Sixth forms

This week the WA has published its proposals to remove the sixth forms of two schools in Rhyl. In the early '90s, that was also planned for Colwyn Bay, along with all the schools in the old county of Clwyd, a plan which died with the county. However, it's worth looking at the idea of hiving of the archaically-named sixth form in a rational way, rather than through the red mist that seems to descend whenever any proposals for dealing with schools is broached.

'Sixth-forms' are a throwback to the days of the Grammar school, when the number of subjects available from 16 - 18 year olds was few and largely determined by the school's staff quotient. In the '70s, however, the emergence of the FE colleges, initially for the less-academically inclined, proved significant competition for the sixth-form, and budgetary constraints for schools, coupled with an expansion of potential subject areas, meant many smaller schools simply couldn't staff and operate their sixth-forms adequately.

Students also faced a dilemma, in that few schools were willing to relax their traditional approach to the sixth-former to the same extent that the FE colleges were, and this resulted in a strange hybrid arrangement, where young people were treated somewhat like children and somewhat like young adults, but never completely like either.

If we look at Colwyn Bay and Llandudno, for instance, we can see that Eirias alone of all the schools has an effective and well-structured sixth-form provision, largely because of the numbers wishing to remain there after 16, and also because of the not-insignificant numbers that transfer in at the start of their year 12 in education. The 'A' level results there are also the best and it would seem irresponsible to suggest that their sixth form be removed or merged. Another factor to consider is the teaching staff. Teachers in secondary schools often describe their year 12 and 13 teaching as 'the topping on the cake', and they clearly derive a lot of personal satisfaction from their interaction with students at that level.

However, all that said, Llandrillo college has been increasing its resources, its staff and its results for years and now boasts one of the finest FE colleges in Wales. The big question, then, is would the year 12 and 13 students from the current secondary schools be better served by a purpose built centre such as the college or their own, often over-stretched, sixth forms?

To stand or not to stand

Oscar has noted in his blog that Jason Weyman is "considering whether to stand as an Independent Candidate at the next General Election". Generally, this blog stays out of the political arena, since it tends to be a morass of opinionated and inflexible views. However, two things are interesting about Cllr Weyman: the first is that he's an independent, and thus in the post he's in he's free of the often emasculating effects of party allegiances. The second, however, is that he and his family are people that really care. On his own blog he's written that "Kirsty is away this weekend on the first part of her Mountain Leader (ML) assessment." but what he doesn't mention is not only how tough that is (we know, because we've done it) but how Kirsty is something of a star in her own right in terms of her tireless charity work.

In many ways, the independent MP is exactly what Parliament should be about; the people's representatives, genuinely free to represent their constituents without fear or favour. From what we know about him and his family, we would have no hesitation in supporting his stance as an independent at the next election and - who know; perhaps some local business man or philanthropist, tired of the incessant inter-party bickering that has riddled politics for too long, might consider standing surety for Jason and his deposit. And there will never be a better time to stand as an independent than at the next general election.

Developments

Once again, folk are 'up in arms' about a proposed development, this time in Rhos. Residents fear valuable recreational land and idyllic views towards Llandrillo Parish Church and Bryn Euryn will be lost if a housing development on land off Marlborough Drive, is approved.
A local resident said: "This land is the only green patch between Rhos on Sea and Penrhyn Bay. The land is also used by a lot of wildlife, both curlews and bats, and they are protected species. There are a number of reasons that people are opposed to the plans, but the roads are too narrow to deal with an increase in traffic. The development is for houses not bungalows, it will stick out like a sore thumb."

And here's the problem; whereas he's almost certainly correct, would the place be not even more 'idyllic' if all housing was removed? In fact, pleasant as Mostyn Street and Rhos are, should not the entire place be levelled of any buildings whatsoever and left to nature?

That may sound ludicrous in the extreme, but the reality is that those who occupy houses in prime positions forget their own places already despoil the countryside and simply object to anyone else intruding on their view. There has to be a balance maintained - especially important in major tourist venues such as ours - between the desire of people to build in beautiful locations and the attractiveness of the unspoilt countryside and village, and we feel pretty strongly on that ourselves. However, it does ring a little hollow when the current residents object to new developments on the - usually undisclosed - basis that it'll interfere with their pleasant lifestyle.

