#demdef

Today we’re at Glyndwr University with some students and local bloggers and online journalists for a training day, helping them create stories about the Assembly. More content from the day will follow…

Rhondda People #demdef 

Cwmbran’s three secondary schools will share over half a million pounds from the Welsh Government’s Pupil Deprivation Grant.

This week the government published a report evaluating the impact of the grant that was first launched in 2012.

“The grant was launched in 2012 and provides additional funding to schools based on the number of pupils on their roll eligible for Free School Meals or who are Looked After Children.”

Over the next two years the Cwmbran schools will receive:

Fairwater High School

2015/16 £126,000

2016/17 £138,000

Llantarnam School

2016/17 £178,500

2016/17 £195,500

Croesyceiliog School

2015/16 £152,250

2016/17 £166,750

Schools choose how to spend the cash on work or projects to close the attainment gap in their classrooms.

Aled Roberts AM, the Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Education Minister spoke to Cwmbran Life outside the National Assembly for Wales.

A recent report from the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission has called for changes to help pupils from poor backgrounds after research showed better-off pupils are twice as likely as those on free school meals to get five good GCSEs.

The increase in the Pupil Deprivation Grant is part of the Welsh Government’s plans to tackle this problem.

Note

This blog post was filmed, researched and written as part of the Hyperlocal #DemDef on Thursday 23 October 2014 organised by the National Assembly for Wales and Cardiff University’s Centre for Community Journalism.

Thanks to everyone involved. It was a good, fun and well-organised event.

Cyfweliad Meri Huws interview (Papur Y Cwm) 

Rydyn ni yma ar ran papur y cwm ac wedi cael cyfle i gyfweld Meri Huws, Comisiynydd y Gymraeg, ynglyn a'r drafodaeth yn y Senedd heddiw ar y gyllideb ar gyfer y gymraeg.

We are here representing Papur Y Cwm, the 'papur bro' for the Gwendraeth Valley area. We interviewed Meri Huws, the Welsh Language Commissioner, on today's discussion at the Senedd on the budget for the Welsh language and its future implications.

Pupils in schools across Wales have been seeing the benefits of extra money from the Welsh Government.

The money, known as the Pupil Deprivation Grant, is meant to improve educational opportunities for the poorest pupils.

The grant is just over £900 for this year and will go up over the next couple of years to £1150 for each pupil receiving free school meals.

For one school in Swansea, the Dylan Thomas Community School, that will mean more than £300,000 a year.

And that, says head teacher Rob Phillips, is important for his school.

At Dylan Thomas, the grant has allowed them to employ extra people to help improve literacy and numeracy. Rob Phillips says the Welsh Government’s priorities exactly match what his school needs. He says Dylan Thomas School has used the extra money to good effect and it is helping the  school to improve pupils’ performance.

Phil Lee explained how the grant works for the Dylan Thomas School.