The PrimeMinister - a grammar-school girl who went on to lead a country - has opened the flood gates to a debate which touches on aspiration, class, division and hope. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, As head of modern languages at Ellen Wilkinson school for girls in Ealing, west London, Christine Llewelyn had a reputation for getting the best out of her pupils. ), Italian caf owners and a man who kept champion racing pigeons. We had a grand Premiere just like Hollywood in that grand Rhondda auditorium, the Park and Dare, in Treorchy. Professor of English Literature and Literary Studies at the University of Greenwich and, since 2019, President of the Victorian Popular Fiction Association. 5 Tips about schematic wiring diagram You Can Use Tod. The local schools did not encourage the speaking of Welsh and he was forced to learn English. The people who benefitted most from the old educational system are those who got jobs that either no longer exist now or which today you need a degree to have any chance of getting into. The whole school was assembled and forced to listen, with no context, to music that instinct said was desperately boring and fuddy-duddy. Keep up to date with the latest stories with our WalesOnline newsletter. But we gave him a few short lines, and he had such presence on the screen that he became a really big character, the retired miner who represents the very spirit of the Rhondda. The family of Owen Vernon Jones, former headmaster of Porth County Grammar School for Boys and later of Porth. When I got to my O level year, the set poem for group recital in the Urdd Eisteddfod turned out to be Y Ffynhonnau. Once a year, a Trio of stiff classical musicians were summoned up from Cardiff to bring us the delights of Mozart and Beethoven. French was a proper modern language, a language with a future, the Common Market and all of that. Detention. After all, it was twenty years ago. We need more thanThe Pride of Miss Jean Brodie. There followed a succession of compelling network dramas in close collaboration with the writer Paul Ferris, most notably Dylan: Life and Death of Poet (1982), Nye (1981), about Aneurin Bevan, the founding father of the NHS, and The Extremist (1984), on the attempted bombing of the Prince of Waless investiture in 1969. Santos was determined that his school was going places. There were five Welsh-language junior schools Llwyncelyn and Bronllwyn, Bodringallt and Llyn y Forwyn in Ferndale, as well as Ynyswen and a big Comprehensive in Cymmer. Rachel Evans (the schools former English teacher and 'Filmclub' co-ordinator) said that "it ('Filmclub') gives the pupils a chance to discuss the films they watch". The Wild West had nothing on it. A DISTINGUISHED and much loved former headteacher has passed away at the age of 90. The film made a bit of a splash at the time. Are they definitely Rhondda grammar schools? I bet someone you know is. We'd like to use additional cookies to remember your settings and understand how you use our services. Alsatian (Alsatian: Elsssisch or Elssserditsch "Alsatian German"; Lorraine Franconian: Elssserdeitsch; French: Alsacien; German: Elsssisch or Elssserdeutsch) is the group of Alemannic German dialects spoken in most of Alsace, a formerly disputed region in eastern France that has passed between French and German control five times since 1681. Porth County proved it! the son of Daniel and Violet Thomas, and attended Tonypandy Grammar School. The hours, the days, the weeks, the whole terms when you were sick and tired of it, simply ached for it to be over, for the summer holidays to be here. I particularly miss the pink custard with the chocolate pudding and the cigaretteon the cross country "run". If we think of this group as also-rans, we are headed for disaster. privacy policy, county secondary LEA 357, 551, 557, 559, 574/40004169, Need more context? At that time there were about 400 girls attending the girls-only school - strictly segregated from the boys at their school next door! 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Born in Aberdare, south Wales, she was the first child of Graham, a mining engineer, and Joyce (nee Young), a biology teacher. The poor musicians, clutching their instruments like shields, sat there with fixed grins, their vocation to bring music to the masses reduced to a penance. But then people said that too about where I went, Porth County Grammar School, so who am I to talk? So the education I experienced gave a phenomenal boost for the careers of a fewanda good boost to many because of the range of middle-class jobs on offer. By then, Welsh had begun to flourish again in the Rhondda. Clydach Vales Glyn Houston a veteran star of TV and film wanted to be part of it, too, though he didnt really speak much Welsh at all. I was lucky in Porth County: I had a succession of brilliant and committed Welsh teachers Berian Davies and Delyth John, Olwen Peters and