Bedwellty History.. the Time line

Bedwellty closed in 2005. The pupils put on a  garden party / exhibition which completely  sold out. . .

 

350 people came to the reunion/garden party and we didn't   think that we could cope with any more. We have therefore had to stop selling tickets.

We also held a Service of Thanks Giving and Hope with the Bishop of Monmouth on Tuesday 12th July in the morning.

 

Atogether we had about 700 visitors to school during that last week


This is a very brief History of Bedwellty School.
The time line shows some of the things that we know about.

There is a lot more information on www.bedwellty.ik.com

Time Line   Can you add to the detail or fill in the gaps? If so please contact us via the enquiries page.

1919 New Tredegar, Cwmsifiog and Phillipstown Peace Celebration Challenge Cup July 19th 1919 is among our cups and trophies yet we have no knowledge of what it was for and why it is at Bedwellty.

1921 Maesycwmmer School established opened 8th Feb Building a secondary school on the Monmouthshire side of the valley under consideration for 13 years. The school main doors were opened with a golden key. We are not entirely sure if this story is true but the key, should it exist, is believed to be in the procession of John Phillips, the grandson of either County Councillor John Phillips or of the then Head master. Unfortunately Mr Phillips is current abroad and the school has been unable to contact him.
May 23rd Official opening of the school.
July 16th The first school trip recorded.
Bedwellty School has always enhanced the curriculum through trips and visits, the first ever school trip is recorded as ..Saturday 16th July I took the scholars for a geographical excursion to Clydach. We viewed the escarpment where are the coal measure, Farewell Rock and Limestone outcrops. We observed and discussed several waterfalls. Sketches were made
6th September 1921
Reopened the school after the summer holidays. During the vacation the central hall had been fitted with gymnastic apparatus
Shortly after the arrival of the equipment the school advertised for Assistant Mistress required with Special Qualifications in Physical Training (knowledge of Swedish Apparatus essential.

1922 the average teachers salary was about £28 -19-2 per month.
1922 June 18th listed to radio in support of League of Nations ? very unusual in those days.

1923 First use of radios in the classroom. 16th May. Listened to the Language of Music a lecture by Dr Walford Davies.

1924 first pupil to sit Central Welsh Board Examination

1929 first pupils to sit Higher Certificate Examination Haydn Jones - joined staff of school became Head of Geography and later Deputy Head retired 1971. Brynmor Perrot also became a teacher at Bedwellty. Ernest Rees

1930s Bedwellty School joins (possibly as founding members) the Welsh Secondary Schools Cricket Association-small in number but the first organisation dealing with state school cricket in the entire United Kingdom.


1933 J W Jones retired as Head December
1933 Edward Jones appointed Head
1933 moves to find a new permanent site for Bedwellty started.

1934 plans for new school ready

1935 January Councillor J Phillips reported the plans had been lodged with the Board of Education of Monmouthshire County Council for approval approved and put out to tender contracted to Rees Edwards Builders of Tredegar (also built twin school in Bassleg)
1935 Final of the Cefn Forest Band Silver Cup for Rhymney Valley Schools, Maesycwmmer Secondary School 2-3-19 beats Aberbargoed Elementary School 0-0-0. The winning try scored by Victor Hillier who later died during the Second World War and whose name is on the Roll of Honour.

1936 link with New Tredegar Technical School (founded 1934) established
1936 28th Jan Memorial Service held in school for King George
1936 4/9/36 Enid Lewis wins state Scholarship

1937 September 9th 1937 New County Secondary School at Aberbargoed Officially opened and Maesycwmmer pupils transferred to Bedwellty. The details of the ceremony were printed in the local paper, a copy of which is in the school logbook.
1937 10th Feb final prize day at Maesycwmmer

1938 Welsh Secondary Schools Cricket Association minutes record that Mr. E Jones has been asked to organise a (the first?) county team in Monmouthshire. the first Bedwellty player recorded was, wicket keeper Victor Hillier who played against Haverfordwest School and Glamorgan Colts in 1938.

