Today is the start of another school year. This September, Ysgol Brynhyfryd pupils have a smart new uniform. As I write this, at 4.30 a.m., it's tipping it down outside. I only hope the weather improves so that the pupils don't spoil their new clothes on the first outing. You can bet they'll none of them have coats. They never have coats.
Some parents are still unhappy about the costs associated with the uniform and this raised itself briefly again over the summer—but fizzled out. The new uniform is just one of the building blocks brought in by the new head to galvanise change.
And his policies seem to be working. For this, we need to lend the school our support.
For this summer's Daily Post guide to local schools puts Brynhyfryd back where it belongs—at the very top. Indeed, according to the Daily Post, Ysgol Brynhyfryd is the best in Denbighshire, the best in North East Wales and is now ranked 12th out of Wales' 209¹ secondary schools. This returns it to the position it held during the early years of the 2000s.
It is a remarkable success for Brynhyfryd. The Welsh government ranked it amber in 2015 and red in 2016. Yet, its attainment was always high. Now, though, the Daily Post has taken a stack of statistics and re-scored all local schools. Brynhyfrd comes out best and it regains the crown we know it was always capable of wearing.
Of course, this is only one measure. But it is an important one. Watch Brynhyfryd's role increase.
In the table above, we show how the Daily Post has scored all secondary schools in the former Clwyd LEA. We show the Daily Post's scoring in 2015 and the relative change. We also give our view as to where we believe each school should be¹. We give each of the Daily Post's scores for various key issues, such as attainment and teaching. Note that in particular, Brynhyfryd's teaching score has increased from 3 to 5.
Meanwhile, this summer, the school celebrated its "best ever" A level & GCSE results. One does wonder how it can achieve a "best ever" every year. Remember, though, that there's never been an issue regarding attainment at the school. Brynhyfryd is also launching its sixth form today,
as it severs its formal connections with the Dyffryn Clwyd consortium.
¹This is our own assessment of where a particular school should be. Excluded is John Summers, which closed in July 2017 and this brings the number of secondaries from 210 to 209.
Some parents are still unhappy about the costs associated with the uniform and this raised itself briefly again over the summer—but fizzled out. The new uniform is just one of the building blocks brought in by the new head to galvanise change.
And his policies seem to be working. For this, we need to lend the school our support.
It is a remarkable success for Brynhyfryd. The Welsh government ranked it amber in 2015 and red in 2016. Yet, its attainment was always high. Now, though, the Daily Post has taken a stack of statistics and re-scored all local schools. Brynhyfrd comes out best and it regains the crown we know it was always capable of wearing.
Of course, this is only one measure. But it is an important one. Watch Brynhyfryd's role increase.
In the table above, we show how the Daily Post has scored all secondary schools in the former Clwyd LEA. We show the Daily Post's scoring in 2015 and the relative change. We also give our view as to where we believe each school should be¹. We give each of the Daily Post's scores for various key issues, such as attainment and teaching. Note that in particular, Brynhyfryd's teaching score has increased from 3 to 5.
Meanwhile, this summer, the school celebrated its "best ever" A level & GCSE results. One does wonder how it can achieve a "best ever" every year. Remember, though, that there's never been an issue regarding attainment at the school. Brynhyfryd is also launching its sixth form today,
as it severs its formal connections with the Dyffryn Clwyd consortium.
¹This is our own assessment of where a particular school should be. Excluded is John Summers, which closed in July 2017 and this brings the number of secondaries from 210 to 209.