YSGOL Pen y Garth is a Welsh medium primary school based on Sully Road in Penarth.

With nearly 400 pupils, its catchment areas stretch to Sully, Dinas Powys and Llandough.

Many pupils who attend the school don’t speak Welsh when they arrive.

Around 60 per cent of pupils come from English speaking homes.

Ysgol Pen y Garth has 14 classes and one nursery with two classes per year for each year group from reception.

It was originally built in the 1970s to cater for just 90 pupils.

The school caters for children of mixed abilities and no Welsh qualifications are required for entry.

The school offers all subjects with four core subjects which include Welsh and English.

Iona Edwards, the head teacher, says the school gives pupils a good grounding in Welsh saying the aim is for pupils to be totally bilingual by the time they leave.

There is a tradition of students going on to learn a third or a fourth language when they reach secondary school and university with many past students studying modern foreign languages such as French and Spanish.

But it is not just about the language, the school aims to embrace all things Welsh.

It works with Welsh organisations including the WRU and is highly active in the community.

The school choir sings all around the local area including at the Dinas Powys Festival, Stanwell Penarth and Dinas Powys Rotary and in various other charity concerts.

Speaking about the culture of the school, Mrs Edwards said: “We believe in always telling the truth and we want the pupils to be true to themselves.

“From a very young age we promote the need to make the right choices so that they are honest and confident to make the correct decisions in life.

"We want our pupils to achieve the highest possible standards reaching their full potential and becoming ambitious life-long learners.

"The children are taught to make the correct informed choices in everything that they do, so that everything they choose will be a success.”

Mrs Edwards joined the school in 1999 as deputy head teacher and became the permanent head teacher in 2004.

“I am very proud of my school because of how successful our pupils become later in life and the success that the children that have left here have.”

Many go on to university and some have even gone on to Oxford and Cambridge.

“Some former pupils have actually come back here to work as teachers and staff,” said Mrs Edwards.

“We are very proud of the unique ethos of the school.

“The students are clam and polite and show respect towards each other to all our visitors.”

The school has also started to give children at Key Stage Two level the freedom to make their own decisions as part of encouraging them to make the right choices.

There are seven committees overseeing aspects such as well-being, curriculum choice and online safety and they meet every fortnight to discuss their agenda.

One of the decisions made through these committees was to create a healthy shop for pupils to encourage entrepreneurial skills

The pupils are also making decisions about what is being learnt and make suggestions to teachers.

Mrs Edwards said: “The staff here are very dedicated and hard working.

“They volunteer to help out with clubs and go above and beyond what is expected of them.

“They help out on weekends and even in the holidays for competitions.”

“We have very supportive parents and the PTA is very good at raising money to pay for the extra things such as the canteen furniture and IT equipment.”

On the subject of IT, Mrs Edwards said the school is forward minded in its approach.

The children all have access to a laptop and a PC and digital leaders are trained to help others use this technology through regular surgeries.

The schools offers a range of extra curricular activities with sport taking place every night, apart from Friday, during the school week.

Mrs Edwards said one of the main advantages the school has is its sports field and sports hall which has led to a lot of success for the school teams.

The school has a chess club and a choir and enters the Welsh language Urdd Competition.

They have had success every year and one girl achieved first place on the harp at the National Eisteddfod this year.

There are Mandarin classes, a drama group and a radio club where pupils produce their own programmes.

Mrs Edwards said: “The pupils are always happy and ambitious. They are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.

“We prepare them really well in everything.

“We have leaders that are very good on the school council, reading partners from year four five for the little ones and a scheme to help younger pupils out on the school yard.

“Pupils are taught to respect the fact that their best work will be rewarded.

“All types of children are catered for and all abilities. We provide the best education for all abilities

“We support the less able children as well and help them find their strengths and by giving them responsibilities.

“We value each individual pupil.”