1939

1941 Appointment Miss Olive Jones (later Mrs Bowen) Maths aka Blackout or Blod

1942 Appointment Jan 1942 Mr C Hurn Later became head of Maths and then head of Upper school when it became comprehensive in 1973
1942 appointment Miss L M Lewis French October aka Ma Lou
1942 May Leading Aircraftman Clifford Cooper of Trethomas no 150 Squadron wins Distinguished Flying Medal for gallantry and devotion to duty before the evacuation of France and Flanders
1942 Sept Dyfri Rees Intelligence Officer (Captain) RWF mentioned in dispatches after action on Arakan front of Burma where he was twice wounded. Has been 2 years in India and had enlisted Nov 1939 serving as a private before being commissioned. After university he had spent a year studying in Germany returning only 3 weeks before the war broke out.

1943 Miss Moore (later Mrs Burton) appointed Latin in May retired 1970
1943 Bedwellty ATC squadron formed

1944 appointment Marie Jarvis (later Mrs Walters) to tech domestic science break in service to have family retired 1985
1944 June 28th Flight Lght. Howell John awarded Distinguished Flying Cross (1939-43 star ribbon.) from New Tredegar he was in Form Vi when war was declared and was the first Bedwellty boy to enlist in HMF, training in America.
1944 Education Act ? made education free and started Grammar Schools.

1945 Appointment Mr John F Carwardine BA History former pupil graduated
.1937 UCC first History. War years spent in India. Was still serving at time of appointment so Mr Britton stayed until he could take up appointment
1945 Mr Britton history retired
1945 Jan E Williams Welsh Regiment returns home after escaping as a POW.
1945 May 9th VE Day celebrated in school with the cutting of a special cake
1945 15th Feb Last collection of school fees
1945 a Bedwellty school pupil, W. Jones, was captain of Monmouthshire and also played against Glamorgan's apprentices

1946 3rd April Carwardine took up appointment became deputy Head 1971 retired
1946 22nd Oct Flight Sgt Brinley Evans RAFVR of 31 Jones St Phillipstown mentioned in dispatches.
1946 Mr E Jones had risen to be vice-chairman of W.S.S.C.A. and stayed in post until the early 1950s

1948 7th June D House won the Youth High Jump Championship of Wales 4 foot 11 inches

1949 Commemoration and dedication June 13th unveiled Squadron Leader J Francis Evans RAF and dedicated by Bishop of Monmouth
1949 Mr E Jones retires as Head
1949 Mr A K Gibson appointed Head. September
1949 Miss Madelle Hoffman a teacher from the USA worked in school for a year. She exchanged places with Miss Phillips who spent the year in an American School. According to the school log Miss Hoffman?s attendance at school was spasmodic, the Welsh climate possibly did not agree with her health.

1950 Mr A B Dally appointed specialist music teacher. 3.5 days/week sharing with Rhymney then made full time.
1950 Start of school dramatic society ?production Twelfth Night
1950 Inception of schools dramatic society Twelfth Night performed. Director Mr Fred Evans HOD English and Mr Laramy
1950 Myrtle Wade wins a Welsh Womens Hockey Cap
October 1950 Bedwellty?s very strong and successful Senior Hockey Team won the North Monmouthshire Hockey Tournament.


1951 Mr R S King appointed Biology
1951 Drama Society asked to perform in Newport as part of Festival of Britain in June

6th February 1952 , the death of King George VI was marked when the whole school gathered to hear the official broadcast and for a special morning act of worship
1953 Mrs Rita Evans appointed girls PE hockey coach and became English teacher 1956 later became Head of English and then Senior Mistress.
May 1953, in commemoration of the Coronation the pupils received mugs and spoons.
1953 Junior Choir (11 ½ - 13 ½ years) won 1st Prize in Bedwellty UD Council Coronation Eisteddfod and the Coral Speaking Group (11 ½ - 15 years) took 2nd prize.
1953 Mr Edgar Bowen retires after 32 years at Bedwellty
Bible and lectern presented to school by leaving staff (bible in archives)
1953 dry rot was discovered in the gym floor which had to be replaced

1954 First pupils from Bedwas are sent to Bedwellty Grammar School having pasted their 11+ exam.

1955 N Glyn Davies WRU v England played at Swansea
1955 Mr A M Prosser 1st specialist PE teacher subsequent outstanding sports results followed. particularly gym club

1956 Miss Shirley Burton (later Mrs Jones) continued as PE teacher girls. She had
previously been school clerk before training as a teacher.
1956 Mr A G Watkins chemistry

1957 Beverly Price capped for Wales cricket

1958 Jeff. Palmer capped welsh secondary schools ? game unknown
1958 Mr RG Thomas History

1959 Bedwellty had a C. Dredge bidding for representative honours at cricket. He was picked for a South Wales Schools XU which played Barry Grammar School Past and Present, and then for the South against the North at St. Helens.

