Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni facts for kids

Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni is a Welsh-medium school. It is located in the village of Fleur-de-Lys in the Rhymney Valley. The school first opened in 1981 with just over 150 students. By September 2018, it had grown to 1,684 students. Most students, 1,164, were at the Gellihaf campus. The other 520 students were at the Y Gwyndy campus.

The school's motto is “Tua'r Goleuni”. This means “Towards the Light” in English. Its badge shows a dragon rampant. The school's official colours are red and black.

A new campus for Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni opened in 2013. This campus is in the Caerphilly Area. It serves students from Year 7 to Year 11. This new school, called Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni – Safle'r Gwyndy, was built because more people wanted Welsh-medium education. The older school is now known as Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni – Safle Gellihaf. This helps avoid confusion between the two sites. The original Cwm Rhymni school used to be in Aberbargoed and Bargoed.

School History

Picture of the school from outside the front entrance

Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni started on two different sites. Younger students (Years 7 and 8) went to the Lower school in Aberbargoed. Older students (Years 9 to 13) attended the Upper school in Bargoed. By the late 1990s, these buildings were in poor condition. After a long effort, the school was allowed to build a new, modern building. This new, single-site school opened in 2002 in Fleur-de-lys.

The first Headteacher of Cwm Rhymni was Mr Huw Thomas. Mr Hefin Mathias took over in 1995. When Mr Mathias retired in 2008, Mr Owain ap Dafydd became Headteacher. In April 2020, Mr Matthew Webb was appointed Headteacher.

Building Changes

The former St Ilan school building was badly damaged in 1989. This event caused about £2.2 million in damage.

Headteachers Over the Years

• 1981–1995: Mr Huw Thomas
• 1995–2008: Mr Hefin Mathias
• 2008–2020: Mr Owain ap Dafydd
• 2020–present: Mr Matthew Webb

Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni is well-known for its success in sports. This is especially true for rugby and athletics. The school has also done very well over the years in the Urdd Eisteddfod. This is a big Welsh youth festival.

The school serves a very large catchment area. This area stretches from Rhymney at the top of the valley down to Caerphilly. The wide area is shown by the names of the three main hallways at the Gellihaf campus. These are Ebwy, Sirhywi, and Rhymni. These are three nearby South Wales Valleys that send students to Cwm Rhymni. Before Ysgol Gyfun Gwynllyw opened in 1988, Cwm Rhymni also welcomed students from all over Gwent. Students came from places like Newport and Chepstow.

The school has four houses, named after Welsh saints. They are Mabon (yellow), Cadog (green), Tudful (purple), and Sannan (blue). Tudful was added later as the school grew in the early 1990s. In 2009, a new house called Ilan was also created. This was due to the increasing number of students.

Primary Schools That Feed Cwm Rhymni

Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni is the only Welsh-medium comprehensive school in the Caerphilly borough. It receives students from 11 primary schools:

• Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Allta
• Ysgol Gymraeg Bro Sannan
• Ysgol Gymraeg Cwm Derwen
• Ysgol Gymraeg Cwm Gwyddon
• Ysgol Gymraeg Caerffili
• Ysgol Gymraeg Gilfach Fargod
• Ysgol Gymraeg Ifor Bach
• Ysgol Gymraeg Penalltau
• Ysgol Gymraeg Trelyn
• Ysgol Gymraeg Y Castell
• Ysgol Gymraeg Y Lawnt

School Partnerships

Cwm Rhymni works together with Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynllyw in Pontypool. This partnership is called Partneriaeth 6. It helps both schools offer more courses to students. In this program, teachers travel between schools or teach using video calls. The school is also trying to include Ysgol Gyfun Rhydywaun in this partnership.

Famous Former Students

• Morgan Evans: A rugby league player for Gloucestershire All Golds.
• Natasha Harding: A footballer who played for Bristol Academy and Wales.
• Sali Hughes: A well-known journalist, writer, and broadcaster.
• Delyth Jewell: A politician from the Plaid Cymru party.
• Steffan Jones (rugby player): A rugby player for Newport Gwent Dragons.
• Rhodri Lloyd: A Welsh Rugby League International player for Wigan and Swinton.
• David Probert: A professional jockey.
• Aaron Ramsey: A footballer who played for Cardiff City and Wales.