ONE of the top 10 high-performing schools in Wales unveiled a series of programmes designed to support the physical and mental health of pupils following the unprecedented challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic.

For the majority of children, 2022/23 is the first ‘normal’ academic year they have had since 2019.

At Ysgol Eirias in Colwyn Bay, the newly developed curriculum now includes an Area of Learning and Experience (AoLE) focused on the health and wellbeing of learners, families, and the community, with subjects including PE (Physical Education), PSE (Personal and Social Education), RSE (Relationships and Sexual Education) and an anti-bullying initiative.

Food technology and nutrition and cookery are also available at GCSE level, helping students to develop vital life skills for the future.

Assistant Headteacher Hayley Blackwell said the AoLE begins with Year 7 and will be rolled out across the school so that all pupils are given the encouragement to be ambitious, creative and make ethical and healthy decisions going forward.

“We are also working closely with our primary schools to ensure there is a smooth transition and consulting with parents and stakeholders to get their feedback, which is so important,” she said.

PE teacher Rhys Johnson is leading the AoLE for Year 7 and reinforced those comments.

“The response we have had from children and the parents has been very heartening and positive, because we are all working together to ensure their health and wellbeing is the top priority,” said Mr Johnson.

“We have taken a fresh approach to a lot of the subjects, including PE; there are still traditional lessons where they play sports like rugby and football but also ‘Reach’ lessons to bring everyone together, pupils of all abilities, to focus on teamwork, problem solving and more.”

He added: “This ethos brings a lot more benefit to a lot more people, so that nobody is left behind, it’s a more holistic way of doing things but it’s proving more important than ever post-Covid.”

Ellie Wilkinson, Head of PSE for Years 7 to 11, has also been taking a more accessible journey to inclusion with the learners, and said food and nutrition in particular has been a crucial element of the curriculum, notably for vulnerable and disadvantaged young people.

“Delivering lessons remotely during the pandemic was tough, for teachers and the children,” she said.

“The AoLE brought new opportunities to cover the PSE curriculum and repair gaps in students learning that wasn’t suitable for home learning during Covid, and themes around health and wellbeing are all interlinked, constantly evolving in partnership with Welsh Government to meet the needs of these young people, when they need it most.

“Cookery is a crucial part of that, and some of our young people do already cook for themselves and others in their family. At Ysgol Eirias we make sure on leaving in Year 11, every single learner has the ability to make a fresh, nutritious recipe from scratch, and understands the value of a healthy lifestyle.”

The school’s recent Estyn Inspection acknowledged the strength of its wellbeing programmes.

Inspectors reported: “Pupils’ emotional health and wellbeing is a key priority, and this is promoted well through day-to-day activities and the school’s pastoral care system. The school has an inclusive and supportive ethos that promotes pupils’ wellbeing and emotional health effectively.

“Following the pandemic, the school is beginning to reintroduce a wide range of beneficial extra-curricular activities. Extensive sporting opportunities promote pupils’ physical health, and a diverse menu of clubs help to expand their social and cultural experience and encourage their creative imagination.”

For more information and to view the school’s new video #SucceedingTogether, visit the website www.eirias.co.uk.

Alternatively, email general@eirias.conwy.sch.uk, call 01492 532025 and follow @ysgoleirias and @eirias on social media.

PUPILS and staff at Ysgol Eirias are celebrating a glowing Estyn inspection as they prepare to say goodbye to their popular headteacher.

Sarah Sutton this week announced she will step down from the role after six years, and 25 years in total at the Colwyn Bay school.

Mrs Sutton was delighted one of her final tasks before leaving this summer was to welcome an “outstanding” report from Estyn, the education and training inspectorate for Wales.

Eirias – one of the Top 10 Sunday Times ‘Parent Power’ high-performing schools in Wales – was described by inspectors as a “caring and inclusive community” with a “strong culture for safeguarding”, where pupils feel safe and “teaching is effective”.

They added: “There are valuable opportunities for pupils to develop their numeracy skills, both within mathematics and in other relevant subjects. The school offers beneficial opportunities for pupils to develop their thinking skills, their physical skills, and their creativity.

“The school’s curriculum builds well on pupils’ prior learning and there is a wide range of courses available. The school offers a wide and varied range of extra-curricular trips and clubs, especially sports clubs, where rates of participation are particularly high.

“The sixth form contribute well to the life of the school, and pupils in the sixth form generally make strong progress.”

Referring to senior staff and Mrs Sutton’s role, the report said: “The headteacher, ably supported by the senior leadership team, provides consistently strong leadership.

