CYN DDISGYBLION / EX-PUPILS
Alys Roberts
Os gwelwch chi nofel gan awdur o'r enw Alys Roberts ar silff Waterstones
rhyw ddydd, yna prynwch hi! Fe ddylai fod yn dda. Mae Cymraeg a Saesneg
Alys yn llifo fel ei gilydd ac mae'n treulio cryn dipyn o'i hamser
sbar yn ysgrifennu yn y ddwy iaith.
Dim bod llawer o amser sbar ganddi chwaith. Mae Alys yn 15 oed ac
yn ddisgybl yn ysgol yng Ngogledd Llundain. Nid yn unig mae'n
astudio at arholiadau TGAU yn y pynciau craidd a Ffrangeg, Celf, Tecstiliau,
y Cyfryngau a Daearyddiaeth ond mae am ychwanegu Cymraeg at y rhestr
hefyd. Fe fydd hi'n astudio'r gwaith cwrs gyda'r nos gyda'i Mam, Glenys.
Mae'n edrych ymlaen at yr her meddai hi ac yn gobeithio y daw ei thair
iaith a chyfle iddi deithio'n eang, a gwneud gwaith i Amnest Ryngwladol.
Chafodd hi ddim trafferth o gwbwl gyda'i phrofion TASAU yn yr ysgol
lle'r aeth hi'n 8 oed. Fe gafodd y marc ucha - 5 - yn ei phrofion
Mathemateg, Saesneg a Gwyddoniaeth. Roedd llawr iawn o'r diolch am
hynny, meddai, i'r Ysgol Gymraeg. Ar ol bod yn ddisgybl amser llawn am
flynyddoedd, roedd hi'n dal i fynd yno ar ddydd Gwener ac fe gafodd 4/5
yn ei phrawf Cymraeg hefyd.
'Yn Llundain ces i ngeni' meddai Alys. 'Ro'dd Mam yn mynnu mod i a
mrawd Aled yn siarad Cymraeg yn y ty' efo hi, a Saesneg efo Dad. Dwi'n
cofio dechrau mynd i siarad Saesneg efo'n ffrindiau ar yr iard yn
yr Ysgol Gymraeg un diwrnod ond dyma'r bachgen yma'n dod heibio ac
yn dweud na, ei fod o'n mynd i siarad Cymraeg gan bod ni'n mynd i
Ysgol Gymraeg. Dyma fi'n penderfynu, wel ia, Cymraeg dwi'n mynd i
siarad o hyn allan'. A dyna beth wnaeth hi a'i ffrindiau gorau Mirain,
Rhiannon a Hannah. Mae'r pedair ffrind yn dal i fyw yn Llundain ac
er eu bod nhw'n gorfod teithio'n reit bell i weld ei gilydd, diolch
i E-bost a ffôn a'r Eisteddfod maen nhw'n dal i gadw cysylltiad.
'Pan es i o'r Ysgol Gymraeg i ysgol saesneg yn 8 oed ro'dd o'n dipyn
o sioc i'r system' mae Alys yn cyfaddef. 'Ro'dd yr ysgol newydd yn
teimlo'n andros o fawr. Mi o'dd un dosbarth yno'n fwy na'r Ysgol Gymraeg
i gyd ond ar ol bod yn andros o swil am chydig wythnosau mi setles
i fewn yn gret. Dwi'm hyd yn oed yn cofio newid o un iaith i'r llall.
Do'dd o'm yn anodd o gwbwl. Do'n i'm di arfer siarad gymaint o Saesneg
ond mi ddoth hynny'n reit sydyn'.
A beth am y gwaith? Oedd hwnnw'n anodd? 'Dim o gwbwl. Ro'n i di hen
arfer efo gwaith caled yn yr Ysgol Gymraeg! Ac ro'dd y dosbarth mor
fach, yna os o'n i'n methu gneud darn o waith neu ddim wedi dallt
y wers, dwi'n cofio bod hi'n hawdd iawn gofyn i'r athrawes am help.
Ro'dd y berthynas rhwng y plant a'r athrawon yn ffantastic'.
Beth arall mae'n gofio? Tripiau i Langrannog wrth gwrs a chael lot
o hwyl yn merlota, bod efo ffrindiau Cymraeg eu hiaith, a 'midnight
feasts' Cymraeg yn dipyn o uchafbwynt! 'Dwi'n siwr o fynd i fyw yng
Nghymru rhyw ddydd. Dwi isho trafaelio gynta ond o ran plant, fedra
i'm dychmygu siarad Saesneg efo mhlant felly mi fyswn i wrth y modd
yn mynd i fyw yng Nghymru'. Newyddion gwych i Nain sy'n byw yn Llanelian
ger Bae Colwyn ac sydd wrth ei bodd fod ei hwyrion yn siarad Cymraeg
glân, gloyw. 'Mae hi'n mynd â ni i'r capel a'r 'whist
drive' ac yn dweud wrth bawb ei bod hi'n falch ohonon ni'.
