Gowerton Comprehensive School

Gowerton School
Motto	"Mi ddylwn, mi allaf, mi fynnaf" English translation: "I should, I can, I shall"
Established	1973
Type	Comprehensive
Headteacher	Mr Nigel Jones
Location	Cecil Road Gowerton Swansea SA4 3DL Wales Coordinates: 51°38′33″N 4°02′10″W / 51.64263°N 4.03617°W / 51.64263; -4.03617
Local authority	Swansea
DfE number	???/4063
DfE URN	401770 Tables
Ofsted	Reports
Students	1350
Gender	Coeducational
Ages	11–18
Colours	Maroon and white
Former name	Gowerton Grammar School
Website	Gowerton School

Gowerton School is a public secondary school located in the heart of Gowerton village, near Swansea, United Kingdom.

History

Intermediate School

The school opened on 5 October 1896 in Talbot Street as a co-educational Intermediate school under the Welsh Intermediate Education Act 1889. It was known locally as Gowerton County School.

Grammar school

In May, 1940 the Talbot Street school became a boys' grammar school when a girls' grammar school opened on Cecil Road.

Comprehensive

The school in its present form was created in 1973 from the merger of Gowerton Girls' Grammar School and Gowerton Boys' Grammar School. The Upper School was at Cecil Road and the Middle School was on Talbot Road. In 1987 the school was centralised on the Cecil Road (former girls' school) site.

Gowerton School today serves pupils from the north and west of the Gower peninsula and from the Swansea suburbs of Gowerton, Waunarlwydd and Dunvant from age 11 to 18, with a successful sixth form specialising in A level and Welsh Baccalaureate courses.

ESTYN inspections in 1994, 2000, 2005 and 2011 have been consistently good. The 2011 inspection report under the new Welsh inspection framework noted the school's outstanding ethos, inspiring leadership, good performance and excellent prospects, with high academic expectations and achievements, excellent care for pupil welfare and sector leading use of ICT in teaching.^[1]

In July 2013, parents supported boys wearing skirts as they had not been permitted to wear school shorts or to roll their trousers up during particularly hot summer weather.^[2]

Location

The school is based in a central position of Gowerton, quite a large village. Opposite the school is Ysgol Gyfun Gŵyr, a Welsh speaking school.

School layout

The school is large compared to other secondary schools in the UK. It has three main blocks, two demountable blocks and an additional block.

'A' block houses the main entrance/reception, office, main hall, canteen, gymnasium and the English and modern foreign language departments.
'B' block houses mathematics, design and technology, religious education and the new STF unit. It also houses the main literacy block for those pupils with problems with literacy. It also houses the pupil support offices and it also used to house the main sixth form department, however, this was dropped in favor of a new Technology room. Plans are in place for a new sixth form department
'C' block houses the arts and humanities departments.
'D' block houses the Welsh language department and also houses the school nurse's room. There is also a drama room, sports hall with male and female changing rooms, weights room and a Business Studies / Psychology room.
'E' block houses Welsh, religious education and mathematics.
'F' block is only used for science and is the newest building

In addition to the main blocks there is also the tennis courts, two playing fields and a redgra adjacent to F Block and C Block.

Former teachers

Nia Griffith, Recently appointed as Shadow Secretary of State for Wales by Jeremy Corbyn, Labour MP since 2005 for Llanelli (Head of Languages from 1986–92)
Anne Ellis, [MBE] President of the Hockey Wales Board (Head of Girls PE until 1995)

Notable former pupils

Huw Irranca-Davies, Labour MP since 2002 for Ogmore
Tracy Edwards MBE, yachtswoman
Steve Lovell (Welsh footballer)
Andy Williams, rugby player
Dan Biggar, Wales International rugby player
Liam Williams, Wales International rugby player
Andrew Baker, Global Head of Energy & Sustainability at Fortune 500 #playaaaaaa