“She leads with passion and is highly ambitious for the school. She places full trust in the senior leadership team and together they have worked successfully to manage the school as it recovers after the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Mrs Sutton said she was sad to leave the warm and welcoming environment at Ysgol Eirias – which she joined as a teacher of chemistry in 1997 – but proud to have led the school and looking forward to the next chapter in her professional life.

She added: “Ysgol Eirias has been an incredibly important and dear part of my life for the last 25 years.

“It has been a joy to be part of the school community for all that time, but the real privilege has undoubtedly come from being headteacher.

“Whilst leading the school through the pandemic was at times challenging, it was the reflected efforts of the staff, learners and of course the parents and carers that moved the school forwards throughout this time.

“There have been so many areas of celebration, none more so than our most recent Estyn inspection, which is testament to the fabulous work the school has done. It’s a brilliant position for the new headteacher to move forward with.

“Again, I would like to thank the staff, who are committed, invested and dedicated in equal measure, and our pupils, both current and past, who have provided colour, texture and life to the school every single day.”

For more information on Ysgol Eirias, visit the website www.eirias.co.uk or call 01492 532025. Alternatively, email general@eirias.conwy.sch.uk and follow @ysgoleirias and @eirias on social media.

PUPILS and their families had a second opportunity to celebrate the festive period at a leading North Wales school.

Ysgol Eirias rescheduled its popular Christmas concert following its cancellation in December.

Headteacher Sarah Sutton took the difficult decision to close the Colwyn Bay secondary school earlier than planned for the winter break following an isolated incident of rodent activity in one of the education blocks.

The matter was investigated and dealt with immediately, in conjunction with pest control experts, the local authority and industrial cleaners.

“The timing of the closure was unfortunate given the activities we had planned for the week before Christmas, notably the concert,” said Mrs Sutton.

“The pupils and staff had worked so hard ahead of the performance, so we are pleased it was able to go ahead, giving everyone the opportunity to celebrate belatedly and look ahead with positivity.

“The Hall was full, the students were superb and their performance was so professional, it really showcased their talent for singing and playing a wide range of instruments – the response from the audience was fantastic.”

She added: “All of the mince pies earmarked for the event were donated to local care homes and all proceeds from the concert to the school’s breakfast club – giving pupils a safe and supportive space to enjoy a free meal each morning – so we were pleased to be able to spread some festive cheer and give back to our community during what was a challenging few days.

“We again apologise for the inconvenience over the winter break and thank the students, parents, carers and staff for their support.”

Ysgol Eirias enjoyed a successful 2022 including a surge in the number of pupils attending extra-curricular sessions, having introduced designated weeks where Areas of Learning and Experience could host activities and events to encourage learning and mindfulness outside of school hours.

The school was also again named among the Top 10 Sunday Times ‘Parent Power’ high-performing schools in Wales.

For more information, visit the website www.eirias.co.uk or call 01492 532025. Alternatively, email general@eirias.conwy.sch.uk and follow @ysgoleirias and @eirias on social media.

YSGOL EIRIAS is leading the campaign to educate future generations of teachers following a surge in demand for pupil places.

The Colwyn Bay school is one of a select group working alongside The School of Educational Sciences at Bangor University as part of its innovative CaBan Teacher Education programme, in partnership with the Regional Consortium GwE and inspired by a review into ITE (Initial Teacher Education) by Professor John Furlong.

In his report, Professor Furlong sets out an ambitious plan for world-leading teacher education in Wales, which forms the basis of the Caban teacher education model.

Wales is undergoing an extensive reform of its education driven by innovative teacher education built on a close collaboration between university academics and leading schools, including Ysgol Eirias.

The new model offers teachers themselves the skills and knowledge to lead the transformation required.

A dearth in trainee teachers has become more of an issue post-pandemic, and Ysgol Eirias Assistant Headteacher Hayley Blackwell – who helped shape the CaBan teacher education programme by giving input from a secondary education perspective – hopes more young people will consider it as a career in future, especially bilingual candidates.

“We’ve been a leading school for teacher training for more than 20 years, and this is one of the most pivotal periods we’ve faced in that time,” said Mrs Blackwell.

“There has been reform, but this is the first year where real change will be implemented after the pandemic, so we are all working hard to raise the numbers.

“The changes have triggered much closer collaboration with schools and further strengthened our links with academics at Bangor University, with the training closer to what will become their future career as it’s put into practice weekly.”

She added: “As one of the larger schools we’ve been able to, on average, accommodate up to 30 trainee teachers, but there has been a decrease in past years.

“The new methods of delivering teacher education, with a day spent every week at the school – as opposed to previous blocks of time – and the rest at university, means we can reinforce the students’ learning and demonstrate the practical side, so they have a real flavour of what’s to come.