All aboard....

The new Arriva open top service, the first scheduled service to circle the Orme, is starting on Saturday and has a special surprise for those in the know. Simply turn up at any of the open top stops (see map) and your journey will be free. This is a promotional day to let folk know about the service. Carneades has met all the drivers and operators of the new service and can - from our meeting of the bus and its folk today - assure you that this will be a great run and even better than the old Crosville open top service.

Warning

Wales has seen 100 new cases of measles in less than four weeks and today the number stands at 319 with 38 patients having been hospitalised.

Dr Marion Lyons, of the National Public Health Service, said: “We remain concerned that if the numbers continue to grow at this rate, it is only a matter of time before a child in Wales is killed or left permanently affected by measles. With more than 300 cases in Wales, 38 of which have needed hospital treatment, there is no room for parents to be complacent about this outbreak. The message is simple – new cases can only occur because children are not fully vaccinated and the outbreak will continue to grow until uptake of MMR increases in Wales.”

The Llandudno outbreak seems under control for now, but parents must remember that the original scare stories about the MMR were based on now-discredited research (the facts about this research and the indivudal who perpetrated it are truly staggering) and that the MMR is the best way to prevent your child contracting an illness potentially more lethal than Swine 'flu. For those who didn't see our earlier article about the man behind the dangerous scare storey, see here

Please, sir....

Colwyn Bay and Llandudno are lucky in that there are three large comprehensive schools vying for customers. We thought we'd give over one blog segment to examining the three main contenders for secondary students to see how they compare.

The three schools are John Bright, Eirias and Ysgol Bryn Elian. To get an objective measure of a school's quality can be a difficult and confusing task; schools are inspected approximately every five years, and those reports are available to the public from Estyn. The reports are long and not easy for the lay-person to decipher. They also change the format from time to time, making comparison of one school with another trickier than it ought to be. As an example, here's the summary from the last three reports for each of the three schools:

Eirias: (2003)

Eirias High School is a highly successful, exceptionally well led, award-winning school, with many outstanding features, including the quality of teaching and national recognition for its capacity for continuously improving the already noteworthy academic, pastoral and extra-curricular attainments. It is deservedly popular and oversubscribed. The standards achieved by pupils are at least satisfactory in 98% of lessons and good or better in over 80%. Very good standards are achieved in a quarter of classes and these occur in both key stages. These figures exceed the targets set by the National Assembly for the year 2002. (The standards of achievement in 95% of classes should be at least satisfactory and 50% good or better). The proportions of very good, good and satisfactory are also similar in each key stage. The proportions of good or very good standards are significantly higher than at the time of the last inspection.

Ysgol Bryn Elian: (2008)

Ysgol Bryn Elian is a good school that has the leadership and vision capable ofmaking it become a very good school. Within the school, there are particular areas of strength including consistently high standards attained in Key Stage 3 (KS3) assessments and General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) results that demonstrate that the school is in an improving situation; very good behaviour and attitudes displayed by pupils and students; school’s work on education for sustainable development and global citizenship (ESDGC); and the school’s ability to achieve very good value for money.

John bright: (2009)

Ysgol John Bright is a good school with some outstanding features. Through the inspirational leadership provided by the former and present headteachers the school continues to improve.


As can be seen, it's not easy to make meaningful comparisons between the schools, although you need to know that the inspectors use certain words with great care, 'Good', 'Outstanding' and 'satisfactory' being three. Broadly speaking, 'satisfactory' is not good news.However, what most parent want is a school that's good at getting kids through exams.

Here, Estyn comments upon GCSE achievements (these are the most meaningful, since everyone has to do these, whereas A levels and the Baccalaureate are optional)

Eirias:

A very high proportion, about 80%, of pupils gain 5 or more equivalent A*-C grades, which is well above Welsh and national figures. Virtually every pupil gained 5 or more grades A*-G, which is greatly above local and national figures. A high proportion of grades, almost a third, were at A*/A. The CSI, the percentage gaining grades A*-C in all three subjects, English, mathematics and science, is much higher than local and national averages.

