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The Update: 28 January 2025
Here is your Tuesday update, covering:
- Wales National Ceremony to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day
- Willows High School earns positive praise from Estyn
- Expansion of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan is further evidence of Cardiff Council's commitment to the Welsh language
- Applications for 2025 nursery places now open
Wales National Ceremony to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day
Yesterday morning in Cardiff, religious and political leaders came together to observe Holocaust Memorial Day. This commemoration of Wales honours the millions who perished in the Holocaust and subsequent genocides worldwide.
The theme for Holocaust Memorial Day this year is ‘For a Better Future' and coincides with the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, and the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Bosnia.
During the Wales National Holocaust Memorial Day Ceremony held at the Temple of Peace in Cardiff this morning, Cllr Huw Thomas, the Leader of Cardiff Council, Cardiff's Lord Mayor Cllr Helen Lloyd Jones, and Wales First Minister Eluned Morgan joined the Rev Canon Stewart Lisk, the Honorary Chaplain to Cardiff Council, to honour the victims and survivors of all genocides.
Willows High School earns positive praise from Estyn
Willows High School in Tremorfa has been praised by Estyn during a recent inspection, with praise given to the school's welcoming community, its commitment to diversity and its focus on creating a positive learning environment.
In its report, Estyn recognised several key highlights including:
Vision and Values: Willows High School fosters a culture where pupils "belong, believe, and achieve." This vision is reflected in the strong relationships between pupils and staff and the high expectations for engagement and behaviour.
Positive Ethos: The school's inclusive environment ensures that staff, pupils, parents, and visitors feel welcome. A strong safeguarding culture contributes to a sense of safety among most pupils.
Attendance Success: Clear strategies for monitoring and supporting attendance have resulted in improved rates, particularly among pupils eligible for free school meals.
Diverse Curriculum: The school's curriculum emphasizes understanding diversity and other cultures. Efforts to enhance reading skills have shown positive outcomes, with pupils generally making good progress across subjects.
Expansion of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan is further evidence of Cardiff Council's commitment to the Welsh language
Cardiff Council has demonstrated its clear commitment towards the Welsh Language through further expansion of its Welsh-medium primary school provision which supports the Welsh Government's target of a million of Welsh speakers by 2050.
The Council's Welsh in Education Strategic Plan (WESP) 2022-2031 outlines commitments to expand Welsh-medium education and strengthen Cardiff's aspiration to become a truly bilingual city.
The expansion of Ysgol Mynydd Bychan sees the latest Welsh increase in Cardiff's Welsh-medium education provision, taking the total number of Welsh-medium and dual-language primary school places to 6,370, available across the capital.
Applications for 2025 nursery places now open
Applications for nursery school places are now open and parents with children who turn three between September 1 2024 and August 31 2025, can now apply for a part-time nursery place to start in September 2025.
English and Welsh medium places are available at one of the 91 nursery classes in 87 schools across the city, including three schools with a dual stream offer. Families are encouraged to apply before the deadline of Monday 24 February 2025, to help their chance of being offered a nursery place of their choice.
To apply for a place in a community school nursery please visit Nursery school admissions (cardiff.gov.uk). Families preferring a nursery class place at a faith-based primary school can apply directly to these schools for admission.
