General Information
The School
The school is funded by Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council, but its management, including finance, is controlled by the Governing Body.
In September 2010 there will be approximately 1110 on roll, with a projected intake of 168 new students in Year 7. In the last academic year, 166 students applied to Bryn Celynnog and all applications were successful. The actual admissions limit is 166.
In 2009-10, the percentage of sessions missed due to unauthorised absence was 2.4%, and the percentage missed due to authorised absence was also 6.4%.
Organisation
At Bryn Celynnog, students are organised by year groups. They are placed in mixed ability tutor groups in Year 7 and remain in the same tutor group until the end of Year 11. The Year 7 Form Tutors are led by the Year 7 Head of Learning. This team has developed expertise in transition from Year 6 and is a static team, its aim being to give children a flying start in their first year of secondary school.
In Year 8, each Tutor Group has a new Form Tutor and Head of Learning, who remain constant until the end of Year 11 in order to provide stability.
Students and staff throughout the school are allocated to one of four Houses, Wyvern, Chimera,
The school has an academic organisation based on eight faculties. These faculties are English, Maths/ICT, Science, Humanities, Languages, Creative Arts, Technology and Physical Education. Each faculty may determine whether to group students by ability or whether to teach in mixed ability groups.
We have a well qualified and experienced teaching staff, who work extremely hard to ensure that students have every opportunity to achieve highly. Staff also give up a huge amount of time to broaden and enrich the taught curriculum by offering a range of extra-curricular clubs and activities.
The teaching staff is supplemented by a team of administrative support staff, learning support assistants, technicians, cover supervisors, a full-time nurse, and the Pastoral Support Team.
The school buildings are cared for by the Business Manager and a team of caretakers and cleaning staff.
Our Values
At Bryn Celynnog Comprehensive School we actively promote:
high standards
a positive work ethic
strong discipline
an enjoyment of learning
and the celebration of success
in an inclusive, supportive and caring learning environment.
We encourage all our students, regardless of ability or
background,
to achieve their personal best
and to take pride in their achievements
and in their school.
We believe in the education of the ‘whole child' and we strive
to create opportunities for students to develop:
a strong sense of self-worth
confidence to face new challenges
respect and compassion for others
active concern for the local and global environment
personal responsibility and self discipline.
Philosophy
Bryn Celynnog is a true comprehensive school that welcomes children of all abilities and from
all backgrounds. We are proud of our caring ethos, quality of inclusion and warm relationships
that together create a harmonious learning environment for staff and students alike. We are
known as a school that serves, and engages with, the local community.
We believe that strong discipline and an insistence on the highest of standards are the necessary
foundations of a successful school. We challenge every instance of unacceptable behaviour and
actively engage the support of parents in the restorative process if a child is in breach of the
school’s code of conduct. We adopt a zero tolerance stance towards any form of bullying.
We believe that every child has the right to learn in peace and in safety and we take firm action
if anyone tries to spoil the learning of others. We reward effort and encourage our children to
work hard to achieve their potential. We seek to instil a positive work ethic throughout the
school, promote an intrinsic enjoyment of learning and equip our children with the skills to
become independent and lifelong learners.
We believe in the motivating power of success and we take every opportunity to celebrate
children’s individual achievements, placing equal value on all types of achievement - creative,
physical, musical, academic and social.
Although all our students are equally important to us, we do not regard them as being all the
same. We believe that comprehensive education requires a curriculum that is tailored to the
needs of every individual child; therefore, we strive to avoid a ‘one-size-fits-all’ curriculum in
favour of one that challenges the most able and supports the most vulnerable.
We believe that strong pastoral care underpins the learning experience and that children flourish
best in an environment in which they, and their family, are known to us personally. We value
partnerships with parents and believe that children achieve most highly when school and home
work together to support the learning process.
We recognise the value of having a highly qualified and committed staff - the school’s greatest
asset. It is therefore important that there are opportunities for continuous professional
development to which each individual member of staff has access.