Ysgol Dyffryn Aman ( Amman Valley School) is a bilingual (

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

and English)

comprehensive school A comprehensive school is a secondary school for pupils aged 11–16 or 11–18, that does not select its intake on the basis of academic achievement or aptitude, in contrast to a selective school system where admission is restricted on the basis ...

and

sixth form In the education systems of Barbados, England, Jamaica, Northern Ireland, Trinidad and Tobago, Wales, and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepa ...

Ammanford Ammanford ( ) is a town and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the community had a population of 5,445, and the wider built up area had a population of 8,285. Ammanford is se ...

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

. It is situated on Margaret Street in the north of Ammanford town centre. The school has approximately 1,400 students enrolled, of whom approximately 250 are in the sixth form.

Admissions

It is a mixed-gender

non-denominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. The term has been used in the context of various faiths, including Jainism, Baháʼí Faith, Zoro ...

secondary school. At the time of the school's 2019

Estyn Estyn is the education and training inspectorate for Wales. Its name comes from the Welsh language verb meaning 'to reach (out), stretch or extend'. Its function is to provide an independent inspection and advice service on quality and stand ...

inspection, it had 1,436 pupils on roll, including 267 in the

. Approximately one third of students come from Welsh-speaking homes, 47% speak Welsh fluently, and more than half of the students study Welsh as their first language.

History

The school was formerly known as Amman Valley Comprehensive School (AVCS), prior to which it was the Amman Valley Grammar School. It originally opened as Amman Valley County School in 1913, while a new school was built, opening 19 January 1928. In 1970, Amman Valley Grammar School and Amman Valley Secondary Modern School merged, becoming Amman Valley Comprehensive School. The school adopted a bilingual name, Ysgol Dyffryn Aman / Amman Valley School, prior to 2011. Following education reform in the Dinefwr area, the board of governors unanimously voted in favour of changing the name to Ysgol Dyffryn Aman. The school is now known by its Welsh name only and this is the form used on all official literature, signs and documents.

2024 stabbing

On 24 April 2024, the school was placed on

lockdown A lockdown () is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely. The term is used for a prison protocol that us ...

after two teachers and a student were injured in a

stabbing A stabbing is penetrating trauma, penetration or rough contact with a sharp or pointed object at close range. ''Stab'' connotes purposeful action, as by an Assassination, assassin or murderer, but it is also possible to accidentally stab oneself ...

attack. A teenage girl was arrested by

Dyfed–Powys Police Dyfed-Powys Police (; DPP) is the territorial police force in Wales policing Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire (which make up the former administrative area of Dyfed) and the unitary authority of Powys (covering Brecknockshire, Radn ...

on suspicion of attempted murder, and two

air ambulance Air medical services are the use of aircraft, including both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters to provide various kinds of urgent medical care, especially prehospital, emergency and critical care to patients during aeromedical evacuation an ...

s and an ambulance were sent to the scene at 11:30 a.m. The police requested that footage of the incident on social media be "removed to avoid contempt of court and distress to those affected". Pupils of the school were released at 3:20 p.m. to their parents and guardians, many of whom had been waiting outside the school. The three casualties were later discharged from hospital. On 3 February 2025, the 14-year-old perpetrator was found guilty of three counts of attempted murder, having pleaded guilty to three counts of wounding with intent and possession of a bladed article. The girl had told police officers that she committed the acts to be on the news and be a celebrity. She was sentenced to 15 years of detention.

Estyn reports

The school's most recent

report was conducted in 2019. The school was judged to be 'good' in its standards, teaching and learning experiences, pastoral care, and leadership and management. Its wellbeing and attitudes to learning were described as 'excellent'. It was recommended that the school improves its students' spoken and written Welsh, provide a wider curriculum for

Key Stage 4 Key Stage 4 (KS4) is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other examinations, in maintained schools in England normally known as Year 10 and Year 11, when pupils are aged between 14 and 16 by August 31 ...

and the sixth form, and improve ICT skills across all subjects.

References

External links

*
Amman Valley Comprehensive School League Table Performance
From

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

History of the school

EduBase
{{authority control Ammanford Secondary schools in Carmarthenshire Educational institutions established in 1928 1928 establishments in Wales