Head wants to make Llandudno's Ysgol John Bright best in Wales

Jun 25 2009 by Steve Stratford, North Wales Weekly News

THE new head of Ysgol John Bright has huge ambitions for the 1,238 pupil school, which he wants to see acclaimed as the best secondary school in Wales.

A recent inspection report said the Llandudno school was outstanding in two aspects of its work – art and special needs – and very good in others, but Graham Davies wants to see the word “outstanding” applied to every aspect of the curriculum.

“I’m very ambitious for the pupils and the school, I want the community to be proud of what we achieve together,” he said.

He is grateful to his predecessor Irene Perry for driving through the project for new school buildings and establishing a solid framework for academic and social achievement.

“We’re a very caring, inclusive school and we do fantastically well in terms of student results and achievements, but I am one of those people who believes we can always do better,” he said.

At his previous school in Oswestry, he set strict uniform rules because he believes wearing a uniform gives pupils a sense of belonging and pride.

Pursuing the same policy ruffled a few feathers when he took over at John Bright at the beginning of the spring term, with a handful of pupils and some parents protesting.

“I called a meeting and explained the reasons for the policy and all the students are now in perfect school uniform.

“Wearing uniform encourages the right attitude to school and drives up standards.

“For the same reasons we also place huge emphasis on standards of behaviour, attitudes to learning, attendance and punctuality,” he said.

These are what some people may describe as old-fashioned standards, but Mr Davies is unapologetic for enforcing them.

“They give us a strong base from which to implement our ethos, which is that John Bright is a school where pupils feel safe, that they enjoy school, are ambitious with high expectations, are challenged to achieve their potential, that they develop into good citizens, and leave the school with the skills and qualifications that give them the best start in life,” he explained.

He has plans to widen the curriculum with the introduction in September of the Welsh Baccalaureate for over-16s, and a bilingual class taught by a Welsh speaker.

judith.phillips