Latest News
Latest information and news!
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Some half term goodbyes
Fri 23 Oct 2026Today we said our sad goodbyes to our amazing TA Jo Finney. Jo has been at Ty Gwyn in its different locations for over 20 years! She has selflessly worked to support hundreds of children and young people and made a difference to their lives. She is moving onto residential children’s home work and to spend more time with her family and we wish her well.
We also sadly wished our KS3 teacher Christian Davies all the best as he starts a new life “down under” with his partner. Christian has been a real asset to Ty Gwyn with his calm and quiet approach, talent for teaching, love of sports and shorts in all weathers! He will be missed. We wish him Bon Voyage! 🇦🇺
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Fishing success!
Thu 01 Oct 202613 year old Kayden, our Y9 pupil, went fishing for the first time in Porthcawl (from the pier) and caught this very impressive dogfish!
He used a specialist bait (squid and prawn cocktail - it might put you off these!) and made it to "Young Rods" the well known fishing magazine!
Da Iawn and happy fishing!
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*New* Catering Classroom update
Fri 18 Sep 2026We would like to thank the Education Directorate for funding the refurbishment of our well used Catering Classroom.
We had older gas cookers and some of the cupboards were left from the Aberdare Boys School days!
This state of the art "kitchen" has 8 pupil cooking stations, a teacher demonstration station, brand new flooring, worktops and storage facilities.
Just our recylcing bins to go in and we look forward to some hard work towards our Catering qualifications and tasty dishes along the way!
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Macmillan Coffee Morning (afternoon!)
Wed 16 Sep 2026Everyone is welcome to join us for Macmillan Coffee Morning
1-2pm Friday 25th September in the school hall
Due to allergy regulations, we can only accept donations of packaged/shop purchased items and will only be offering these to visitors.
Please do come along if you can, cancer touches so many lives, lets raise what we can, if you can't attend, please donate here:
Update/diweddariad!We raised £35, fantastic effort! Thank you to all our families and friends for joining us.
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Roald Dahl Day 2026!
Sun 06 Sep 2026Join us for Roald Dahl Day this Friday and dress up as one of your favourite characters!
We will post pictures of our costumes and there will be prizes on the day for lots of reading activities 📚
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We are collecting change for change!
Thu 03 Sep 2026We are collecting change for change!
This term as part of our rights respecting school work, we are filling a used water container with spare change for children around the world who don’t access clean water:
for drinking
for washing
for toilets
for cooking
for watering crops
We hope to raise at least £50 which can support a pipe supply to a whole village. If you have any spare change, any pennies or small silver coins, send them in!
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Well done to all our Y11 pupils!
Fri 21 Aug 2026A very big well done to all our Y11s, a small group this year but a very hard working one!
Pupil K will return to her school placement in September as a trainee teaching assistant, pupil C is off to ITEC and all our other leavers are off to Coleg Y Cymoedd campuses to study level 2 and 3 courses, everyone having a positive destination.
As a PRU, we usually perform above the Welsh average in our Y11 results and when the data is released in January, we expect this to be the case again.We balance a mixture of essential GCSEs with vocational qualifications linked to pupil strengths and interests. For the first year in our recent history, we also secured BTEC qualifications with our alternative provision partners in Engineering and Hair and Beauty. Thank you to Cardiff Council MXC and Maesgwyn School for their support.
Thanks must also go to all our dedicated and hard working staff, every teacher (including the now retired Mark Bright) and every support member of staff from the teaching assistant and therapeutic teams. Well done everyone for the collaborative work to deliver our motto of “believing in young people” so well.Further thanks to our supportive parents, families and carers. No success would be possible without your partnership.
We look forward to a successful 2027! -
Ty Gwyn pupil secures place at Oxford University
Mon 17 Aug 2026We are pleased to share the news our former pupil Dylan has secured A*A*A*A at A level to secure his place to study Experimental Psychology at Oxford University this autumn.
We appreciate the support he received from the staff at Coleg Y Cymoedd and wish him every success as he takes up his place.
These words from Tom Bennett, the respected author and behaviour advisor to the Westminster government remind us all of the power of a PRU to educate and guide our most vulnerable young people to success in their lives, in every way possible:
..."pupil referral units and alternative provision are not borstals; to send a child to one is not a failure. Often these are the best places for a child to have their needs met. The best ones are places of joy. They change and save lives. We need to overcome a feeling that they are shameful. They are intensive care for children who need it most".
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Ty Gwyn achieves Rights Respecting Schools Gold Award
Fri 24 Jul 2026Ty Gwyn Education Centre receives prestigious UNICEF UK Gold Award
Ty Gwyn Education Centre, is to be awarded Gold by UNICEF UK’s Rights Respecting School programme.
UNICEF is the world’s leading organisation working for children and their rights. The Rights Respecting Schools Award is granted to schools that show commitment to promoting and realising children’s rights and encouraging adults, children and young people to respect the rights of others in school. Gold is the highest accolade given by UNICEF UK and shows a deep and thorough commitment to children’s rights at all levels of school life. There are over 600 schools across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales that have received Gold.
Headteacher Victoria Cox-Wall, said: Ty Gwyn is extremely proud to have achieved this prestigious award, we have worked hard across the staff, governors, learners and parents and families to secure the RRS Gold award. Ty Gwyn recognises the rights all children have and uphold and live these daily in school to ensure learners have a voice and meaningful participation in their education, their development and their communities. It is particularly pertinent in a setting like ours where most children and young people have
faced adversity and challenge. Thankyou to all the staff and school community members who came on the journey with us.
The Award recognises achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of a school’s planning, policies and practice. A Rights Respecting School is a community where children’s rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted.
The UNICEF UK Rights Respecting Schools initiative is aimed at schools across the UK, including those in an early years setting. Currently, it works with nearly 5,000 primary schools, secondary schools, schools for children and young people with special educational needs and pupil referral units across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Schools have reported a positive impact on pupil behaviour, relationships and well-being by enhancing pupils’ self-esteem, leading to less truancy and bullying, better learning and improved academic standards.
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A very hard goodbye to Mark Bright
Tue 21 Jul 2026Our much loved Construction and PSE teacher Mr Mark Bright has retired!
Anyone who knows Ty Gwyn knows Mark, he’s been part of our story since the beginning.
He is retiring to spend more time with the family and as he has always been a committed foster carer, he will now devote more time to his two much loved little ones.
Mark has touched so many lives over the years, always ready to listen, deeply caring and ever ready to step up, whatever the challenge. It’s often said someone has a a heart of gold, Mark is solid gold.He will be greatly missed by the colleagues he calls friends and the children he has devoted his life’s work to.
We surprised him on our last day with everyone singing “Mr Brightside” and wearing Mark masks as he came into a special assembly. We shared the beautiful poem and lots of memories and not a dry eye in the house ❤️
#teamtygwynalways