Fel un sydd wedi cael profiad o dair ysgol felly, beth yw barn Alys
am ei chyfnod yn yr Ysgol Gymraeg? 'Gwych. Wel mae o wedi gweithio
i fi yn tydi?'
Alys Roberts
If you see a novel by the author Alys Roberts on the shelves of Waterstones,
one day, buy it! It should be good! English and Welsh both flow from
Alys's pen and she spends a lot of her spare time writing in both
languages.
Not that Alys has much spare time. Alys is 15 years old and is a pupil
at a school in North London. Not only is she studying for her GCSEs in
the core subjects as well as French, Art, Textiles, Media and Geography
but she hopes to add Welsh to the list too. She is studying the coursework
during the evenings with her Mum, Glenys. She says that she is looking
forward to the challenge and hopes that the three languages will help
her to travel widely and work for Amnesty International.
At the age of 8 Alys started at an English primary school, where she had no
problem tackling her SATS exams. She achieved the highest grades -
5 - in Mathematics, English and Science. Alys believes that the main
thanks for that must go to the Welsh School. After being a full time
pupil for many years, she attended on Fridays and achieved 4/5 in
her Welsh test as well.
"I was born in London," says Alys. "Mum insisted that my brother and
I spoke Welsh with her and English to our Dad. I remember starting
to speak English to my friends on the playground at the Welsh School
one day but a boy came by and said that, no he was going to speak
in Welsh as we were at a Welsh school. I decided that, yes, I was
going to speak it too from now on." And that is what she and her best
friends Mirain, Rhiannon and Hannah did. The four friends still live
in London and although they have to travel quite far to see each other,
thanks to e-mail, the phone and the Eisteddfod they still manage to
keep in touch.
"When I left the Welsh School to go to an English primary school at 8 yrs
old, it was quite a shock to the system" confesses Alys. "The new
school felt terribly big. One class was bigger than the whole of the
Welsh School but having been very shy for a few weeks I settled down
fine. I don't even remember switching from one language to another.
It wasn't difficult at all. I wasn't used to speaking so much English
but that sorted itself out very quickly".
What about the work? Was that difficult? "Not at all. I was very used
to hard work at the Welsh School! The class was so small that if I
was unable to understand the lesson or was not able to complete any
piece of work then it was easy to ask the teacher for help. The relationship
between the children and the teacher was fantastic".
What else does she remember? Trips to Llangrannog, of course, and
lots of fun pony trekking, being with Welsh speaking friends and Welsh
'midnight feasts' were typical highlights! "I'm sure to live in Wales
one day. I'd like to travel first but as far as children are concerned
I can't imagine speaking English to them so I would love to go and
live in Wales". Great news for Alys's grandmother who lives in Llanelian
near Colwyn Bay and adores the fact that her grandchildren speak fluent
Welsh. "She takes us to the chapel and Whist Drives and tells everyone
how proud she is of us".
As someone who has experienced three schools, what does Alys think
of her time at the Welsh School? "Excellent. Well, it's worked for
me, hasn't it?"
Aled Roberts
Brawd bach Alys yw Aled. Yn 13 oed mae e hefyd yn ddisgybl yng Ngogledd
Llundain a lawn mor rhugl â'i chwaer yn y ddwy iaith.
'Weithiau mi fydd un o'n ffrindiau i'n dweud rywbeth fel 'Say something
in Welsh' ond dy'n nhw'm yn cymryd llawer o sylw mod i'n siarad Cymraeg.
Dwi jest yn un o'r bois. Mae 'na lwyth o blant yn yr ysgol fan hyn
sy'n siarad mwy nag un iaith beth bynnag felly does neb yn gneud ffys
bod ni'n siarad Cymraeg'.
Mathemateg, gwyddoniaeth a dylunio yw pethau Aled. 'Dwi'n hoff o
Ddaearyddiaeth hefyd ac yn meddwl falle swn i'n licio bod yn
beirnianydd neu 'surveyor' falle' meddai. Fe hwyliodd drwy ei brofion
TASAU. 5 mewn Mathemateg, 5 mewn Gwyddoniaeth a 4 mewn Saesneg ac mae'n
cofio cyrraedd yr ysgol newydd a chanfod fod llawer iawn o'r gwaith yn
y dosbarth yn gyfarwydd iddo. 'Ro'dd Miss Edwards yn andros o dda yn
ein dysgu ni. Ro'n i wedi gneud llawer o'r gwaith o'r llyfrau
Mathemateg yn barod yn yr Ysgol Gymraeg. Do'dd hi ddim yn hawdd mynd o
un ysgol i'r llall chwaith. Do'n i ddim wedi arfer siarad a sgwennu
Saesneg gymaint ond fe wnes i arfer reit sydyn, a do'dd y gwaith ddim
yn anodd o gwbwl'.
