Ysgol Hamadryad

[EduCativ]

In September 2016, Ysgol Hamadryad opened with one Reception class of seventeen pupils on a temporary site next door to Ninian Park Primary School, the school will move to a brand new permanent location on the Hamadryad site in Butetown in Autumn Term 2018. Although we are looking forward to moving to a new building and opening the doors for the first time in January 2019, we are proud of the Welsh connections on our temporary site. In 1949, the first Welsh school in Cardiff opened in Ninian Park Primary School’s building, and between 2006 and 2013 Ysgol Gymraeg Tan-yr-Eos occupied the same site.

In light of the closure of Tan-yr-Eos and its amalgamation with Ysgol Treganna, a local group of people began a campaign to ensure that the increasing demand for Welsh-medium education in Butetown and Grangetown was fulfilled. The campaign was a success, the new building will be financed by the Council and Welsh Government (21st Century School Programme). It is with immense pride and great joy that the school has finally been established and that the staff and governors can make the dream of a forward-thinking and welcoming school for all local children a reality.

It is a pleasure and a privilege to present to you our school's website, hopefully, this will give you a taster of what we offer here in Ysgol Hamadryad. We are a Welsh-medium school that serves the most multilingual and multiethnic areas of Wales. We are a happy school community that offers a warm welcome to every individual. We offer a safe and inspirational environment offering excellent standards of teaching and learning.

Our mission for Ysgol Hamadryad is to develop our children:

• To aim at the highest achievement
• To be independent lifelong learners
• To be aware and proud of their Welsh identity and their community.

We intend to give your child a happy start to his or her educational journey ensuring that every child leaves Ysgol Hamadryad as a confident individual, believing in themselves but showing respect and concern for others and forming and sustaining relationships with others children and adults from all backgrounds.

The ward of Butetown is home to some of the most important institutions of Wales and the Welsh language, including the Senedd, the Millennium Centre, and the Urdd. The language is heard here daily, but Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Hamadryad will be the first Welsh-medium school to be located in the area. The wards of Butetown, Grangetown, and the surrounding areas are noted for their multi-ethnic and multi-lingual character and one of the objectives of the new school will be to reflect the diverse nature of our different communities.

The name of the school is deeply rooted in the history of the area. The Hamadryad was a ship that was moored close to the site of the school between 1866 and 1905 which served as a hospital for sailors from around the world. Hamadryad Hospital was opened in 1905 on nearby dry land and today Hamadryad Park is the name of the public park on the banks of the River Taff that will provide the school playing fields. The name Hamadryad comes from Greek mythology—the hamadryad was believed to be a nymph that protected trees.

The history of the school’s name conveys many of its most fundamental values: the importance of caring for people and the environment alike – it will be Cardiff’s first ‘sustainable school’, and respect for different cultures and heritage. All these aspects will be brought together by the Welsh language. The school aims to create a happy, ambitious, and inclusive learning community that will be an integral part of the surrounding area.

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