Eleanor Aubrey. The school was formed in 1973 by the amalgamation of two leading grammar schools, Porth County Girls and Porth County Boys, along with the amalgamation of the Secondary Modern Schools of Llwyncelyn, Trealaw and Ynyshir. Eventually, thanks to them, and a summer spent working on a couple of farms in Carmarthenshire, I became fluent in Welsh well, fluent enough to make TV programmes in the language anyway. Innate intelligence can be targetted and developed. History. The visit, by kind permission of the head, Steve Bowden, was hosted by Melanie Griffiths. I knew I was made for life; everyone had told me that in each pitying remark that I heard about those who "failed" the 11-plus examination. Catalogue description Porth county school for girls, Rhondda Mid Glamorgan Ordering and viewing options This record has not been digitised and cannot be downloaded. But back then there was only one Junior School in the whole Rhondda that taught in Welsh Ysgol Gymraeg Ynyswen. Maybe the maverick in him was attracted to a degree of anarchy. Mention schooldays and suddenly our minds are flooded with memories. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. But more was gained, for more pupils, across the whole of the Rhondda, by treating everyone as though they had the right to the best that school could offer, by refusing to make anyone think they might be second best for life just because they hadnt excelled in a certain sort of test when they were 11. And the Cory Band. John On The Rhondda is based on John Geraints popular Rhondda Radio talks and podcasts. "[13], On 18 May 2009 acclaimed Welsh actor Michael Sheen spoke with members of the schools film club. Instead, we need to make sure there is the globally competitive, progressive economy which can offer real hope to the many. In Porth, we were given the choice of two languages to learn - Welsh or French. Her first teaching posts were in the private sector, at Wycombe Abbey school in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, and then at the City of London school for girls in central London. This behaviour must stop, Santos scolded us. Jammy that our time happened to be the very time when the Boys began to meet the Girls in class as well outside of school. House. This was done by pupils to gain entrance into teacher training colleges and become teachers themselves. Curt on. In recent years she suffered a series of health issues, but bore them all without complaint. 04-06-08 Good Morning Porth. That will take a lot more than rebranding comprehensives and introductinggreater selection. The first three forms were housed in a wooden structure put up as a temporary measure during the Second World War. Paula Bailey Butlins Holidays Wales Beach Porthcawl Nostalgic Pictures Hartlepool London History Seaside Resort Worlds Away What does that mean for the future? A true education, as those early pioneers of schools in the Rhondda knew, makes the very best in human learning and human experience accessible to all. If you are ok with anonymous tracking please click ok, Support our Nation today - please donate here. The former pupils of that intake have been meeting in October for the past three years and, while the organisers have managed to track down most of their fellow pupils, some are still missing. [9] Jones was headmaster from 1961 to 1984, and saw the amalgamation of the 'Porth County Girls' and 'Porth County Boys' grammar schools (along with the Secondary Modern Schools of Llwyncelyn, Trealaw and Ynyshir) into what is now known as 'Porth County Community School'. [14] All of the students that met the actor were members of 'Filmclub' (a Film Agency of Wales and Skillset Screen Academy Wales initiative to give children access to thousands of "classic film titles"). Richard avoided it by qualifying as a biology teacher, but found his creativity stifled. She is survived by her siblings, Myra and me, and by a large extended family of nieces and nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews. GitHub export from English Wikipedia. Llwynypia was over 80% Welsh speaking in the 1890 census. Vernon had also recently prepared for publication his own collection of poems entitled Rhondda Recalled in Rhyme, an account of what he describes as our often forgotten precious past.. If you don't have an account please register. Corpus Christi, Oxford had quite a few students from the Rhondda because of that school, and even Nasa drew on talent from Porth County. You can order records in. This can't be a separate issue. It was The Way Out the means of escape from the drudgery of the pits. Porth county school for girls, Rhondda Mid Glamorgan, Have you found an error with this catalogue description? He was an inspirational father. Or, you can request a quotation for a copy to be sent to you. The relationship between Wales and England is a hell of a lot better than a few hundred years ago. However, if the photos include