THE latest community news from Lampeter.

Ysgol Bro Pedr

EDUCATION Secretary Kirsty Williams faced a grilling from students over the recent PISA results and tuition fees.The interview via Skype – conducted by Bro Pedr’s BBC School Report group, the only entirely pupil-run School Report group in the UK – covered a wide-ranging spectrum of issues.Describing the PISA results as “disappointing”, Ms Williams also drew attention to poor results in the sciences and promised “radical reform”.However, she warned against “throwing eve-rything up in the air and starting over again”, adding that doing so “won’t help anybody”.Promising “rigorous” and tough” examinations along with other reforms, the Education Secretary warned that these might take some time to have the desired effect.She cited Portugal as a country which “performed well” in the PISA tests, yet their education reforms began 14 years ago.She also defended the Welsh Baccalaureate, arguing that it taught important skills and was a “very important qualification to sit alongside A-levels”.Another concern was the dramatic drop in the number of students studying modern foreign languages, such as French, German and Spanish. Describing them as “important subjects”, Ms Williams outlined a new scheme to get under-graduates into schools to demonstrate the value and fun of studying a foreign language.Turning to tuition fees, Ms Williams said a review to change the way the National Assembly funds students and universities showed that the biggest barrier to higher education was the upfront cost of going to university.To combat this, she said the average student would receive a non-repayable grant of £7,000 a year to help them fund their studies.

Merched y Wawr

CYN ein cyfarfod mis Rhagfyr gwnaeth nifer o aelodau gwrdd yng nghartref preswyl Hafan-deg i ddiddanu’r trigolion drwy ganu, adrodd, darlleniadau o’r Beibl a gweddi.Cawsom gwpanaid o de a mins pei cyn yma-dael am Festri Shiloh. Yno, cawsom noson o grefftau yng ngofal Morwen Thomas a’i merch Haf Meredith.Hefyd daeth nifer o ddysgwyr i ymuno â ni a bu pawb wrthi yn brysur yn gwneud addurniadau Nadolig.Hefyd bu’r parti cydadrodd yn diddanu’r dysgwyr o dan hyfforddiant medrus Elin Williams, ein llywydd.Diolchodd Ann Morgan i bawb am eu cyfraniad i’r noson ac i Eiry, Mary a Gwyneth am baratoi te a chacennau i bawb. Enillydd y raffl misol oedd Glesni.Yng nghyfarfod mis Ionawr byddwn yn croesawi Iona Llyr, chwaer ein llywydd, i gynnal noson.

St Peter’s Church

SATURDAY, 24 December: 4.15pm, Crib service for the whole family; 11.30pm, Midnight communion (bilingual). A warm welcome to all.Christmas Day: 10am, Family Communion (bilingual).

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