London,
25
January
2022
|
09:51
Europe/London

Rhyl Community Primary School welcomes first two-year-old children

Rhyl - Grafton Rd nursery class
Rhyl early years staff Silvania (L) and Lenoar (R) in the refurbished 2 yr olds class
Rhyl - Grafton Rd Yr One primary class

Staff at Rhyl Community Primary School have welcomed their first two-year-old children to the school’s newly-revamped Grafton Road site as the school looks forward to the next chapter in serving children, families and the community in Camden. 

Executive Headteacher Helen Connor, who has been in post since 2014, is an exceptional headteacher with over 20 years’ experience. Since taking up her post, Helen has created a learning environment at Rhyl where every child can thrive, balancing academic rigour with a vast range of extra opportunities for its pupils. 

Rhyl is particularly proud of its reputation for inclusion that is second to none. Rhyl is increasingly recognised across the borough for its broad and creative curriculum and dynamic leadership, and for the high quality of its art, music, outdoor learning and food education. The school runs a trailblazing programme called Raising Aspirations, partnering with organisations such as Facebook (Meta) and The Ritz to broaden children’s horizons in the world of work. 

The refurbished Grafton Road building, in the heart of Gospel Oak and Kentish Town, now incorporates an expanded Rhyl Nursery, catering for children aged two to four, while the site also offers high quality teaching for Rhyl’s Reception and Year One pupils. 

Years Two to Six are based at Rhyl Street, with the primary school now operating over two sites, while offering a range of community provision for parents and residents from the Grafton Road building as part of the development of a Community Hub. 

Following significant investment by the Council, Rhyl Community Primary School expanded onto two sites from September 2021. Extensive improvements to the Grafton Road building have created an integrated nursery and primary school offering early years and primary education, plus an array of family and community support, from 8am to 6pm for local families with children aged two to 11. 

Rhyl’s Executive Headteacher, Helen Connor, said: "We are now able to extend and build upon our excellent provision to children and families, from early years through primary school and onto secondary school. This, together with our new programme of activities and support for local parents, families and residents, means that Rhyl will truly be a school at the heart of the local community.” 

Cllr Angela Mason, Cabinet Member for Best Start for Children and Families, said: “Under the headteacher’s leadership, Rhyl Community Primary School has become a truly remarkable school. Over the two sites, Rhyl can now offer an exceptional education for children from ages two to 11, with multiple extracurricular and enrichment opportunities, and I encourage local families to come and have a look around and consider applying for a place. I’m also excited about the development of a Community Hub at Rhyl, which will further enhance what is on offer for parents, families and the wider community.” 

Peter Ptashko, a member of Rhyl’s Governing Body who has supported the Community Hub development, said: “Myself and the entire Governing Body are delighted to see the launch of the Community Hub and the expansion of our inclusive and creative approach to learning extended to two-year-olds. This project has been several years in the making and represents an innovative opportunity for localised community services to be brought together and offered to the school’s surrounding Queen’s Crescent community, following the merger of Carlton into Rhyl Community Primary School. I have been delighted to champion this exciting project - that represents an incredible legacy for both schools - from the beginning and we will continue to work with our local community to enhance and expand this provision in Gospel Oak and beyond over the coming years.” 

Background information: 

  • In March 2021, Camden Council's Cabinet agreed to merge Rhyl and Carlton primary schools, closing Carlton Primary School to reduce school places overall and tackle surplus places, whilst keeping the former Carlton site open for education and community use under the leadership of Rhyl, which has been operating from two sites (Grafton Road and Rhyl Street) since September 2021
  • As part of the refurbishment of the Grafton Road building, the site and facilities remain in use for the school’s local community and for the benefit of children and their families. A programme of activities and support for parents, children and the community is now running, including mother and daughter exercise classes, English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) and adult community learning classes, with more to be announced
  • Meanwhile, Rhyl is working with the Council’s Job Hub to deliver parent employability workshops from the Grafton Road site during this February’s half-term, while the Council has also invested in improvements to the playground of the Rhyl Street site
  • The Rhyl Street site is home to the Rhyl Kitchen Classroom - the school’s innovative community kitchen for top quality food education. The fully-equipped kitchen is in the heart of the school’s outdoor classroom and food garden, enabling teaching and learning from ‘plot to plate’
  • For more details about Rhyl Community Primary School, their new nursery, as well as their family and community activities or support, please contact the school.