boys and girls then it wouldn't have been Porth County. If any reader is aware of the whereabouts of any of them, please ask them to get in touch. Available for both RF and RM licensing. Nevertheless, he won a scholarship to Porth County grammar school and, although he was a talented artist, there loomed ahead another obstacle: the prospect of national service. As Gillian Rees, she came up to Aberystwyth from Porth County Grammar School for Girls in 1960, to study English and American Literature. The family feel truly blessed to have had such a treasure of a man for 90 years and know his influence is a lasting legacy not only on their own lives but also on the lives of so many. Vernons daughter Cheryl Hill paid tribute to her father on behalf of the family. May 23, 2015 - Porth County Grammar School 1st XV rugby team 1968/69. They were nervous, worried, frightened - and clad in a school uniform which they were expected to 'grow into'. Porth Community School is a Community School located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. . But its not just in retrospect that our eyes can be opened to the worth of education. Porth Community School is located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. His collaboration with writers continued with William Nicholson, on the Bafta-winning, original television film Shadowlands, in 1985. Everyone has their own story. More like this History Projects Local History Steep South Wales Auntie Lineup Parents April Wedding Photography April 1961. Via visits to France she introduced many children to French culture, and many still remember their trips to Marcel Prousts house in France with great fondness. Miners put pennies aside, built schools for their sons and daughters, and when universal secondary education became a right, the Rhondda Borough Council invested heavily in it. In the pauses between pieces, Santos might make a show of chastising the boys with a swish of his cane. Soon, a stream, a torrent of Rhondda talent headed for Oxbridge every autumn. One of the greatest grammar schools in South Wales was the school my father and his brother went to Porth County. Let us know. Porth Community School is a Community School located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. And when up on the big screen those hundreds of children, all of them Welsh speakers, stood in front of the statue on Penrhys, up above the Spring and the Holy Well, and they began to chant the poems most famous line, Maer ffynhonnaun fyw! (The mountain springs are alive!), it really did feel like we were all part of something vital and thriving; and that Welsh, too, was a language of the future right there in the Rhondda. [16] During his visit, Michael Sheen spoke with the pupils and told them that he was "saddened" by the lack of funding for drama schools and clubs throughout Wales. We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. You will need a reader's ticket to do this. She said: He always put family first and was happily married to Falmai for sixty-five years. Visible Anyone can find this group. While in charge of the grammar school, Mr Jones dedicated his life to proving to Rhondda boys that academic success was not impossible, something which the sons of miners had previously dismissed as unattainable. Please ensure the tag is appropriate for the record. And that is the real point, isn't it? Clive first went to Kettering Grammar School before transferring to Porth County Grammar when his father was appointed borough architect to the Rhondda Valley. After senior house officer posts at Cardiff and Sully hospitals he joined the Hammersmith Hospital, where he was registrar under Ralph Shackman and Geoff Chisholm. Help us improve catalogue descriptions by adding tags. Sian Assiratti is a Councillor for Pontyclun East. the kitchen cafe brewster, ma menu. And this fact is what nobody is mentioning now. My sister, Christine Llewelyn, who has died aged 72, was a popular French teacher who inspired pupils with her enthusiasm both for the subject she taught and for life in general. Your search results for obituary: 11 newspaper articles contained information about obituary filtered by: Date from: 1st Jan 1948 - Date to: 1st Jan 1948 It was known as The Ranch. Author: United States.Congress. But I was a contrary so-and-so. From The Very Beginning.. This local democracy/ Senedd is not working.Read more , Rhondda in the early 1800s had a higher percentage of Welsh speakers than the most Welsh speaking parts of Gwynedd. Did you send your children there? Porth is now described as a good school and the previous Porth Infants . 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During his time at the school, Jones was affectionately known as 'Santos' by the pupils, due to his Mexican "demeanor" and "moustache". And even if you left school at 14, as my dad and others like him did, there were still a lotof decentlypaid blue-collar jobs to go to.