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Visit of Cabinet Secretary for Education to local school
Published: 29/06/2017
Kirsty Williams, Welsh Education Minister visited Ysgol Bryn Deva in Connah鈥檚
Quay today (Thursday, 29 June).
She was there to look at the 鈥淭ouching the Sky鈥� project and 鈥淐lwb Seren Bach鈥�
which have both been recognised as excellent practice by Estyn in their 2016
report.
Ysgol Bryn Deva pupils are the first children in Wales to take part in a
project to improve their fitness levels, their spoken Welsh and their academic
achievement levels.
The school, working in conjunction with Glyndwr University, set up a project
called 鈥楾ouching the Sky.鈥� Junior children鈥檚 fitness was tested and then, over
the following 8 months, they took part in various activities in preparation to
walk up Snowdon, which they did on 26 May this year.
Steve Thomas, Bryn Deva PE Leader, said:
鈥淎s a school, we really want to promote a healthy lifestyle including physical
activity and a healthy diet, to improve our children鈥檚 overall well-being. So
far it has had a really positive effect on our pupils.鈥�
The school also set up 鈥楥lwb Seren Bach鈥� in order to improve the academic and
social performance of pupils in the Foundation Phase who were struggling to
cope in whole-class settings.
天涯社区鈥檚 Leader, Councillor Aaron Shotton, said:
鈥淵sgol Bryn Deva attained excellent in their Estyn inspection last year for
their partnership working, care, support and guidance and a best practice case
study has been published by Estyn. The school is part of an Estyn Best
Practice Thematic Study into how schools are engaging with recommendations
following the Donaldson report, specialising, in Bryn Deva鈥檚 case, in
well-being. I am delighted to be able to show the Minister one of our schools
which is a shining light in promoting pupil well-being as a central part to the
curriculum.鈥�
Cabinet Secretary for Education Kirsty Williams said:
鈥淭he new curriculum in Wales will put issues of health and wellbeing at the
core of education - I want all of our young people to leave school as healthy
confident individuals. The work going on here at Bryn Deva is fantastic and it
was a pleasure to speak to children and staff.鈥