5 oedd ym mlwyddyn Aled yn yr Ysgol Gymraeg. Sut roedd e'n ffeindio
bod yn rhan o griw mor fach? 'Ro'dd o'n beth da dwi'n credu. Ro'n
i'n cael lot fawr o sylw ac mi o'dd yr athrawes yn medru cadw llygad
da arnon ni, be o'n i'n fedru gneud neu o'n i angen help llaw. Ro'dd
y daith i'r ysgol yn hir yn y bore ond ro'n i'n chware rasus efo'n
ffrind Daniel. Ro'dd o'n teithio i'r ysgol o ben arall Llundain ac
ro'n niÕn ffonio'n gilydd cyn cychwyn a chael ras i weld pwy fysa'n
cyrraedd gynta!'
Fel ei chwaer mae'n dal i gofio'r gwyliau yn Llangrannog, y sgio a'r
'quadbikes' yn ffefrynnau mawr. 'Ro'dd hi'n braf cael gwyliau efo
ffrindiau Cymraeg, ddim jest ysgol a gwersi. Cymraeg ma Alys, Mam
a fi yn siarad yn y ty'. Dan ni'n dal i neud ac mi odd hynny'n bwysig
pan o'n i'n tyfu fyny. Dwi yn falch mod i'n siarad Cymraeg. Dwi'n
credu bydd o'n help efo ieithioedd eraill yn y dyfodol ac os bydda
i isho byw yng Nghymru
rhyw ddydd, mi fydd hi'n haws i fi gael gwaith'.
Aled Roberts
Aled is Alys's younger brother. At 13 years old he also attends school
in North London and is just as fluent in Welsh as Alys.
"Sometimes one of my friends might say something like 'Say something
in Welsh' but they don't take much notice that I speak Welsh. I'm
just one of the boys. There are loads of children here that speak
more than one language anyway so nobody makes a fuss that we speak
Welsh".
Mathematics, Science and Design are Aled's favourite subjects. "I like
Geography too and think that I may like to be an Engineer or a Surveyor
perhaps. He sailed through his SATS. 5 in Mathematics, 5 in Science and
4 in English. He also remembers arriving at my new school and finding
that a lot of the work was familiar to him. "Miss Edwards was very good
at teaching us. We had done a lot of the work from the maths books
already at the Welsh School. It wasn't easy going from one school to
another either. I wasn't used to speaking and writing so much English
but I became used to it very quickly, and the work wasn't difficult at
all".
There were 5 pupils in Aled's year at the Welsh School. How did he
find being in such a small group? "It was a good thing I think. I
got a lot of attention and the teacher could keep a good eye on us,
if we were doing something or needed help. The journey to school in
the morning was long but I used to play races with my friend Daniel.
He travelled from the other side of London and we used to phone each
other before starting out to see who would arrive first!"
Like his sister he still remembers the holidays in Llangrannog, the
skiing and the quad bikes being his favourite activities. "It was
great having holidays with my Welsh friends, not just school and lessons.
Welsh is what Alys, Mum and I speak in the house. I think it will
be helpful in learning other languages and if I should want to live
in Wales one day, it will be easy for me to find work".
Angharad Bryant
Seren bop neu actores yr hoffai Angharad Bryant fod meddai hi ac os
yw Angharad am fod yn seren, yna heb amheuaeth, dyna fydd hi!
'Mae teulu Mam a Dad yng Nghymru'n browd iawn bo fi'n gallu siarad
Cymraeg a bo fi'n gneud yn dda yn yr ysgol. Mae Mam o Frynaman Uchaf a Dad
yn dod o Donteg ac mae'n teulu ni bron i gyd yng Nghymru ac mae'n
ffrind gore i Nia yn byw yng Nghymru nawr a tasen i ddim yn gallu
siarad Cymraeg, yna pan dwi'n mynd i weld nhw bysen i ddim yn gallu
bod yn rhan o'r peth. Mae Mam yn gweud bo fi'n lwcus iawn'.
