Here's your Friday update, covering: yesterday's A-level results for Cardiff; successful Summer of Fun Festival entertained thousands; and the Lord Mayor's charity.

Cardiff A-Level results above the Welsh average for 2022

Pupils across Cardiff received their A-Level results yesterday. This year, learners completed formal exams and assessments for the first time since 2019 due to the pandemic, and the WJEC has considered the disruption learners have experienced when deciding grade boundaries.

Based on the provisional results announced yesterday, 48.9 percent of A-level results for 2022 are graded A* to A, compared to the Wales figure of 40.9 percent, and Cardiff's 30.7 percent in 2019.

The percentage of A-level entries resulting in A* to C grades has risen to 88.4 percent, an increase of 9.3 percentage points from 2019's 79.1 percent, and above the Wales figure of 85.3 percent.

For entries graded A* to E, the 2022 figure is 98.1 percent, compared with the Wales-wide 98.0 percent, and broadly in line with 2019 Cardiff percentage of 98.2.

The national picture across Wales is that results have been higher than in 2019, when formal exams were last sat, and lower than in 2020 and 2021 when grades were determined by schools and colleges.

Cardiff Council's Cabinet Member for Education, Employment and Skills said: "Congratulations to all those pupils who have received their A-Level results. This year has seen the return of formal exams and assessments for the first time since 2019, due to the pandemic, and pupils should be commended for their determination, resilience and the way in which they have had to adapt over the past two years.

"Although not directly comparable to previous years, I am pleased to see that performance across the city this year is up on that achieved in 2019, the last time A-Level exams were sat.

"This cohort will be acknowledged for succeeding despite the challenges and disruption caused by the pandemic and it is encouraging to hear of success stories from across the city. As they begin a new chapter of their lives, I would like to wish our students the best of luck whether they are moving onto university, employment or training."

Cardiff saw more than 3680 entries for A-Levels and more than 4230 entries for A/S Levels, with success stories emerging from every part of the city.

Read more here:

https://www.cardiffnewsroom.co.uk/releases/c25/29701.html

Child Friendly Cardiff's Summer of Fun Festival entertains thousands

The festival for Summer of Fun saw thousands of visitors to City Hall Lawn, where it was staged during the first fortnight of the school holidays.

Attracting more than 14,400 visitors, the two-week family fiesta was the focal point of this year's city-wide Child Friendly Cardiff summer event programme. The main site provided Cardiff's children and young people with activities based on a range of workshops, theatre performances, acrobatics, giant games, sports, early years activities, a communal art installation, play and family fun.

As well as the Summer of Fun Festival being fully inclusive, the first session of every Thursday was tailored specifically to neurodiverse children, young people and their families.

With Welsh Government funding, Cardiff Council's Summer of Fun is not over yet, continuing to deliver an exciting programme of activities in communities across the city for the remainder of the six-week school holidays.

The free and low-cost community-based activities can be booked by visiting:

https://www.childfriendlycardiff.co.uk/summer_of_fun/

Summer of Fun is part of Cardiff's Child Friendly Recovery, which began after the pandemic. Child Friendly Cardiff closely aligns with the city's ambition to become an internationally recognised Child Friendly City, as recommended by the UK Committee for UNICEF.

Find out more about Child Friendly Cardiff here:

www.childfriendlycardiff.co.uk

https://studio.youtube.com/video/ZVRi-G2Bios/edit

#ChildFriendlyCDF

Lord Mayor's charity is going to the dogs!

Having spent the past 10 years playing a vital part in helping Guide Dogs Cymru train its team of canine saviours, Cardiff Lord Mayor Graham Hinchey and his wife Anne knew exactly which charity should be at the centre of their fundraising year.

"Between us we have fostered around 26 guide dogs in that time and we know at first hand how vital they are to helping people with sight loss regain their confidence and play an active part in society," said Cllr Hinchey, who took up his official role following the May council elections.

"So, as passionate supporters of the work that Guide Dogs Cymru does, we had no hesitation in making it the official charity for my year in office."

As a guide dog fostering couple, he and Anne take in to their home dogs that have been judged suitable for the exacting training needed before they can be handed to a new owner. It's their job, over the four or five months of the process, to give them a loving home, take them to their training sessions and play their own part in getting them used to the settings and situations they will encounter when their vital work begins.

Read more here:

https://www.cardiffnewsroom.co.uk/releases/c25/29704.html