Newtown High School, Powys

In the 1950s, Montgomeryshire County Council, with their architect Herbert Carr and successive Directors of Education, T Glyn Davies and J A Davies, set about erecting new school buildings across the county. After the 1944 Education Act Newtown had three secondary schools: a Grammar School, in the former County Intermediate School opposite the railway station; a Secondary Modern School which had taken over much of Penygloddfa Primary School, and a County Technical School which had moved from old buildings in Penygloddfa into the army huts along Dolfor Road.[1] It was this site that was chosen for Newtown High School, which opened in 1957 as a comprehensive school, replacing the existing grammar schools. It became co-educational in 1964.

The school expanded over time, with additional buildings added in its first fifty years of use. This included the Art/Welsh block, Girls' Gym, Humanities (formerly English) block, Music (formerly History) block, Canolfan Cyfle (formerly Biology) block, Home Economics block, Sixth Form block and the Technology block. Work was undertaken in the late 1990s to add disabled access to many of the first floor areas, with lifts and ramps. An outdoor classroom/canopy was installed in 2015 on the site of the old demountable buildings. Further lifts and improved disabled access were installed in 2016.

The school also managed John Beddoes School in Presteigne in 2013/14, and on 10 April 2014, John Beddoes School was closed, and reopened as a campus of Newtown High School,[2] named the John Beddoes Campus. The Newtown site became the Newtown Campus of Newtown High School.[3] In April 2014, the school was expanded to a two-site model, as it incorporated John Beddoes School in Presteigne. The school now consists of the 'Newtown Campus' and 'John Beddoes Campus' of Newtown High School.

A revised school logo and new motto ('Perthyn Credu Llwydo', meaning 'Belong Believe Achieve') was introduced in September 2017. The school ethos of CYFLE (meaning 'Opportunity', and standing for 'Caring Yields a Flourishing Learning Environment') remains in place.

With the combination of the two campuses, there are approximately 1100 pupils on roll.[4] The school reached Band 1 in the Welsh Government banding system in 2012,[5] and reached band 3 in 2013. It was rated 'yellow' in the 2014 Welsh school categorisation banding, and amber in the 2015 and 2016 banding.[6] 100% of pupils achieved the Level 2 Threshold (5A*-C equivalent) in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015.

In February 2018 the school was placed in Special Measures after an Estyn inspection raised a number of concerns with results and pupils' attendance.[7]

The High School received its most recent Estyn inspection report in 2018,[8] the previous inspection was in 2009.[9]

The two campuses are in geographically distinct locations in Montgomeryshire and East Radnorshire. The Newtown Campus is larger, and also includes a sixth form, while the John Beddoes Campus includes the Ivor Hughes Centre which acts as a drama, assembly and meeting venue. The two campuses are roughly 27 miles apart by road.[10]

The school has a newsletter for each campus which is produced to showcase student achievement and includes features of interest to students and parents.

On Friday, September 18 2020, the school went into lockdown after threats of a shooting were posted on social media. A firearm team were sent to the school by the local authorities, and three people were arrested. Further panic was set by social media users claiming there was a man with a firearm outside the school. The lockdown was handled by the headteacher, Mr Edwards, and the staff. The students left the school as normal at the end of the day.[11]

• List of schools in Wales
• List of schools in Powys

• Newtown High School website

52.5081°N 3.3203°W / 52.5081; -3.3203