Aberdare Girls' School was a state secondary school for girls aged 11–18 in the town of Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It closed in July 2014. General View of Aberdare

History

The school was founded as an Intermediate Girls' school, and the building was opened in 1913. It became a secondary school for girls aged 11 to 18.

Structure

There were approximately 700 pupils on the school roll, of whom around 100 were in the sixth form, at the school's closure in 2014. The school occupied two sites, with pupils in years 7 and 8 in the Lower School in Y Gadlys, and those in years 9 to 13 in the Upper School in Plasdraw. Most pupils came from the town of Aberdare, with some travelling from

Glynneath Glynneath ( ; also spelt ''Glyn-neath'' and ''Glyn Neath'') is a town, community and electoral ward lying on the River Neath in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, Wales. It was formerly in the historic county of Glamorgan. Glynneath ward ...

Treorchy Treorchy (; ) is a town and Community (Wales), community (and electoral ward) in Wales. Once a mining town, it retains such characteristics. Situated in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in the Rhondda Fawr valley. Treorchy is also one of t ...

and

Mountain Ash Mountain ash may refer to: * ''Eucalyptus regnans'', the tallest of all flowering plants, native to Australia * Mountain-ashes or rowans, varieties of trees and shrubs in the genus ''Sorbus'' See also

* Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, a town ...

Bangle controversy

In 2007, the school attracted media coverage across Britain after it excluded a student, Sarita Watkins-Singh, for wearing a

kara Kara or KARA may refer to: Geography Localities * Kara, Chad, a sub-prefecture * Kára, Hungary, a village * Kara, Uttar Pradesh, India, a township * Kara, Iran, a village in Lorestan Province * Kara, Republic of Dagestan, a rural locality in ...

, a bangle that symbolised her

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

faith. The student and her family took legal action. In January 2008,

Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council () is the governing body for Rhondda Cynon Taf, one of the principal areas of Wales. The council headquarters are at the Llys Cadwyn development in Pontypridd. History The council was established on 1 Ap ...

informed school governors that it would not provide the school with any further financial assistance, and said that this was in response to the school pursuing the case. The human rights organisation '' 'Liberty' '' claimed that the school was in violation of the Race Relations Act 1976, the

Equality Act 2006 The Equality Act 2006 (c. 3) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom covering the United Kingdom. The 2006 Act is a precursor to the Equality Act 2010, which combines all of the equality enactments within Great Britain and provide com ...

. In July 2008, Watkins-Singh won her case when the high court determined that the school was guilty of indirect discrimination. The school said that she would be welcome back at the school if she so desired.

Aberdare Community School

It was announced in 2012 that

Aberdare High School Aberdare High School (Welsh: ''Ysgol Uwchradd Aberdâr'') was a comprehensive school in Aberdare, Wales. The school was situated between the villages of Trecynon and Cwmdare and sited opposite the Coleg y Cymoedd site (formerly called Coleg Morg ...

, Aberdare Girls' School and Blaengwawr Comprehensive School would merge to form a new 'super-school', which became

Aberdare Community School Aberdare Community School () is a secondary school located in Aberdare, Wales. The school was formed in September 2014 as part of a merger between Aberdare High School, Aberdare Girls' School and Blaengwawr Comprehensive School. Formation of Abe ...

. The construction of the new £50m campus began on the Michael Sobell Sports Centre site in 2013 with the intentions of creating a unified education, leisure and community hub. After several delays, the intended September 2014 opening date of the new 1,600 pupil building was pushed back to April 2015 with the formation of Aberdare Community School still set for September 2014. Blaengwawr Comprehensive, Aberdare High and Aberdare Girls' schools were closed at the end of the Summer Term 2014. It was announced that due to delays of the new campus, the four buildings previously occupied by the three schools would temporarily house various school years until a gradual move is possible once the new building is completed 2015.

Sale for development

In July 2015, the school site was sold at auction for £415,000, four times the guide price. The unknown purchasers were bound by a covenant to ensure that the site could only be used as a school and a playground. By 2020 the site had been converted to housing, retaining the original school building.

References

External links

School website
{{authority control 1913 establishments in Wales 2014 disestablishments in Wales Educational institutions established in 1913 Educational institutions disestablished in 2014 Defunct schools in Rhondda Cynon Taf Aberdare Sikhism-related controversies Defunct girls' schools in Wales