1950s Annual Dartford School rugby game. Games played in Dartford and Bedwellty alternative years, hosted by boys, played Friday afternoon and a dance in the evening - Bedwellty usually won.

1960 Building work starts to build new school hall, bigger kitchens and to convert the dining room into a classroom ? cookery room. Also to refurbish a laboratory.

1961 John Mantle capped Welsh Secondary Schools rugby
September School hall is used for first time, although it is not fully finished. Scholl kitchens still being built so all pupils had to bring sandwiches for lunch.

1962 Drama Society revived with Twelfth Night Directed Mr F Evans and Mr RG Thomas
1962 a G. Lewis from Bedwellty made the Welsh School Boy Cricket trials, and played for South v North, though someone has written the batting order on the minute book and he is down as number 12-which may mean he was allowed to bowl but not bat.
1972 Mrs Jen Morgan exchanged with Sue Ellen Miller of Charlotte North Carolina USA. Ms Miller, enjoyed her stay at Bedwellty and presented the school with a shield in appreciation for the year.



1963 Dr Beeching cuts the Valley line. Pupils coming up the valley from Bedwas were no longer able to travel by train but were brought to school by bus.
1963 John Mantle wins first full WRU cap against England at Twickenham

1964 John Mantle WRU v England & S Africa on S Africa tour, later joined Rugby League and the Great Britain team

1966 Top Grammar pupils were no longer automatically sent to Lewis Schools. All grammar pupils from the county in the valley to go to Bedwellty. Rhymney's successful O level candidates to transfer to form VI at Bedwellty

1966 winners of the Blackwood Rotary Inter-district Junior Road Safety Quiz

1967 Retirement of Mr F Evans
1967 appointment Mrs Hettie Watkins music
1967 appointment of Janice Jennifer Clarke as Assistant PE Mistress. (Later to become Mrs Jen Morgan, Head of Special Needs until she retired in 2003). Between 1966 and 1971 she Won 17 caps for Wales Netball finishing her career in 1971 at the World Cup Finals in Jamaica.

1968 Pirates of Penzance

1969 The Mikado produced Miss M Collier
1969 Yog Jog - overnight walk Porthcawl to Cardiff in aid of Oxfam

1970 Miss Lewis becomes Senior Mistress retired 1979
1970 Roy Howells under 15s Rugby cap
1970 Malcolm Childs and Alan Jones represented Wales at Athletics at a 4 Nations Championship. Childs hammer and Shot (2nd place) Jones 1500m steeplechase.

1971 Mr Haydn Jones retired as Deputy Head.
1971 Mr A K Gibson retires as Head after 22 years as Head
1971 Mr WDA Rowlands appointed Head
1971 Mr Haydn Jones retires as Deputy Head He had been an early Maesycwmmer pupil and had spent his whole teaching career at Bedwellty
1971 Mr J F Carwadine appointed Deputy head
1971 appointed to Aberbargoed Secondary School Mr Alwyn Robinson as PE teacher
May or June 1971 was charity week. A small band of pupils, raised £1300 for North Monmouthshire Society for Handicapped Children ? the bench in the school hall was presented to school by the Society in recognition of the gift.

1972 Start of Rotary Youth Speak Competition challenge shield won by Bedwellty 8 times. 1972 to 95 and again 97


1973 last pupils from Bedwas leave school.
1973 Bedwellty goes Comprehensive School merges Aberbargoed Secondary, which becomes a senior comprehensive (13 - 18 year old), and New Tredegar which becomes the junior Comprehensive (11-13 yrs) The Aberbargoed building housed the third years with Mr Elvet Jones based there as Deputy Head. A building near the Clock in New Tredegar is mentioned as the Technology Block.

