Pupils help name new secondary schools
NAMES have been revealed for two new secondary schools in Barry which will open in September.
Barry Comprehensive School and Bryn Hafren will both close at the end of term with two new schools opening in their place.
The new mixed schools, which will open on the sites of the current comprehensives, will admit both boys and girls as part of a £44m investment.
It is set to be a dramatic shake-up of secondary education in Barry – currently Bryn Hafren is an all-girls school and Barry Comprehensive is all-boys, apart from its sixth form.
The new schools which are taking their place are Whitmore High School, which will open on the current site of Barry Comprehensive in Port Road, while Pencoedtre High School will open where Bryn Hafren is currently based in Merthyr Dyfan Road.
Dr Vince Browne, executive headteacher for the two new schools, said the names “highlight the ambition we all share for the new schools”.
He said: “Pencoedtre High School refers to the area the school is built on, where a large number of its pupils live.
“Pencoedtre Wood is also one of the largest areas of woodland in Barry and a Site of Special Scientific Interest so there is also a strong link with the natural environment that makes the Vale unique.
“Whitmore High School makes a clear connection between the school and one of the most iconic features of Barry, particularly the western parts of the town that it will serve.
“Whitmore Bay means many things to many people but all of these are positive and the name will ensure positivity is one of the first emotions the new school’s name will evoke.”
A brand new building will replace the current Barry Comprehensive School while the building currently housing Bryn Hafren Comprehensive School will be completely overhauled as part of a construction programme that will provide both new schools with new facilities.
Pupils met with historian and St Cyres Comprehensive School headteacher Dr Jonathan Hicks to develop ideas for names in November 2017.
The groups discussed the history of the school sites and surrounding areas, as well as Barry and the Vale as a whole, before taking part in workshops to develop potential names.
With the names now set to be agreed, sessions will begin to develop ideas for school logos, branding and uniform.
Councillor Bob Penrose, Vale of Glamorgan’s cabinet member for learning and skills, said: “It is important that the names give the new schools their own identity, a connection with the local area, and most importantly foster an immediate sense of recognition with pupils.”
Welcoming pupils’ input in developing the “two excellent names”, he added: “Those same pupils are now working on developing new school logos and uniform policies, with support from council and school staff.”