Ysgol Clywedog (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

: meaning ''Clywedog School''), is a comprehensive secondary school which serves parts of the city of

Wrexham Wrexham ( ; cy, Wrecsam; ) is a city and the administrative centre of Wrexham County Borough in Wales. It is located between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley, near the border with Cheshire in England. Historically in the count ...

in north-east

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, in the community of Offa. Ysgol Clywedog is located in the south-west suburbs of Wrexham. The school was named after the nearby

River Clywedog The River Clywedog is a river in Wrexham County Borough, Wales. Its uses have been watering crops, powering industrial machinery but is now used as walking trails or geography trips. The river originates to the west of Wrexham, and joins the ...

, in a competition open to the public, with the final name approved by governors of the school.

History

In 2001,

Wrexham County Borough Council Wrexham County Borough Council () is the governing body for Wrexham County Borough, a principal area in north Wales, covering Wrexham and the surrounding area. History Elections take place every five years. The Labour Party held power on the ...

decided to reorganise the secondary schools of Wrexham to solve the problem of surplus places and to update ageing infrastructure by merging the three city schools. The Groves High School, St Davids High School and Ysgol Bryn Offa were closed in July 2003. This was opposed by several staff, parents and pupils of all three schools, and a petition bearing more than 1000 names was made during 2002. The

Welsh Assembly Government Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

reinforced the local councils decision. In 2003 two new schools were established on the sites of St.Davids and Bryn Offa. In the same year work began on the new schools. The Groves site was used to house Rhosnesni High School in 2003/04 and Ysgol Clywedog in 2004/05 Both Ysgol Clywedog and

Rhosnesni High School Rhosnesni High School, also known as Ysgol Rhosnesni High School or simply Ysgol Rhosnesni, is an English-medium mixed comprehensive secondary school in Rhosnesni, Wrexham, Wales. It was created in 2003 and maintained by Wrexham County Boroug ...

were dubbed "super" schools by the media and the local council and were designed to cater for 1200 pupils each.

Performance

In March 2013 it was announced that the school had been put into special measures due to poor performance. The

Estyn Estyn is the education and training inspectorate for Wales. Its name comes from the Welsh language verb ''estyn'' meaning "to reach (out), stretch or extend". Its function is to provide an independent inspection and advice service on quality ...

(the equivalent of Ofsted in England)January 2013 report, said that the school was 'Unsatisfactory' in several areas, the worst of the four judgement grades that could be used By March 2015 the school was removed from special measures following significant improvements in exam results and the quality of teaching. The school achieved record exam results in 2014 and 2015. It was chosen as one of the 40 'Pathway to Success' participants in the Schools Challenge Cymru; a programme designed for schools anticipated to have the best potential to deliver swift and positive improvements for learners.

References

External links

BBC News: 'Super schools' (overspend) funding approvedBBC News: 'Super' schools plan given green light
{{authority control Secondary schools in Wrexham County Borough