Bassaleg School

Comprehensive school in Newport, Wales

Bassaleg School

The revised logo as of 2022.

Address

Forge Lane

Newport

NP10 8NF

Wales

Coordinates| 51°34′29″N 3°02′36″W﻿ / ﻿51.574722°N 3.043333°W﻿ / 51.574722; -3.043333
Information
Type| Comprehensive school
Motto| Believing and Belonging
Established| c.1880
Local authority| Newport City Council
Chairperson| David Williams
Head teacher| Victoria Lambe
Gender| Mixed
Age| 11 to 18
Enrolment| 1,749[1]
Colour(s)| Black  Gold
Website| http://www.bassalegschool.com

Bassaleg School (Welsh: Ysgol Basaleg) is a comprehensive secondary school for pupils aged 11 to 18 years, situated in the suburb of Bassaleg on the western side of the city of Newport, South Wales. The present buildings of the school range in age from the early 20th century to the present day. The buildings form a natural campus, with playing fields, lawns and gardens. It has over 1,700 pupils. Because of expanding residential development in the area, consultations took place in 2021 to 2022 to increase capacity to over 2,000 pupils by 2023.[2] Plans were approved by Newport City Council in February 2022[3] with work on the project beginning in March 2022, following a £30,000,000 investment.[4]

## History

[edit]

"Forge Building" dating from 1935.

There has been a school around the current site since 1880, when Rowland Morgan (a distant relative of the Morgan's of Tredegar) endowed £20 for its creation.[5][a] In the early twentieth-century, Bassaleg Controlled Voluntary School was bulit in its place to serve the familes of the workers of Lord Tredegar's estate.[5] "Forge Buliding", as it is commonly referred, was opened in Autumn 1935, by which time the school was known as Bassaleg Secondary School.[5]

The then Lord Tredegar and Princess Olga Dolgorouky frequented the new school, hosting prize-giving, and for many years to deliver gifts to the children at Christmastime.[7][8]

During World War II, five teachers and around 250 past students were serving in the forces, while forty older male students formed the "School Harvest Camp"; sleeping in the recently built gymnasium and farming the surrounding land for six weeks.[5] By 1948, the school had become known as Bassaleg Grammar School.[5]

A view of Griffin Building, demolished in 2023.

In 1958, Graig County Secondary Modern was established on the same site, with new buildings developed by A. Arthur & Son LTD. as a result.[9] The Secondary Modern's main building was erected adjacent to Griffin Lane, thus dubbed "Griffin Buliding".[5] Following the 1976 abolision of Grammar Schools in England and Wales, the two schools on the site merged into Bassaleg Comprehensive School, as it is known today.[5]

## Notable former pupils

[edit]

See also: Category:People educated at Bassaleg School

* Stuart Barnes, Times journalist and former Bath, England and British Lions rugby player[10]
* Jon Callard, former Bath and England rugby player[11]
* Sabrina Cohen-Hatton, Chief Fire Officer of the West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, homeless whilst studying at the school[12]
* Jamie Corsi, rugby player[13]
* John Davies, Bishop of Swansea and Brecon in the Church in Wales and Archbishop of Wales
* David Davies, former Conservative MP for Monmouth and Secretary of State for Wales[14]
* Ron Davies, Former AM and MP and Secretary of State for Wales[15]
* Rio Dyer, rugby player for Dragons RFC and Wales[16]
* Anneliese Heard, triathlete[17]
* Liz Johnson, Paralympic gold medallist[18]
* Ryan Jones, former Wales and British Lions rugby player[19]
* Roger Lewis, writer and journalist, author of The Life and Death of Peter Sellers[20]
* Alix Popham, former Welsh national rugby player
* Malcolm Thomas a former Welsh and British Lions rugby player who played club rugby for Newport and won 27 caps for Wales during the 1950s[21]
* Aaron Wainwright, current Welsh national rugby player[22]
* Amelia Womack, Deputy Leader Green Party of England and Wales[23]

## References and notes

[edit]

1. ^ £20 in 1880 equates to approximately £3,000 in 2023, according to calculations based on the Consumer Price Index measure of inflation.[6]

1. ^ "A report on Bassaleg School" (PDF). Estyn. May 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2020.
2. ^ "Bassaleg School expansion could go to second consultation". South Wales Argus. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
3. ^ "Bassaleg School demolition and rebuild plan set for go-ahead". South Wales Argus. 2 February 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
4. ^ "Bassaleg School redevelopment work starts". South Wales Argus. 7 March 2022. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
5. ^ a b c d e f g "Our History" (PDF). Bassalegschool.com. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
6. ^ Clark 2023.
7. ^ "Bassaleg School Prize Day". Western Mail. 24 November 1936. p. 12. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
8. ^ "Viscount Tredegar". Western Mail. 17 December 1938. p. 11. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
9. ^ "Main Contractors For The Graig Secondary Modern School". Western Mail. 3 October 1958. p. 8. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
10. ^ "Barnes Stuart". bathrugbyheritage.org.
11. ^ "Callard Jon". bathrugbyheritage.org.
12. ^ Deacon, Thomas (24 February 2018). "Why firefighters can run toward danger - woman's fascinating PhD". WalesOnline. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
13. ^ "Jamie Corsi | Dragons Player". Dragons Rugby.
14. ^ "About David". Rt Hon David TC Davies MP.
15. ^ "Davies, Ron, 1946- - National Library of Wales Archives and Manuscripts". archives.library.wales.
16. ^ "Teenage speedster Dyer aiming to build on Dragons debut against Euro champs". South Wales Argus. 29 January 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
17. ^ "Top athlete goes back to school". South Wales Argus.
18. ^ "I'll win gold for my mum - swimmer's pledge". South Wales Argus.
19. ^ Thomas, Simon (3 July 2015). "Which Wales legend went back to his old school". WalesOnline.
20. ^ "Roger Lewis' Seasonal Suicide Notes". WalesOnline. 28 November 2009.
21. ^ Blanche, Phil (12 April 2012). "Former Wales rugby captain Malcolm Thomas dies at the age of 82". WalesOnline.
22. ^ "The skinny kid from Bassaleg now set to take on the Boks". South Wales Argus.
23. ^ Mosalski, Ruth (18 March 2019). "Newport West by-election candidates named". WalesOnline.

### Website

[edit]

* Clark, Gregory (2023). "The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 22 February 2023.

51°34′29″N 03°02′36″W﻿ / ﻿51.57472°N 3.04333°W﻿ / 51.57472; -3.04333

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