Ysgol Bryn Elian

In 2008, 66% of pupils achieved five or more A*-C grades and 97% of pupils achieved five or more A*- G grades. Both of these percentages are an improvement on the results from 2007 and higher than the school’s targets. GCSE results compare extremely well with those of the Unitary Authority (UA) and national results. Overall, when compared with similar schools, the school’s GCSE results in 2007 place the school in the lowest 25% for over half of the indicators; elsewhere they are mainly in the upper quartile.

John Bright

At KS4, the percentage the school enters for GCSE or equivalent exceeds the average for Wales as a whole. In 2008, 60% of pupils achieved five or more passes at grade C or above, 85% at grade G or above. Passes at the higher grades exceeded local and national averages while passes at the lower grades were in line with them.

This still doesn't make sorting one school from another an easy or straightforward process, but two facts are clear: the area is well served by good schools and Eirias stands head and shoulders above most schools, not just locally but nation-wide. However, in the latest reports, Estyn has started to produce a table which does offer a more simple and visual reference to a school's quality.
Eirias will have this table later this year, but for now, here's the relative tables for Ysgol Bryn Elian and John Bright: (lower number is better)


Bryn Elian:






John Bright:

Parking

TWO drivers in North Wales have clocked up 38 parking tickets between them, with £2,600 in fines still unpaid, while across North Wales motorists still owe local councils £176,951 in unpaid parking tickets.

The biggest offender was a motorist in Gwynedd who has managed to amass £1,455 in fines from 27 parking tickets. In Denbighshire one driver had 11 parking tickets and still owes £1,210. Figures for Flintshire and Conwy have not been made available.

There are two issues here: firstly, why don't we have figures for Conwy? Secondly, parking - or the lack of it - has long been a bone of contention between hoteliers and the councils. That we need a lot of extra parking in Llandudno and Colwyn Bay is beyond dispute, but as the Empire hotel showed many years ago, with its ingenious rotating and stacking car parking system, there are answers to the problems that don't necessarily involve massive and sprawling car parks. Of course, there are other solutions (besides cars) to getting about, one being a reliable 'park 'n ride' scheme. But if we want to encourage people into Llandudno and Colwyn Bay, then we have to make it possible for them to get to and from their cars and hotels quickly and easily. It's not rocket science; but it does need investment and ideas. The hotel-shopping delivery service is one idea, creation of a new mode of reliable transport is another - monorail or tram being favoured options. But whatever is done, it needs to be done sooner rather than later.

Forums...

How many forum members does it take to change a light bulb?

It takes :

1 to change the light bulb and to post that the light bulb has been changed.

14 to share similar experiences of changing light bulbs and how the light bulb could have been changed differently.

7 to caution about the dangers of changing light bulbs.

1 to move it to the "Lighting" section.

2 to argue then move it to the "Electricals" section.

7 to point out spelling/grammar errors in posts about changing light bulbs.

5 to flame the spell checkers.

3 to correct spelling/grammar flames.

6 to argue over whether it's "lightbulb" or "light bulb" ... another 6 to condemn those 6 as stupid.

2 industry professionals to inform the group that the proper term is "lamp".

5 know-it-alls who claim they were in the industry, and that "light bulb" is perfectly correct.

9 to post that this forum is not about light bulbs and to please take this discussion to a lightbulb forum.

11 to defend the posting to this forum saying that we all use light bulbs and therefore the posts are relevant to this forum.

6 to debate which method of changing light bulbs is superior, where to buy the best light bulbs, what brand of light bulbs work best for this technique and what brands are faulty.

7 to post URL's where one can see examples of different light bulbs.

4 to post that the URL's were posted incorrectly and then post the corrected URL's.

3 to post about links they found from the URL's that are relevant to this group which makes light bulbs relevant to this group.

3 to link all posts to date, quote them in their entirety including all headers and signatures, and add "Me too".

Would you like one?

The elusive and top secret new Bentley, snapped as it whipped up and down the Marine Drive for a promotional film.

Another hiccup...