“That is much more of an attractive proposition and more reflective of the real-time, real-life workings of the role.

“The pandemic has raised many challenges, particularly concerning the mental health of children; remote learning and other factors have transformed the position of a teacher and teaching assistant, perhaps forever, from a pastoral and academic perspective.

“But it is and always will be a very important, rewarding career, vital to the lives of coming generations of children – we hope more people will pursue it.”

There is a dedicated CaBan teacher education hub at Ysgol Eirias, and, like other schools collaborating with Bangor University, they share the common goal of guiding “the next generation of world-class educators” from initial teacher education, through continuous career-long professional learning.

Hazel Wordsworth, Director of Initial Teacher Education at CaBan, said: “Our aim is to ensure that teachers across the region are fully prepared to deliver on the ambitious targets Wales has set for the quality of its education. We need teachers who are innovative, creative, passionate, and ambitious.

“Teachers who understand the importance of the Welsh language and culture and respect every child and their potential to achieve their best. In this mission, we must not, and cannot fail.”

Ysgol Eirias was in the news recently as part of a group of ‘Pioneer Schools’ which introduced a new curriculum for Year 7 pupils this academic year – ahead of a national rollout in 2023 – and after being named among the Top 10 Sunday Times ‘Parent Power’ high-performing schools in Wales.

Up to 700 people attended its open evening earlier this month and staff and pupils celebrated “exceptional” A Level and GCSE results during the summer.

For more information on Ysgol Eirias, visit the website www.eirias.co.uk or call 01492 532025. Alternatively, email general@eirias.conwy.sch.uk.

Visit www.caban.ac.uk for more on the innovative CaBan teacher education partnership.

A LEADING school is helping to shape education in Wales after unveiling a new curriculum and bright vision for the future.

Ysgol Eirias in Colwyn Bay was among a group of ‘Pioneer Schools’ focused on teaching methods and staff development and training, having applied to Welsh Government to be part of the process of improving the education system.

As part of that movement, the school has introduced a new curriculum for Year 7 pupils in past weeks – ahead of a national rollout in 2023 – and having embraced technological advances during the Covid-19 pandemic is well placed to support learners for years to come.

Ahead of its open evening on Wednesday October 5, headteacher Sarah Sutton said Ysgol Eirias – named among the Top 10 Sunday Times ‘Parent Power’ high-performing schools in Wales – will be in an even stronger position post-pandemic.

“We were one of the first pioneer schools as part of the new Curriculum for Wales, which was an honour for all of us,” said Mrs Sutton.

“It has developed over the last five years and stalled due to the pandemic, but we are pleased to have now implemented the changes.

“The idea behind it was more about culture than content, so as one of the few early adopters of the curriculum we believe it will be of huge benefit to students and pivotal to our growth as a school.”

Mrs Sutton said work behind the scenes – including regular action research groups and a spotlight on numeracy, digital and literacy skills – will be pivotal post-pandemic.

“The curriculum is now fully operational for Year 7 and will be for Years 7 and 8 from next September, so we have a head-start in that sense and are adapting new methods of learning and experience in subject areas including Maths, Literacy, Expressive Arts, Humanities, Health and Wellbeing, and Science and Technology.

“As important as the academic side is, we are also building on our ethos of care and wellbeing; our motto ‘Succeeding Together’ has never been more important given the challenges of the past few years and everything the children were put through, from self-isolation and lockdown to remote learning and being unable to see their friends.

“The resilience they’ve shown has been inspirational, so we are doing even more to support them, which includes the development of vital skills which underpin everything we do, particularly in Year 7 when pupils are at the beginning of their journey with us.”

Following exceptional A Level and GCSE results, Mrs Sutton said they will now look ahead to the event next month and welcome families and prospective students for our first open evening in -person since 2019.

“For the pupils to have been so successful and remained so strong after everything they’ve been through is testament to them, our incredible teachers and support staff for the guidance and care they’ve demonstrated,” she said.

“While in uncharted territory we embraced new ways of working, and learning, and a lot of these innovations will remain – virtual meetings and pupil data management systems such as Talaxy – to make us even more efficient and prepared for whatever the future holds.”

Mrs Sutton added: “As we return to a more ‘normal’ school routine I would like to again thank everyone here at Ysgol Eirias, and to those joining us for our open evening next month, we look forward to seeing you soon.”

The open evening takes place on Wednesday October 5 from 4.30pm – 7.30pm. For more information, visit the website www.eirias.co.uk or call 01492 532025. Alternatively, email general@eirias.conwy.sch.uk.