Bridgend County Borough Council

First Minister, the Right Honourable Rhodri Morgan AM has officially opened Bridgend County Borough’s first Welsh-medium comprehensive school today (Thursday 15 January 2009).

Mr Morgan described the opening of Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Llangynwyd in Maesteg as a happy day for the Llynfi Valley and praised the local authority for the way it has met the demand for Welsh-medium education in the borough.

Until it opened, pupils from the borough’s four Welsh-medium primaries had to travel over the border into Rhondda Cynon Taff to continue their education at Ysgol Gyfun Llanhari.

The new school is now home to 128 Year Seven pupils but will ultimately cater for up to 850 pupils aged between 11 and 18.

Bridgend County Borough Council has invested more than £1 million in a refurbishment programme designed to provide YGG Llangynwyd’s new pupils with first-class facilities. Two thirds of the funding has come from the Welsh Assembly Government’s School Building Improvement Grant and the rest from Bridgend County Borough Council’s capital programme

Mr Morgan said he could not think of a better location in the whole of Wales for a Welsh-medium school than the village of Llangynwyd which he described as “steeped in tradition, music and history”.

He also told pupils this was an important milestone in the history of Welsh-medium education and recalled attending Saturday morning classes as a three-year-old in South Wales’s first Welsh-medium school in 1942.

He said: “Welsh-medium education has grown from that tiny acorn and without that we would not be celebrating this splendid school and location 66 and half years later”.

Mr Morgan was thanked by head teacher Mark Jones and chair of governors Andrew Lewis.

Mr Lewis paid tribute to the leadership of the head and added: “We will give pupils the best possible education in our language, in our county borough.”

The ceremony included singing by the school’s choir, before Mr Morgan unveiled a plaque made of Welsh slate.

Mr Morgan then joined a tour of the school with the Leader of Bridgend County Borough Council Mel Nott, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People Councillor Alana Davies, Director for Children Hilary Anthony and AMs Carwyn Jones and Janice Gregory.

Guests were able to see new classrooms, watch music and language lessons and talk to the children.

Councillor Nott said: “As soon as I walked in, I was so impressed by the physical work that has gone on to create the school, and the enormous enthusiasm of the staff lead by the head Mr Jones.

“Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Llangynwyd is providing a great environment for children from across the borough to learn through the medium of Welsh and they can all feel very proud on this important and historic day.”

Editor’s Notes:

YGG Llangynwyd currently has 128 pupils in Year Seven only.

All subjects (with the exception of English) are taught in the medium of Welsh.

YGG Llangynwyd serves four feeder schools: Ysgol Cynwyd Sant in Maesteg, Ysgol Bro Ogwr in Bridgend, Ysgol y Ferch o’r Sger in Cornelly and Ysgol Cwm Garw in Pontycymer.

The school’s motto is: “Dysg…dawn...dyfodol” (Learning…ability….future).