Yesterday, the Weekly news reported the following:

"The Broadway Boulevard has dropped a controversial drinks promotion after police complained it was fuelling anti-social behaviour. Last month they were criticised by a judge after a court heard how two drunken students caused £2,800 damage following a Wednesday night £10 all-inclusive drinks deal.

District judge Andrew Shaw said: “It seems incredibly irresponsible to give anyone carte blanche to drink anything they want for £10. Here you are being encouraged to drink as much as you can and this is what’s happened. It’s an area Llandudno is rightly proud of and you damaged it,” Judge Shaw told the pair.

Wonder which bit we're rightly proud of?

Cor!

Summer's on the way back, we're told, after a spell of rain and wind. And the visitors are also making the most of the town and the Orme. Visitor numbers seem to be up this year, which is good news for us all, but the problem of litter remains a nuisance and more than once we've seen what was obviously a bag of rubbish simply dumped out of a car on the Marine Drive.

If you're out and about, and you have a camera with you or on your 'phone and you spot that happening, try to take a pic of the offending person or car. It'll only take a few hauled up before the beak to deter those who think Llandudno's a soft touch for dropping rubbish. After all, no matter how grotty we think parts have become, it's still a wonderful place to live when compared to central Manchester or Liverpool.

Feed the birds

Simon King of BBC's Springwatch was filmed holding out a tray of chips to the many gulls on Llandudno's promenade in a show that was aired on Monday, June 8. The large birds swept down to eat the food as Mr King spoke of their beauty.



Cllr Gareth Roberts, who represents Craig-y-Don, said it was irresponsible of Springwatch to encourage the feeding of seagulls. He said: "They are very dangerous and are nesting at this time of year. The female birds try to protect their chicks and this makes them more aggressive. Year after year we see the elderly and youngsters injured in Llandudno by these large birds."

Some people call them 'flying rats' and few folk in the town are unaware of their potential for at the least frightening children (be careful how you read that bit:-). However, like 'em or loathe 'em, they are a part of the seaside for many visitors, and we're not going to dissuade them for feeding the birds. Even though it costs more than tuppence....

Insanity

YOBS used a makeshift wrecking ball hung from a railway bridge to try to derail a train, in the first of three attacks that put passengers’ and workers’ lives at risk. The weapon, made from a plastic carrier bag filled with bricks, smashed the windscreen of a train after it was suspended from the Rockcliffe bridge in Connah’s Quay. The train was filled with passengers travelling from Llandudno to Manchester, when it was hit at 8.40pm on Saturday.

The gang struck a second time around an hour-and-a-half later when a brick was again hung from the bridge and smashed the windscreen of a train travelling from Holyhead to Crewe, at 10.15pm.

Then yesterday a third train was struck, when a gang hurled bricks at the driver’s cab from the same bridge, as it carried passengers from Chester to Holyhead, at around 12.30pm.
This sort of insanity used to occur in the big cities, and often on motorway bridges. Eventually, the individuals get caught, usually because these people have room-temperature IQs and aspirations to match. They're duly dragged off to the beak, where they receive sentencing if found guilty. And it's here the outcries begin.

If no one was injured in the attacks, the law doesn't take into account possibilities and probabilities; instead, social enquiry reports have to be completed, which inevitably paint a depressing picture of their childhoods and uncaring parents, and the law will then impose 'meaningful' and 'supportive' sentences.

There's good reason for the law to be dispassionate, of course; most decent folk would probably have them hurled into a bottomless pit or exported to Afghanistan, but the law tries to make a considered decision. But what's the real cause of all this?

It's absurdly simple. Bad parenting. Until we in the UK address that issue, then these sorts of insanely stupid acts will continue. Of course, interfering in the 'rights' of people to become pregnant will have the civil liberty groups up in arms. But have we - as a society - possibly reached the point where non-intervention in that process might not be more harmful than intervention? Those who watched the BBC2 programme about the little boy in Liverpool. shot by a thug last year, cannot fail to have been stunned by the fact that the killer's mother repeatedly lied to protect her evil offspring. And she's far from alone. How long can we afford to allow utterly inept, selfish and gruesome women to bear children, or moronic, self-serving men to assume sex is on a par with video games in responsibility terms without enforcing some sort of sea change in the UK culture?

