Abersychan School/Ysgol Abersychan
Abersychan School is an over-subscribed and vibrant, mixed and fully inclusive school with over 950 pupils on roll. It serves the north of Torfaen including the communities of Blaenavon, Garndiffaith, Talywain, Abersychan, Pontnewynedd, Cwmffrwdoer, Trevethin, Penygarn and St Cadocs. The local diversity is exemplified by the fact that some areas qualify for Communuties First status, while the northern half of the Afon Llwyd encompasses a World Heritage Site.
The closure of Trevethin Community School in September 2007 has resulted in large numbers of pupils from its former catchment choosing Abersychan as their preferred school. The re-organisation of education in the north of the borough was supported by a considerable capital investment in Abersychan School which has improved the teaching and learning facilities, most notably in the form of several state-of-the-art classrooms, a sports laboratory, an ICT suite with a 60 PC capacity, an Art and Technology design area, a floodlit astro-turf and a new multi-purpose sports field. In 2009 a multi-media learning plaza was opened. In January 2008 the school received a Welsh Secondary Schools Association award for its outstanding contribution to the transition of pupils from the Trevethin Community School to Abersychan School during the period 2006-2007.
The school has been recognised for its outstanding work in the field of Healthy Schools and Eco-Schools. In January 2008 the school was awarded the Basic Skills Quality Mark for the third time and in 2009 the Eco-Schools Green Flag for the second time. Pupils at the school are encouraged to develop beyond the classroom and participation in Out-Of-School-Hours Learning is growing. This has been possible due to the dedication and commitment of the staff and additional support from our 5 x 60 officer and Community Focused Schools co-ordinator. In recent years several pupils have represented Wales in a variety of sports, and teams from the school have won regional, national and U.K competitions in Magistrates Courts, Stock Market Challenge, Girls Rugby, Design and Construction and Dance.
Abersychan School has a strong caring ethos with a commitment to inclusion. The school supports a Special Needs Resources Base for pupils in Torfaen with MLD, and these pupils play a full and active role in the school. The school is also committed to the Community Focused Schools agenda and its profile within its wider community continues to flourish.
The school’s motto and Mission Statement “Learning to Live” (Dysgu y Fyw) is at the heart of the school’s vision, which can be found in the inside cover of the prospectus. Abersychan School received an excellent ESTYN inspection report in December 2009 and our continued commitment to excellence and improving standards of attainment is evidenced in the most recent Welsh Assembly Government benchmarking data which places the school in the top quartile in several categories. We are very proud of our achievements but at the same time we are fully committed to continued improvement and further success in all fields of education.