1974 Bedwellty becomes part of Mid Glamorgan, changes to the catchment area results in Bedwellty pupils coming mainly from only Aberbargoed and New Tredegar
1974 Mark Kendall School football cap
1974 Mr Roy Lewis appointed as Head of Middle School.
1974 Mr Stephens leaves as Head goes to Carmathenshire
1974 Mr ECC Prosser (Charlie) appointed acting Head

1976 HMI Inspection - generally favourable but not didn't like the split site and the separation of Lower School.
1976 Drought year, the water shortage determined the schools opening and closing times.

1977 Bedwellty fully merged with New Tredegar to form an 11-18 school - the school was now spread over 4 sites. The New Tredegar Central Building, The Technical Block, Aberbargoed and Bedwellty.

1978 Mr WDA Rowlands transferred to Brynteg School.
1978 Mr Peter Jones appointed Head

1979 Technology Block built opened 1980. Contained metal work, technical drawing, Textiles, Business Studies remedial education.

1979 Dec Miss LM Lewis retires
1979 Mrs R Evans appointed Senior Mistress
1979 Mr Carwarine retires as Deputy Head, he was appointed during the war in 1945 and took up his appointment a year later serving Bedwellty in various capacities for 34 years.
1979 Mr RG Thomas appointed Deputy (Academic registrar
1979 Mr A M Prosser retires due to ill health
1979 Aberbargoed site is vacated to make way for Cwm Rhymni and the new Technology Block is built on the site of the old netball courts.

1980 Miss L M Lewis retires as Head of English and Senior Mistress
1980 Mrs Evans becomes Senior Mistress
1980 Mr Prosser moved in doors and became Head of Geography and later Deputy Head
1980 Mrs Jenny Williams takes up a position as a school cook
1980 - 8/9/80 First battery operated adding machines received as a gift from a former pupil then living in the USA.
1980 (10/2/80) Mr David Maddox History Adviser visits the senior school.
1980 (10/7/80) junior choir sing at the Rhymney Valley Eisteddfod.
1980 (6/10/80) Miss Susan James LOA to play Hockey for Wales v New Zealand.

1981 School meals changes from a set meal served at the table to a canteen style system of choice. Pupils sitting at table being served by a prefect was to become a thing of the past. Prior to this, at Christmas, the pupils sat down to their Christmas Dinner, banging their knives and forks on the tables to call the cooks forth in order to express their thanks for the fayre.
1981 Music Block opened for Forms 1 and 2. The memorial to Mr T G James destroyed.
1981 Nov £25 raised for the sunshine homes
1981 Dianne Butts represents Wales at Netball.

1982 Carl Dennehy capped several times Wales B 1982/3
1982 The Aberbargoed Secondary School site (July) closes as a school.
1982 Wizard of Oz production

1983 Mr Prosser retires as Deputy Head
Paul Harrison represents Wales in the British School Boys Cycling Championship.


1984 Ian Jones plays 10 matches for the Rhymney Valley District and is awarded the most promising player of the first XV.
1984 Glen Hawkins is in the Welsh Senior Karate team.

1986 Closure of the School in New Tredegar - structural faults and maintenance expenses. July
1986 Technology Block in New Tredegar closes and the whole school is established at Bedwellty
1986 Fist School Football Team started.

1987 Golden Jubilee Year
1987 Martin Gardner and Andrew Meredith, represented Wales at Schools Boy soccer
1987 Timothy Evans wins BBC TV song for Christmas "When a King is Born".

1988 Martin Garden Wales Schools Soccer Captain.
1988 Mrs Christine Griffiths appointed Senior Mistress. She did away with the male and female staff rooms, the male and female stairs and entrances
1988 Education Act saw the end of the occasional days.
1988 Ceri Morgan became county hammer champion

1980s Cross curricular walks from Phillipstown to Bedwellty School for Year 7s. Sometimes sponsored, latterly for the environment, the money raised was to buy trees.
1980s (late TVEI era) Residential courses run by Clive Hughes on computing at Kingswood Staffordshire. Sessions of IT were intermingled with outward-bound pursuits.

