Powys Estyn response will not be just a 'tick the box' exercise
Head of school improvement and learning Anwen Orrells said: 'Since April 2022 when inspections restarted after Covid-19, every Powys secondary and all through school has been inspected and either placed in an Estyn review category or follow up category of significant improvement or special measures.
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South Wales Argus
21 hours ago
- South Wales Argus
Cwmbran: Community fridge leader wins King's Birthday Honour
Sabrina Cresswell aged 42 runs Tasty Not Wasty a 'community fridge' based in Cwmbran. The service provides free food and aims to fight hunger poverty and reduce waste. Sabrina has been running the service for three years and has now been awarded a British Empire Medal for services to the community. Sabrina Cresswell leader of Tasty Not Wasty (Image: Sabrina Cresswell) Speaking of this achievement she said: 'It's a great honour even just the nomination and when I got the call to say I'd been on the list it was a huge surprise.' Sabrina added: 'We collect food from supermarkets so that it doesn't go to waste our group is for anyone and everyone that wants to come. 'Some people come because they like the ethos, some people might come if they need a bit of extra food. There's a complete mixture of people.' Sabrina first took an interest in volunteering back in 2020 and was heavily influenced by the pandemic. Fruit at Tasty Not Wasty (Image: Sabrina Cresswell) She said: 'During Covid I was helping people by getting prescriptions and I was helping set up some of the food bank provisions. 'When we were donating it, I realised there was overwhelmingly need for it, and it was becoming a group. 'Our primary aim is to reduce food waste and helping people who need it.' Of course, none of this would be possible without some additional help. Fruit at Tasty Not Wasty (Image: Sabrina Cresswell) Sabrina also gave thanks to Tasty Not Wasty's volunteers. 'I wouldn't be anywhere without the volunteers they literally set it forward and have been an amazing support for the community we've got probably week to week 35 and extra's at Christmas.' Tasty Not Wasty is located in Llanyrafon Methodist Church and runs every Tuesday to Saturday 10am to11:30am. On average 40 to 50 people rely on the group every day.
Telegraph
a day ago
- Telegraph
Pandemic blamed as Oxbridge state school admissions fall again
The universities of Oxford and Cambridge have blamed the pandemic for their proportion of state school students falling once again in their latest intakes. Oxford 's proportion of state school admissions has declined for a fifth straight year, falling from 67.6 per cent in 2023 to 66.2 per cent in 2024 – its lowest since 2019. At rival Cambridge, 71 per cent of this year's intake came from state schools, down from 72.6 per cent in 2023 and 72.9 per cent in 2022. The universities blamed the 'attainment gap' and 'school performance' for the trend, saying Covid had disrupted education. Dr Martin Thompson, director of undergraduate admissions at Cambridge, said this year's figures followed a period of rapid growth in state school admissions and remained well above the pre-Covid average. He said: 'We saw several subjects become much more competitive. Students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and state school students, are more likely to apply to these courses. 'This must be understood in the context of a secondary school sector still grappling with disrupted education and attainment gaps.' Cambridge announced last year that it would scrap its state school target for undergraduate admissions from this year and instead consider a broader range of factors when selecting students. The move followed accusations that the university was discriminating against pupils from private schools. At Cambridge, applicants from grammar schools had the highest success rate at 24.4 per cent, compared with 15.9 per cent for comprehensive schools and 21.6 per cent for independent schools. Those from independent schools received 18.9 per cent of the offers and had 21.4 per cent of the acceptances, while comprehensive schools received 24.7 per cent of the offers but this fell to 22.9 per cent for acceptances. This could reflect those who failed to meet the entrance criteria. A spokesman for the University of Oxford said access for those from disadvantaged backgrounds remained a priority. 'Factors such as socioeconomic disadvantage and school performance can make it difficult for some students to access their full potential before applying to university, and therefore we use a range of contextual information to help us to better understand students' achievements,' the spokesman told The Times. The proportion of women who were admitted to Cambridge stood at 52 per cent, narrowly behind Oxford's 51.9 per cent. Both institutions have also seen the proportion of ethnic minorities climb again, accounting for 30.8 per cent at Oxford and 35.1 per cent at Cambridge in 2024. In 2020, these figures were 23.6 per cent and 29.3 per cent respectively. While applications from the EU have fallen at both universities, China continues to be the biggest feeder of overseas students. Oxford took 566 Chinese students while 252 went to Cambridge, with Singapore and Hong Kong in second and third for both institutions. The proportion of UK-domiciled students admitted to Oxford who identify as Asian has risen from 9.6 per cent in 2020 to 14.5 per cent in 2024. At Oxford, the most competitive course was economics and management, attracting 19 applications per place, followed by computer science. Courses such as psychology, law and computer science had the highest proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, whereas classics, geography and biomedical sciences had the lowest. The most competitive course at Cambridge was graduate medicine, with more than 16 applicants per place, followed by computer science. Modern and medieval languages had the highest success rate with one in two applicants being accepted, followed by music with 49.2 per cent and classics with 46.1 per cent. Of those admitted to Oxford, 45.5 per cent achieved at least three A* grades. Cambridge, in comparison, saw 17.7 per cent of its arts students awarded three A* – a figure which rose to 39.3 per cent for its science students.
South Wales Argus
a day ago
- South Wales Argus
Libanus Primary School, Blackwood, praised by Estyn
Libanus Primary School, in Libanus Road, Blackwood, was given the positive feedback following an inspection by Estyn, His Majesty's Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales, in March 2025. (Image: L Richards) The school, which has 337 pupils, was praised for its strong leadership, well-planned curriculum, and the high-quality support it provides to pupils with additional learning needs. (Image: L Richards) Inspectors found that the school "provides a warm, friendly, nurturing environment that promotes pupils' personal, social, and emotional development very well." They said the headteacher has a "clear vision, leads with strong direction, and creates a safe and inclusive learning environment." (Image: L Richards) The report also highlighted the school's focus on meeting the well-being needs of all pupils, and the high-quality support provided to pupils with additional learning needs. The school's curriculum was described as "well-planned" and offering "interesting and motivating learning experiences." (Image: L Richards) Teachers were praised for effectively challenging and supporting pupils, with most pupils making good progress across all areas of learning. The school's approach enables pupils to apply their literacy and numeracy skills to other areas, work independently, and improve their skills. (Image: L Richards) The development of pupils' creative, physical, and digital skills were identified as strengths of the school. (Image: L Richards) Inspectors found that staff build "strong relationships with pupils and set high expectations," resulting in pupils having positive attitudes to learning and displaying "exemplary behaviour." (Image: L Richards) Pupils were found to have a strong voice in the school and are keen to take on leadership responsibilities. They are proud of the changes that their work has brought about, such as highlighting what pupils should do if they experience any bullying. The report also praised the school's effective partnership work with parents and external agencies, which promotes good attendance. (Image: L Richards) Robust procedures for monitoring and evaluation ensure continuous improvement in pupil performance and teaching standards. Governors were found to provide valuable support, have a good knowledge of the school's work, and contribute well to school life. (Image: L Richards) However, the report did identify one area for improvement. It recommended that the school should "continue to improve pupils' Welsh language speaking skills and provide more opportunities for them to use Welsh around the school." The school will now draw up an action plan to address this recommendation. (Image: L Richards) Headteacher Nicola Williams said: "We are thrilled with our report and that the inspectors recognised so many of our strengths. "Our success is due to the hard work of our amazing team of staff, our dedicated governing body, our supportive families and our wonderful pupils. "I am extremely proud of what we have achieved and of the high level of education and care that we provide every day in our warm, friendly, nurturing environment."