Bentley

As promised, something exciting happened yesterday. At 1500 hrs, the Marine drive around the Orme was closed, to allow a film unit to shoot an advert for a new Bentley. Security was extremely tight, with the car itself being delivered in a lorry and driven the short distance from the lorry to the Rest and Be Thankful car park under a custom-made grey cover. The cover was removed only briefly to allow several sequences of filming, each of which was flanked by two vehicles adorned with scaffolding to prevent casual photographers taking shots.

Things aren't always what they seem

An unkempt looking chap goes into a bar and orders a drink. The bartender says, "No way, pal. I don't think you can pay for it." "You're right, " the chap says, "I don't have any money, but if I show you something you haven't seen before will you give me a drink?" "You have a deal my friend," says the bartender. The guy reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a hamster. He puts the hamster on the bar, it runs to the end of the bar, down the side of the bar, across the room, up the piano, onto the keyboard and starts playing Gerswhin. "You're right! I haven't heard anything like that before," says the bartender. "The hamster is really gifted." The chap downs the drink and asks the bartender for another. "Will that be cash or another miracle, pal?" asks the bartender. "Watch this," replies the man. Again, he reaches into his coat and pulls out a frog. He puts the frog onto the bar, and the frog starts to sing. The frog has a marvellous voice and perfect pitch. A fine singer.A stranger from the other end of the bar runs over to the guy and offers him £300 for the frog. "It's a deal," says the man. He takes the three hundred and gives the stranger the frog. The stranger runs out of the bar. "Are you crazy?" asks the bartender. "You sold a singing frog for £300? It could have been worth millions. You must be crazy." "No way," says the chap. "The hamster's a ventriloquist."

Something's happening

Something exciting is going to happen in Llandudno this weekend. We can't say what, at the moment, but watch this space....

Here we go again...

PENSIONERS with Alzheimer’s and dementia have been left without a local source of support after the closure of the Bodnant EMI unit at Llandudno Hospital. Edwina Hart, however, has ordered her own officials in North Wales to look again at access to care for pensioners with Alzheimer’s and dementia amid protests in the wake of the unit’s closure.

The unit, which closed in February when the service was transferred to Bryn Hesketh in Colwyn Bay, provided inpatient support for tghose with Alzheimer’s and other age-related mental issues.

There is a problem with the NHS; it's reliant on Government money, which itself comes from taxation and hence from the working population and successful businesses. In a major recession, that money becomes scarce. Additionally, we have an older,population than many places, which means we consume more resources. However, that very population has - for the most part - been paying tax and national insurance for their whole life and has a right to expect that care will be provided locally. And - as many can vouch from personal experience - Llandudno hospital is a little jewel.

In Autumn, however, with the onset of the 'flu season, the NHS this year will be stretched. And then they're going to have to have capacity.

Court in the act

Some things people actually say in court.

Q: What is your date of birth?
A: July fifteenth.
Q: What year?
A: Every year.

Q: What gear were you in at the moment of impact?
A: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.

Q: This myasthenia gravis - does it affect your memory at all?
A: Yes.
Q: And it what ways does it affect your memory?
A: I forget.
Q: You forget. Can you give us an example of something that you've forgotten?

Q: What was the first thing your husband said to you when you woke up this morning?
A: He said, "Where am I Cathy?"
Q: And why did that upset you?
A: My name is Susan.

Q: Sir, what is your IQ?
A: Well, I can see pretty well, I think.

Face off

The news that five players from Llandudno's cricket club have been disciplined – with three of them banned for the rest of the season – and Llandudno’s match against Hawarden Park on Saturday cancelled with Llandudno forfeiting points comes as no surprise to those who use Facebook and the internet.

It's tempting to view using the internet a little bit like driving a car. It's been known for years that normally mild-mannered and calm drivers mutate into bile-spewing monsters when behind the wheel, and undergo such transformations, indeed, that intensive research has gone into trying to find out why.

