Latest news with #BreconHighSchool
Powys County Times
7 days ago
- General
- Powys County Times
Brecon High School pupils win national debating competition
Teen debaters from Brecon have been praised for winning a national competition. Four Year 9 students from Brecon High School in Powys – Finn Irwin, Rhydian Davies, Darcy Richards, and Eric Pearce – claimed the National Plate at the Seren Oxford Debating Competition, held in March at Jesus College, Oxford. Cllr Pete Roberts, Powys County Council's cabinet member for a learning Powys, said: "On behalf of the council, I would like to congratulate Finn, Rhydian, Darcy, Eric, and everyone at Brecon High School on this remarkable achievement. "Their success at the Seren National Debating Competition is a testament to their talent, hard work, and the excellent support provided by their teachers. "We are incredibly proud of them." The competition is part of the Welsh Government's Seren Academy programme, which supports the most able learners in Wales from Years 8 to 13. The programme offers academic enrichment opportunities to help students reach their full potential and progress to top universities. During their two-day visit to Oxford, the team explored the city and university, took part in debates, and impressed judges with their teamwork and reasoning. In the final round, they debated the motion: 'This house believes that teaching Religious Education is no longer relevant in schools.'
Powys County Times
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Powys County Times
Flamenco Origenes: Josie Sinnadurai returns to Brecon
A Powys-born woman turned professional flamenco dancer is bringing her hit show home for one night only. Josie Sinnadurai will be performing Flamenco Orígenes at Theatr Brycheiniog in Brecon on Sunday, September 21. Josie first performed a solo flamenco piece at the theatre at the age of just eight years old and made multiple appearances throughout her childhood with the Westenders' yearly pantomimes, Brecon High School productions, and local ballet school Mid-Wales Dance Academy's end-of-year shows. More recently, she performed professionally as a flamenco soloist in Brecon Festival Ballet's The Nutcracker. Josie, who is now based in Spain, said she is delighted to bring her own full-length flamenco production to the theatre that has meant so much to her throughout her dance life. Flamenco Orígenes takes audiences on an epic adventure spanning multiple continents and hundreds of years, in search of the origins of flamenco. Josie co-choreographed the show together with Madrid-born dancer Lourdes Fernández, and the two perform together in a high-intensity duet full of electrifying footwork, passionate twirls and Spanish flare that ignites the stage. They are accompanied by a four-piece band of Spanish musicians led by Barcelona native and virtuoso flamenco guitarist Adrián Solá.
Powys County Times
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Merged Powys sixth form college 'should be in Welshpool'
COUNCILLORS have asked why a sixth form college would potentially have a campus in Newtown when Welshpool could be a far better option. At a meeting of Powys County Council Learning and Skills on Friday, May 2, councillors and lay committee members received a presentation on the outcome of a strategic review into post-16 education in the county. The review has produced three options to consider. These will be subject to a two stage 'engagement' process which will allow people to give their views on the proposals over the next six months. Option three is the preferred way and could see a sixth form college set up with one board of governors and management team across two sites in Brecon and Newtown - with all other English medium sixth forms in Powys closed. Plaid Cymru's Cllr Bryn Davies who represents Banwy, Llanfihangel and Llanwddyn, pointed out that for many school pupils in the north of Powys, Newtown is a distant place. Cllr Davies said: 'In our part of the country we are just as far from Mold in Flintshire, which is near the seaside, than Newtown. 'Wrexham is close, Oswestry and Shrewsbury are also closer for most of the population in the northeast. 'The only central location in the north I can see at the moment for this is in Welshpool, which was the old (Montgomeryshire) county town. 'It would be much more suitable for an English medium sixth form.' He asked whether this could be put forward as a potential option to be considered. The question of why Brecon and Newtown had also been asked earlier in the meeting by Liberal Democrat Cllr Chloe Masefield who represents Crickhowell with Cwmdu and Tretower. The number of pupils attending other six forms across Powys are mostly larger than the 18 at Brecon High School and the 46 at Newtown High school. Committee chairman Cllr Gwynfor Thomas (Conservative) said: 'There is somewhere in the region of 150 pupils in Welshpool ( actually 132 from the report) and 123 in Llanfyllin, are we confident that all those will move to Newtown.' Powys Independents Cllr Gareth E Jones (Builth Wells) also wondered whether new school buildings would need to be built to accommodate the sixth forms? Marianne Evans explained that Brecon and Newtown had been chosen as the sixth forms could also work with NPTC group of colleges who have campuses in both towns. Ms Evans said: 'Our vocational colleagues are in the same area, and we can work with them and provide that blended offer. 'This is providing opportunities for young people to look at going down that different pathways to the traditional A-levels, so we do feel it's a clear opportunity in Brecon and Newtown of bringing providers together. 'I think that new builds or using existing sites is something we'll have to look at as part of evaluation all three options of where we can develop.' She added that there 'is a reference' in the council's £300 million Strategic Outline Programme (SOP) to the Welsh Government's Sustainable Communities for Learning's programme for a 'potential post-16 development.' The Welsh Government asked local authorities to submit their proposal and outline a 'rolling programme' of proposals for up to nine years. This document was agreed by the Liberal Democrat/Labour Cabinet a year ago.