1990 Appointment of Mr Gareth Jones as Headteacher.
1990 Bedwellty wins the EDP Award the Education Business Partnership Enterprise Challenge
1990 Tim Blake wins a Welsh School Boys Soccer Cap.
1990 fund raiser WWF Help save the Rain forests Campaign £579 - 60

1991 fund raiser WWF Species in Danger Campaign £250
1991 Jason Edwards Boys Club of Wales U16s football cap

1992 Uniform changed from shirt and tie skirt/trousers to polo shirt and green jumper all bearing the Phoenix Badge. The change in uniform was discussed and decided by the School Council. It was originally suggested to change the school colour to black, but in the end it was decided to stay with the green.
1992 fund raiser WWF Save the Rain Forest Campaign £958-46
1992 was the first year of the ?Just Rentals Challenge?, school received up to £2000 per year from the company to spend on revision clubs and the like

1993 The school held a readathon organised by the Young Telegraph and raised £250 for the Malcolm Sargent Cancer Fund.
1993 10 mile charity walk

1994 fundraiser WWF Walk for Wildlife - vanishing species campaign £394-75
1994 changes to boys and girls toilets, in Technology Block, to make 2 stores when demountables are demolished.

1995 Marie Curie Field of Hope established by Bedwellty School

February 1996 Carries Edwards, Michelle Thomas, Robert Vokes, Russel Dwyer and Lyndon Davies took part in the British Steel Business Challenge.
In February 1996 Bedwellty was visited by the Royal Navy?s Career Service. They arrived by helicopter on the school field, 8 pupils and 2 staff were taken for a short flight. Mr Derek Watkins was winched out of the copter, descending by rope 30 to 40?
1996 ? Room 18 was refurbished and there were plans to remodel and redecorate the Spanish Room.
March 1996 Sharon Clarke was selected for the British schools Gymnastic Team

1998 Peter Thomas, member of the Welsh Youth Team won the World Pool Championships. He has played for Wales against all the home nations.
1998 Youth speak winners plus best chair and speaker.
1998 Kathryn Clarke Welsh and British Gymnastics Schools Teams.
11/10/98 walk for Joshua £412.14

1999 Won Youth Speaks Competition
1999 Rhymney Valley Under 15s rugby competition winners.

2000 last terrapin hut condemned and removed (Mrs K Conways English hut)
Most Promising Junior (Gymnastics )Award was given to Kathryn Clarke.
Sean Randall also won the a Highly Commended? Award in the Gwent Police Illustrated Poem Competition and winner of the Eunice Thomas Award.
2000 saw Bedwellty?s sporting achievements diversify into a new area. Scott Beynon became a member of the Welsh Darts Team

2001 and 2002 Rhiannon Evans and Zoe Morgan represent Wales at Rounders.

2002 Caerphilly County Borough decided to consult on secondary school reorganisation which includes changing the 2 single sex schools to co ed and closing St Ilans and Bedwellty.
2002 Arch Bishop of Wales and Arch Bishop of Canterbury designate visits school

2003 The School was awarded Investor in People Status.
2003 The Council decide not to implement the reorganisation with the exception of closing Bedwellty School, pupils to transfer to Heolddu or Rhymney schools.

2004 All year 9 pupils leave school to start their GCSE courses in their new schools.
2004 Retirement of a number of staff ? Mrs T Poole, Dr P Morgan, Mr G Pagington, Mr A Robinson, Mr Derek Watkins, Mr C Fisher and Mr T McCarthy.
2004 Schools best ever SATs Results making it one of the best schools of its type in Wales.
2004 October visit from the Hon Beatrice Wabudeya, Uganda?s Minister of State for Higher Education to take part in the Harvest Thanks Giving Service and to meet the pupils who have been so generous to Ugandan children for so long.
2004 November 2nd School loads a container of toys, presents and surplus furniture for the Kings School in Uganda.
2004 November 11th Last Remembrance Day Service in School attended by pupils, staff, Governors, past pupils and staff ex-service men and representatives of the Army
2004 November 19th Last Children in Need Day raises over £900


2005 May School wins an award from the Welsh Heritage Schools Initiative

Also see www.bedwellty.ik.com

 

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