About the school
Penyrheol Comprehensive School was established in 1973. It is a mixed English-medium 11-16 Comprehensive School that serves the communities of Gorseinon, Loughor, Penyrheol, Kingsbridge and Garden Village.
The school liaises closely with five partner primary schools to ensure smooth transition from one phase to the next. At sixteen the majority of pupils continue their education at Gorseinon Tertiary College with which the school has an excellent working relationship.
The school was last inspected in November 2007. It was awarded six Grade 2s and one Grade 1 for its work.
The inspection report states: 'Penyrheol is a good school in which pupils' performance is above the local and national averages. Pupils generally have very good personal, social and learning skills. They behave responsibly and show respect for each other and their teachers. Their mutual respect is a distinctive feature of this school.'
Penyrheol has improved steadily since the previous inspection in 2001; the percentage of pupils gaining five or more GCSE grades at C and above has risen from 37% in 1995 to 63% in 2010. The percentage of pupils gaining the core subject indicator, at least a grade C in English, Maths and Science, has risen similarly from 27% in 1996 to 56% in 2010.
Examination results are not the only measure of a successful school; pupils from Penyrheol do well both locally and nationally in areas as diverse as mountain biking and public speaking. They achieve individual and team honours in sporting activities; they can act, sing, dance and win competitions for their artistic talent; they care for those less fortunate than themselves and regularly raise considerable sums of money for charity.
Penyrheol is a genuine comprehensive school in that it has pupils of all abilities and backgrounds. It is very much a part of the community that it serves and because the area is a pleasant one, there is a considerable amount of new building taking place.
In March 2006 the school suffered a devastating fire following an arson attack, which destroyed two-thirds of the buildings, including almost all the specialist teaching facilities. Since then all members of the school community have worked very closely with the LEA to re-establish education for all its pupils on the Penyrheol site.
Years 10 and 11 were returned to full-time education within ten days of the fire and the rest of the school within six school weeks. With strong support from the local community, the school has bounced back remarkably well from this tragedy. All pupils returned to the Penyrheol site in September 2006. The new building work was completed on time and on budget ready for the start of the Autumn Term 2009. The inspection report commented: 'The progress that the school has made in recovering from the major fire of March 2006 is remarkable.' Unfortunately the school was unable to persuade the Council to invest extra money in replacing the one-third of the buildings that survived the fire.
Mission Statement
Penyrheol seeks to be a happy, caring community in which all who work are valued, supported and treated with respect and tolerance. In so seeking, we hope everyone will be motivated to achieve their full potential and strive for the highest standards of teaching, learning and behaviour.
Ceisia Penyrheol fod yn gymuned hapus, ofalgar, lle caiff pawb ag sy’n gweithio ynddi ei gwerthfawrogi a’u chefnogi a’i trin gyda pharch a goddefiad. Yn hyn o beth gobeithir y bydd pawb yn frwdfrydig i gyrraedd eu llawn potensial ac i ymdrechu i gyrraedd y safonau uchaf o ddysgu, hyffordi ac ymddygiad.





