There are designated periods where the formal timetable is overturned for specific periods with the aim of developing pupils fully as principled and knowledgeable individuals who are ready to be citizens of Wales and the world. This means focusing on their identity and their role within the community and their commitment to ensuring sustainability within their local area. Some of the opportunities from which benefit from during the summer includes looking at Welsh Giants as a theme by walking the Cribarth mountain, looking at present day heroes and responding to these experiences through literature. They work in partnership with the community to improve their local environment through the Fy Nyffryn Gwydd (My Green Valley) project and, during the Summer Challenge trips, pupils connect, enjoy and care for their environment by looking at the areas of Kenfig and Margam. They also look at the area’s mythology and research Windrush and the effect Jamaican traditions have on the area.
Pupils lead on curricular plans and focus days throughout the year and according to global issues. Through the school Senedd, pupils raise awareness of their aspirations to discuss current affairs. An example of this was the Green Friday that was planned by pupils, with a series of curricular activities focussing on global and local sustainability. During the lockdown period, the Pwyllgor y Dreigiau (Dragon Committee) raised concerns about the effects of the pandemic on their use of the Welsh language. In response, a Dragon Day was planned jointly, which provided an opportunity for pupils to attend music, art, culture and language activities virtually that promoted the Welsh language and Welshness. Every year, the school holds a campaign to raise money for the Brainstrust charity, as a result of the charity’s close link with the school community. This support and commitment can be practical as well as financial, with pupils undertaking voluntary work in the community to working with old people’s homes, leading memorial services and completing a community mural to adorn the village of Ystalyfera.
There is a focus on broadening horizons and developing links with foreign communities while planning each residential trip to ensure pupils’ awareness of their identity as citizens of Wales and the world. In Vancouver, close links were forged with the Welsh community by holding concerts while broadening pupils’ horizons. Each year, the First World War memorial trip to Compiens places an emphasis on linking the arts and sports and does so as an integrated part of the commemorations in the area.
