Ysgol Bryn Elian is an 11–18 English-medium co-educational

comprehensive school A comprehensive school typically describes a secondary school for pupils aged approximately 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is res ...

on Windsor Drive in

Old Colwyn Old Colwyn ( cy, Hen Golwyn, formerly Colwyn bilingually) is a large village just to the east of Colwyn Bay, in Conwy County Borough, Wales. Prior to local government reorganisation in April 1974 it was part of the Municipal Borough of Colwyn ...

. Along with Eirias High School and

Coleg Llandrillo Coleg Llandrillo (English meaning: Llandrillo College) is a college in the north of Wales. After its merger in 2012, Grwp Llandrillo Menai became Wales' largest further education institution. History The college (which originally only included ...

(which is

sixth-form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-lev ...

-level only) it serves the state secondary education sector in the

Colwyn Bay Colwyn Bay ( cy, Bae Colwyn) is a town, community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic county of Denbighshire. Eight neighbouring communities are incorpo ...

area. The school has been in existence since the 1970s, when it was initially created as a

secondary modern school A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Schools of this type continue in Northern Ireland, where they are usuall ...

to accept those unable to get into the town's

grammar school A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

, Eirias High School. In the mid-seventies, the Secretary of State for Education ordered both schools to become comprehensives.

History

Ysgol Bryn Elian's history prior to 1988 was largely uneventful, in that its performance was considered satisfactory to good in the inspections by

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 ...

. In 1988, following the retirement of the incumbent headteacher and the secondment of a Deputy, the school underwent significant change, however, occasioned, in large part, by the appointment of a new head teacher (James Whippe) with significant inner-city education experience, gained in both London and Liverpool, and a temporary, later to be made permanent, deputy.

Today

The School recently won the Wales Quality Award "Prize for Learning". To date they are the only school in Wales to do so. The school has played host to the band the

Ordinary Boys Ordinary or The Ordinary often refer to: Music * ''Ordinary'' (EP) (2015), by South Korean group Beast * ''Ordinary'' (Every Little Thing album) (2011) * "Ordinary" (Two Door Cinema Club song) (2016) * "Ordinary" (Wayne Brady song) (2008) * ...

on the first day of

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

's Star Pupil competition in early 2007 and has also seen the likes of

Lil' Chris Christopher James Hardman (26 August 1990 – 23 March 2015), known by the stage name Lil' Chris, was a British singer-songwriter, actor, and television personality from Lowestoft, England. He came to prominence in 2006 after appearing on the ...

and European Gold and Olympic Silver Medallist,

Campbell Walsh Campbell Walsh (born 26 November 1977 in Glasgow) is a Scottish slalom canoeist who competed at the international level from 1995 to 2012. Competing in two Summer Olympics, he won a silver medal in the K1 event in Athens in 2004. Walsh won th ...

making appearances. They have a highly successful music department, achieving many prizes in the Urdd Eisteddfod and producing high quality musical performances. In 2009 they gained 1st place in the county round, progressing to the national finals in Cardiff and have won the Learner's Cerdd Dant Party Competition nationally for 4 years running. Their D of E programme is widely considered to be one of the best in the area due to the sheer number of participants who achieve Bronze Silver and Gold, amounting to more than produced by the rest of the county. Estyn commented: "One way in which the school’s values are exemplified is through the provision of a wide range of extra-curricular activities such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, whereby the school enables a very large number of students to participate in the Award. The school has produced more than half of the gold Award winners in the county of Conwy." The school also embarks on a great deal of charity work which recently has seen them raising money to develop a school in Madagascar, with an eventual target of £11,000. They recently received 85% passed A Level results. This led to a place alongside

Ysgol Y Creuddyn Ysgol y Creuddyn () is a Welsh-medium secondary school, situated in Penrhyn Bay outside Llandudno, Wales, named after the Creuddyn peninsula. The school was founded on Wednesday, the 2nd of September 1981 with 218 students, and is now home to ...

, Ysgol Dyffryn Conwy and Ysgol Aberconwy in Band 2, in the Conwy Round of best schools in North Wales. In the 2012 A-Level Results 93% passed In the 2013 A-Level results, all first choice universities were gained. The 2013 GCSE results were 97% 5 A*-C. Its feeder schools are: Ysgol Cynfran (

Llysfaen Llysfaen is a village and community in Conwy County Borough overlooking the north coast of Wales, and situated on the hill Mynydd Marian. For local government purposes, it is also a ward. The community includes the Peulwys estate of Old Col ...

) Ysgol Hen Golwyn (

) Ysgol Llanddulas (

Llanddulas Llanddulas is a village in Conwy county borough, Wales, midway between Old Colwyn and Abergele and next to the North Wales Expressway in the community of Llanddulas and Rhyd-y-Foel. The village lies beneath the limestone hill of Cefn-yr-Og ...

) Ysgol Tan Y Marian (Peulwys) Ysgol Y Plas ( Llanelian)

References

External links

Ysgol Bryn Elian website

Estyn inspection reportsWelsh Government Secondary School Banding table
{{authority control Old Colwyn Secondary schools in Conwy County Borough Educational institutions established in 1970 1970 establishments in Wales