On the internet, a similar phenomenon seems to occur. People who would normally be the soul of pleasantness and discretion seem to undergo a similar change when shrouded by the cloak of anonymity the internet affords. It's only necessary to look at the contributions to local forums and blogs to see that effect in action. But what so many forget is that the internet - apart from being relatively anonymous (it's not total) - is also a world-wide medium, and anything written can theoretically be seen immediately by about 4 billion people. One easy way to avoid the problems is to imagine you're holding a loud hailer in your hand and shouting what you're writing, in the middle of Mostyn street in plain view of everyone on a Saturday morning. If that doesn't work, imagine you're doing it naked.

On the right lines...

A BATTLE to transform a tram shelter into a tourist information style café has hit another "frustrating" hurdle. Developer Frank Gorka has fought for four years to gain planning permission to re-develop the site on West Parade, Llandudno. Health and safety problems were addressed and at the end of last year Mr Gorka finally gained permission for a refreshment and gift shop, to the delight of many residents and councillors.

This week the Llandudno developer faced further problems with the lease of the listed building. Cllr Brian Bertola, Llandudno Town Council's Community Services Committee Chairman, said a decision would have to be made by the county council to surrender the lease to Mr Gorka.

He said: "It is extremely frustrating. When we overcome one hurdle, we come across another. A number of people have had a long term interest in the building. At one point the University of Wales were the lease holders and the church.The building has been vandalised. It is in a poor state of repair. I am just thankful Mr Gorka has stood by us through all this. Many developers would not.

Mr Gorka said "The tram shelter is in a terrible state. Plastic windows have had to be put in, people have been sleeping in there. I want to do the same sort of thing as I did on the Great Orme at West Shore. It was originally the pavilion and this is what I would like to call the building, Pavilion Refreshments."

Cllr Billy Evans, Former Mayor of Llandudno, argued the shelter is an eyesore. He said: "I feel sorry for Mr Gorka. It is always something else, health and safety, problems with crossings. When I go down to West Shore there is nothing for the tourists. We will keep supporting him."

Frank Gorka is not a 'developer'. as the article above would have you think. He is actually a philanthropist, and someone who has dedicated a large part of his life to improving Llandudno. He is also a totally decent human being, and one who has been treated appallingly by Conwy CC, as have so many others. It's now four years since he offered to take on the burden of the Tram shelter, and improve it for the locals and visitors. But does Conwy CC see it that way? Of course not. But then, Llandudno has never, ever been helped by Conwy CC, has it?

It's not my fault...

From the Daily post:

Jacqueline Atkinson, 44, who weighs eight stone, was caught behind the wheel nearly twice the legal limit, after she says she had just one glass of wine with a meal. She claimed that after her arrest a nurse at the police station told her that if she was a man, or if she was a stone heavier, she may not have been over the limit.Yesterday Atkinson admitted driving with 57 microgrammes of alcohol in her system compared to the legal limit of 35. She was banned for a year by Flintshire magistrates, to be cut to nine months if she does a drink drive rehabilitation course, and was fined £450 with £135 costs.

Afterwards she said she was worried many pubs and bars routinely serve large glasses of wine without asking the customer – and slim women can unwittingly break the law.

Hmm...so it's the pub's fault for serving her with a large glass of wine? I wonder if she's noticed that the alcohol volume in wine has been steadily rising for some years, or that the average red now has a 13.5% by vol content? A glass of that would leave even a sixteen stone bloke feeling happy, and certainly unable to drive as well as when stone cold sober. But let's face it; you don't drink and then drive.

Entropy, man...

One of the main sinks of energy in the “developed” world is the creation of stuff. In its natural life cycle, stuff passes through three stages. First, a new-born stuff is displayed in shiny packaging on a shelf in a shop. At this stage, stuff is called “goods.” As soon as the stuff is taken home and sheds its packaging, it undergoes a transformation from “goods” to its second form, “clutter.” The clutter lives with its owner for a period of months or years. During this period, the clutter is largely ignored by its owner, who is off at the shops buying more goods. Eventually, by a miracle of modern alchemy, the clutter is transformed into its final form, rubbish. To the untrained eye, it can be difficult to distinguish this “rubbish” from the highly desirable “good” that it used to be. Nonetheless, at this stage the discerning owner pays the dustman to transport the stuff away.

Some councils do have a sense of humour...

Indeed