As a former pupil, I know how desperately in need of a boost Blessed Edward Jones is.
It’s been in the doldrums for years.
Acting head Catherine Britton seems keen to bring the school kicking and screaming into the 21st century, and she’ll need to be keen, she’ll need all of her enthusiasm and determination, because it’s no easy task.
It is a good school. There are some tremendous teachers working in difficult conditions.
It’s almost 15 years since I was a pupil but little had changed when visited last August.
There has been a lack of resources, a lack of vision and a total lack of communication with parents.
I appreciate Ms Britton is bringing new ideas to the school, and of course we must welcome these, but there is no use building on crumbling foundations. They need to get the basics right.
The school is known locally and remembered fondly as ‘Ted’s’. She will not change that, why would she want to?
The problem does not lie with the name. It does not involve getting the pupils to behave in exchange for a phone call to parents.
It’s about getting the proper funding into the classrooms and giving these talented teachers a chance to shine. It’s about concentrating on education, not religion. That may be a controversial statement but it’s true.
It’s a Catholic school, and for many years Catholicism came before results.
Incidentally, where was the funding before these special measures were introduced? Why have they waited until crisis-point to deliver the goods?
As someone who enjoyed the school but spent many, many hours sat in freezing cold ‘mobiles’ - those wooden huts we would take maths and Welsh in - I know of its problems.
As far as I’m aware the school did not had a Welsh teacher for several years until recently. No Welsh teacher in a Welsh school? I won’t name names but I know of many pupils and parents who were disgusted by this. When they spoke to the school they were ignored.
Ms Britton and her team want to bring respect and dignity to Blessed Edward Jones. We at the Visitor wish her the best of luck.
The pupils, teachers and staff deserve more than they’ve been given. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and they must walk towards it.

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