Gowerton Grammar School

Prof Sir Granville Beynon CBE, Professor of Physics from 1958-91 at Aberystwyth University, and President from 1972-5 of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI)
John William Bowen CBE, Labour MP from 1929-31 for Crewe, and Chairman from 1949-52 of London County Council
Willie Davies Rugby union & Rugby League
Haydn Tanner Rugby Union cousin to Willie Davies
Onllwyn Brace (D O Brace), rugby player
Sir Alun Talfan Davies QC, judge and publisher
Ifor Davies, Labour MP from 1959-82 for Gower
Paul Davies, General Manager since 1985 of St John's, Smith Square
Dr John Evans, Head of Music Programming from 2000-6 at BBC Radio 3
Roy Evans OBE, General Secretary from 1985-93 of the Iron and Steel Trades Confederation
Gwyn Francis, rugby player
Norman Gale (rugby player)
Prof Bryan Grenfell OBE, Professor of Population Biology from 2002-4 at the University of Cambridge
Clive Griffiths, rugby player
Dennis Grove, Chairman from 1985-93 of North West Water
His Honour Judge Rowe Harding DL, rugby union player, captained Wales from 1924-8; a barrister and judge, naturalist and philanthropist
Edwina Hart MBE, Labour Welsh Assembly Member for Gower since 1999; Welsh Government minister
Wing Commander Frederick Higginson OBE DFC DFM, WW2 Battle of Britain Ace
Leighton James (footballer)
Prof Alun Hoddinott CBE, composer, Professor of Music from 1967-87 at Cardiff University
Dr Ivor Jenkins CBE, metallurgist, President of the Institute of Metals (became the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining in 2002) from 1968-9, and of the Institute of Metallurgists from 1965-6
Karl Jenkins CBE, composer
Lewis Jones, rugby player
Byron Lewis, Lord Lieutenant of West Glamorgan since 2008
Sir Ieuan Maddock CB OBE, Director from 1976 of the National Physical Laboratory, Chief Scientist from 1971-4 at the DTI and the Department of Industry from 1974-7, and Principal from 1979-82 of St Edmund Hall, Oxford
Sir John Maddox, Editor from 1966–73 and 1980-5 of Nature
Rt Rev Alan Morgan, Bishop of Sherwood from 1989–2006
Dennis O'Neill CBE, tenor
John Owen CMG OBE, Governor of the Cayman Islands from 1995-9
John Pook, poet
Thomas Rees CBE, Director of Education for Swansea from 1908–43
Gareth Roberts, rugby union player
Ceri Richards CBE, artist
Don Shepherd, cricketer
H Paul Simons, AM (Order of Australia medal), former CEO, Woolworths Ltd 1987-95 (Australia's largest Supermarket retailer), Australian Business Leader of the Year & other awards
Peter Stead, historian
Prof Beverley Smith, Sir John Williams Professor of Welsh History from 1985-96 at the Aberystwyth University
John Sparkes, comedy writer
Haydn Tanner, international rugby union player for Wales
Bleddyn Taylor, rugby player
Gwyn Thomas (footballer)
Mark Thomas, violinist, film and television composer and 2011 Emmy Award nominee^[3]
Prof Wynn Thomas OBE, Professor of English since 1994 at Swansea University
Very Rev Rhys Derrick Chamberlain Walters OBE, Dean of Liverpool from 1983–99
Prof David Williams, Professor of Mathematical Statistics from 1985-92 at the University of Cambridge, and Director of the University's Statistical Laboratory from 1987–91
Henry Byron Davies, Member of Parliament for Gower, elected 7 May 2015

References

↑ "Gowerton School". Estyn.gov.uk. Retrieved 2015-06-04.
↑ "Swansea schoolboys keep cool in skirts after shorts ban". Daily Telegraph. 15 Jul 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
↑ "Emmy Awards shortlist for Episodes composer Mark Thomas - BBC News". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-06-04.

External links

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