Vale schools win heritage awards
Two Primary schools in the Vale of Glamorgan came First in their categories at the Welsh Heritage Schools Initiatives.
First prize for the ‘Foundation Phase’ category went to Cogan Primary School for their innovative and interesting project exploring the work of local herbologist, Royston Smith.
Following this, the award for ‘Best Primary Whole-School Project’ went to Rhws Primary School for their ambitious project on the subject ‘Who are we as a nation?’.
Winners were announced on Friday 8 July at the Initiative’s 30th awards ceremony, held at St Fagans National History Museum.
A total of 33 Welsh schools celebrated after receiving an award at the event with top category winners taking home £1,300 worth of prizes each and shields presented by National Museum Wales.
Cllr Rhiannon Birch, Cabinet Member for Education, Arts and the Welsh Language said: “These awards are a fantastic achievement, and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and thank pupils and staff for all their hard work.
“The work involved is important and helps to enrich children’s understanding of Welsh heritage and connect us all together.”
Deputy Minister for Arts and Sport, Dawn Bowden, attended on the day to present some prizes to the winners, she said: “It is amazing to see that 3,000 children across Wales have been involved in this year’s competition.
“I hope that the experience has increased their knowledge of their heritage and will inspire them to find out more.
“History matters and we should encourage upcoming generations to explore, appreciate and conserve their heritage, as well as delight in the magnificent achievements from the past.”
WHSI Chair, Angharad Williams said: “The judges reported on some exceptional examples of how historical and heritage themes have been embedded into the requirements of the new Curriculum for Wales.
“The winners should be justly proud and certainly deserve the opportunity for their excellent work to be acknowledged and celebrated.
“To enable us to award such great prizes, WHSI is extremely grateful and indebted to each and every one of our loyal sponsors, including the Moondance and Hodge Foundations, for their generosity.”
A list of all winners along with the adjudications are available on the WHSI website