is an excellent school which give you a wide and open attempt on what you want to achieve. (Estyn inspectors' report)
The school was previously an underachiever; however, since the introduction of new schemes of work and new staff, that perception has been largely reversed, and is proved by massive support raised for charities and funds such as the money that was raised for BBC Children in Need and awards won such as the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Award.
Structure of the school day and pupil management
Each student is supplied with a Personal OrganiserOrganiser
The in-house publication / newspaper of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the Organiser was first launched in 1947 , and has since been edited by some of the leading figures of Hindu nationalist thought. As such, it remains crucial to the propagation of Hindu nationalist ideology.- External links :*...
. These are hardback books with useful information and plenty of diary space to record homework deadlines, write comments and record "merits". These are given to each pupil for free at the start of each year, but replacements cost £2.50.
The school day in its current form was launched in June 2008. It previously consisted of six 50-minute lessons, and ending the day at 3.20pm
Many extra-curricular clubs are held in the school, Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
Department
Academic department
An academic department is a division of a university or school faculty devoted to a particular academic discipline. This article covers United States usage at the university level....
and Library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
activities.
Only pupils in the final year (Year 11) are allowed to leave the school site at lunchtime (with permission). Other pupils are permitted to leave the site. This permission is reflected in the form of a pass
License
The verb license or grant licence means to give permission. The noun license or licence refers to that permission as well as to the document recording that permission.A license may be granted by a party to another party as an element of an agreement...
for the rest of the school year. Regular 'blitzes' are held in which senior management
Senior management
Senior management, executive management, or management team is generally a team of individuals at the highest level of organizational management who have the day-to-day responsibilities of managing a company or corporation, they hold specific executive powers conferred onto them with and by...
check whether the aforementioned passes are valid and genuine.
Facilities
The school has many facilities, including four ICTInformation and communication technologies
Information and communications technology or information and communication technology, usually abbreviated as ICT, is often used as an extended synonym for information technology , but is usually a more general term that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of...
suites, a full in door swimming pool, a MUGA (Multi-Use Games Area), a sports hall and a library
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
with a wide selection of fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
and non-fiction
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
books.
The school is currently undergoing a refurbishment, including the building of a new block of Science Labs. It is anticipated that some of the older facilities mentioned above will be upgraded over the next decade.
Also with the new refurbishment comes a new set of school rules to be put into effect September 2010.
Achievements
Awards given to the school include:- The Basic Skills Quality Mark
- Investor In PeopleInvestors in PeopleLaunched in 1991 Investors in People is a business improvement tool administered by UK Commission for Employment and Skills and supported by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills ....
- CEG Quality Award
- Healthy Schools Award
- Barclays New Futures
- Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Award for Young People