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Sept
2009
WHY YSGOL CARNO?
Ysgol Carno is a traditional village school, with all the benefits that confers. What else makes it special?
We are a locally managed Welsh medium Community Primary school, housed in a single storey building of recent modular construction in an open setting in the centre of the village of Carno together with the Community Centre, the Bowls Club, the football pitch and the field where the annual Carno Show is held. It is a lovely setting, overlooked by wooded hills, with red kites often wheeling overhead.
The village of Carno is on the main A470 between Newtown and Machynlleth. Moves are
afoot to reopen the railway station, but the nearest station, at Caersws, is still
less than 7 miles away along the main road. Carno boasts a Post Office, a Spar shop,
church and chapel, pre-
Children come to school with different needs and as individuals have varying abilities. We seek to help each one to reach their full potential in every sphere. Our children are encouraged to be kind to each other and to care for their surroundings. Throughout their time at the school, we try to provide an environment that will develop their confidence and independence as well as their knowledge, skills and understanding.
We value the partnership between parents and school and we are always willing to discuss with you any aspect of your child’s development and welcome your involvement.
We seek to develop the whole person. The acquisition of basic skills will always be given pride of place in our school but we realise that it is through other activities that the learning of skills finds purpose and meaning. We try to prepare children not just for high school but for life and the wider world.
Ysgol Carno aims to provide a high standard of education for all children, in an atmosphere of encouragement and support. The quality of teaching offered is as high as the achievement we expect in academic success, standards of behaviour and self discipline.
We try to enable our pupils to:
- Develop an enquiring attitude towards knowledge
- Understand about their environment and the effect we have upon it
- Develop the ability to use and apply knowledge acquired
- Work towards becoming independent, self-
confident adults - Have compassion for people in all walks of life
- Cooperate with others
- Become aware of their rich heritage and language
- Respect people of other cultures and race.
Please see also the text of the Home-
There is a copy in the Document
Library in the main site.
The school will always do its best to meet any particular needs – physical, emotional, educational or whatever – and ensure that every child has the opportunity to fulfil his or her potential. The school always aims to work closely with the parents in order to achieve this.
There are established procedures for helping children with Additional Learning Needs
and children with such needs are given appropriate support. This may be on an individual
basis or in small groups by the school’s specialist part-
The special needs of gifted children are also recognised and such children are given
appropriate stimulus and help.
The school provides opportunities for pupils to participate in as many different sports as possible and emphasises the importance of taking part and of sporting behaviour at all times. Activities include those within and after school as well as with other schools and at national level.
The school has had success locally in area athletics competitions as well as in football, indoor athletics, rounders and netball.
- Three classrooms within the school
- Use of Community Centre for PE, concerts, drama etc
- Playground with netball court
- Separate area for younger ones with bikes etc
- Small soccer pitch and playing field
- Use of Maldwyn Swimming Pool, Newtown
- Information and Communication Technology equipment including a number of PCs, interactive whiteboards and Internet access
- Nature Garden.
The school often takes part in activities in the village and local community. Apart from using the Community Centre for some activities, the school Harvest Thanksgiving Services are held in the places of worship in the village on a rota basis, and children are encouraged to participate in Christmas services and other activities in the village and in the school Eisteddfod.
The school also has close links with local pre-
Activities are offered according to circumstances, for example:
- Musical instruments, including piano lessons
- Cycling proficiency (years 5 and 6)
- Urdd (Welsh youth movement) activities: eisteddfod, football, cross country, swimming, indoor athletics, rounders
- Educational visits: annual visit to different parts of Wales
- Outdoor education weekends at Staylittle or Tŷ Gwyn
- Sport: swimming galas, area sports etc
- Clubs or activities after school: Dragon Sports, football, badminton, netball, rounders
- Activities with other schools: Theatre in Education, Writer in Residence, sports etc.
There are still two big issues to consider but by now you should have a flavour of
Ysgol Carno and what it has to offer.
Ysgol Carno is a small, intimate and welcoming community where children, teachers and parents are well known to each other and enjoy much mutual respect. Each pupil’s strengths and weaknesses are known and everyone is encouraged to perform to the best of their ability.
A primary education at Ysgol Carno will give your child the best possible start – not just academically but also in language and social skills – and give him or her the widest possible choice of secondary education, in terms of both language and location.
Still wondering which school to send your child to? Read on to see why we believe
that Ysgol Carno is an ideal choice, and why being bilingual will give your child
many advantages.
In choosing a primary school for your child you will naturally be concerned about the size and nature of the school and its record and reputation. Ysgol Carno scores well in these respects:
- It is small, with just two classes and total pupil numbers in the 20s and 30s in
recent years. Every child receives individual attention; any anti-
social behaviour is quickly spotted and dealt with; children of different ages mix easily rather than sticking rigidly to their own year groups; children work in groups defined by ability rather than age, a flexible system which responds to individual needs. - It offers the welcoming, friendly atmosphere you would expect of a village school.
- It is a vital part of a lively local community which, while retaining some strong traditional elements, has for many years extended a welcome to numerous incoming families.
- When last inspected, in autumn 2003, inspectors were unable to find anything of any substance to criticise.
However, in rural mid-
LANGUAGE
and
LOCATION
These are dealt with in turn below.
It is the aim of the school for its pupils to leave, at age 11, able to communicate confidently and competently in both Welsh and English. They will, in other words, be bilingual, and will enjoy all the advantages that this confers on them.
To achieve this, given that most children attending the school are from English-
You might be wondering:
- How can I help my child with reading and homework?
- How will I know what my children are talking about?
- Don’t children get confused?
- What if my child has special needs?
- Won’t my child’s English suffer?
These are understandable questions, the sort that might occur to any caring parent faced with an unfamiliar situation, and they are all answered in the page Why a Welsh School?. Please do read it through.
If you are already living in or near Carno, the village school will be an obvious
choice.
If you are thinking about moving into the area, you are probably already aware of its advantages: an attractively green rural area, friendly and with a low crime rate, good village amenities and good road and rail links to local towns and, further afield, to the sea and mountains and centres like Aberystwyth, Shrewsbury and Birmingham.
But you also need to think about what happens after your child is 11. Thanks to its
geography and connections, Ysgol Carno is fortunate (and possibly unique in Mid-
Llanidloes
is the closest as the crow flies and is the most common choice. Indeed, for administrative purposes we are regarded as being within the Llanidloes ‘catchment’. It is a popular school with an enviable academic record (although there is a view that it is becoming a victim of its very popularity). School transport is available.
Bro Ddyfi (Machynlleth)
is the second most common choice. It is much smaller than the others, with under 400 pupils learning through English and Welsh. It retains some of the feel of Ysgol Carno in terms of Welsh culture, family atmosphere and small classes. School transport is available.
Newtown
Another choice is the High School at Newtown which is much bigger in terms of pupil numbers. Newtown offers few opportunities for studying in Welsh. School transport is available.
Llanfair Caereinion
Although as far away as Newtown as the crow flies, the road from Carno is poor and may be closed at times in winter. Nevertheless, occasional children are attracted by the Welsh culture and good reputation of the school. There is no school transport from this area.
The thumbnail sketches above are intended solely to illustrate the extent of choice available in the area. Schools and circumstances do change and you are strongly advised to make your own enquiries about secondary schools.