Deg oed yw Angharad erbyn hyn. Roedd hi'n ddisgybl llawn amser yn
yr Ysgol Gymraeg tan yn saith oed, yna fe aeth i ysgol leol yn Chiswick
gan ddal ati i ddod i'r Ysgol Gymraeg bob dydd Gwener. 'Roedd pawb
yn canmol ei gwaith hi'n fawr ac yn synnu bod ei gwaith ysgrifennu
hi cystal. Ro'n ni'n ffeindio ei bod hi ar y blaen o ran safon ei
gwaith i gymharu â'r plant eraill yn yr ysgol leol' meddai ei
Mam, Helen. 'Ond y gwir yw bod y fath ofal yn yr Ysgol Gymraeg, a'r
plant yn dysgu'n ifanc iawn i edrych ar ôl ei gilydd a hybu
gwaith ei gilydd, yna mae'n rhaid i fi ddweud bod eu gwaith nhw i
gyd yn ardderchog. Doedd safon gwaith Angharad ddim yn anghyffredin
yn yr Ysgol Gymraeg ond fan hyn, roedd hi'n bendant ar y blaen'.
Ydy Angharad yn cofio sut brofiad oedd symud o'r un ysgol i'r llall?
'O dwi yn cofio bod dipyn bach yn nerfus ar y diwrnod cynta pan es
i i'r ysgol leol. Ond diwrnod 'y mhenblwydd i odd y diwrnod cynta,
Medi'r 6ed felly fe ganodd pawb 'Penblwydd Hapus' ac on i'n ok. Setles
i lawr yn ok ond on i'n dal i fynd i'r Ysgol Gymraeg bob dydd Gwner
ac on i'n dal i weld Nia, fy ffrind gore i'.
Dros y gwyliau Haf fe wnaeth Angharad brofion Mathemateg a Saesneg a
phrawf sillafu, a chael ysgoloriaeth i ysgol breifat yn Chiswick. Mae
hi wrth ei bodd yno - a dyw'r gwaith ddim yn broblem o gwbwl iddi.
'Ry'n ni'n cael pethau fel 'special mentions' yn ysgol a dwi di cael
'special mention' a tystysgrif chwaraeon a 'special mention' am
ddarllen a pel-rwyd hefyd'.
Mae chwaer fach Angharad, Sioned, yn dod i'r Ysgol Gymraeg bob dydd
Gwener ac am yn ail wythnos, mae Angharad yn dal i ddod hefyd. 'Fi
mor falch achos tasen i byth wedi mynd i'r Ysgol Gymraeg bysen i byth
wedi gallu siarad Cymraeg. Ro'n i'n deall Cymraeg cyn mynd ond do'n
i ddim yn siarad. Nawr dwi'n siarad Cymraeg fel Mam a Dad. O a hefyd
tasen i byth wedi mynd i'r Ysgol Gymraeg bysen i byth wedi cwrdd â
Nia'.
Nia eto! Pwy yw Nia felly? 'Nia yw'n ffrind gore i a nawr mae hi'n
byw yn Rhuthun a dros y gwyliau hanner tymor ethon ni ar wyliau gyda
Nia a'i theulu achos ry'n ni'n dal yn ffrindiau'.
Nid yn unig maen nhw'n dal yn ffrindiau. Fe
aeth Angharad i Ruthun i aros gyda Nia ac ymweld â dosbarth
Nia yn ysgol. 'Wedodd Mam bo fi'n lwcus iawn achos tasen
i ddim yn siarad Cymraeg bysen i ddim wedi gallu mynd gyda Nia a gweld
popeth a bod yn rhan o bopeth'. Ac mae 'popeth' Nia ac Angharad yn
digwydd yn gwbwl ddwy-ieithog. 'Ni'n dal i fynd i Langrannog bob blwyddyn
a ni'n cael 'sleepovers' Cymraeg a ni'n sgio a nofio a weithiau dwi'n
siarad Cymraeg a weithiau Saesneg gyda Nia a weithiau dwi'n anghofio
a dwi'n siarad Cymraeg gyda pobol sydd ddim yn siarad Cymraeg o gwbwl!'
Felly ydy hi'n falch iddi deithio am hanner awr bob bore i'r Ysgol
Gymraeg? 'O ydw. A fi'n falch bo fi'n dal i fynd nawr am yn ail ddydd
Gwener. Weithiau dwi'n colli pethau yn ysgol ond mae'n
gwneud fi'n wahanol'.
Angharad Bryant
An actress or a pop star is what Angharad would like to be and if
Angharad would like to be a star that is what, undoubtedly, she will
be!
" My Mum's and Dad's families in Wales are very proud that I can speak
Welsh and that I'm doing well at school. Mum is from Upper Brynamman
and Dad comes from Tonteg and most of our family live in Wales and my
best friend Nia lives in Wales now and if I didn't speak Welsh then I
couldn't be part of what was going on. Mum says I'm very lucky."
Angharad is now ten years old. She was a full time pupil at the Welsh
School until she was seven years old, and then went to a local school
in Chiswick whilst still attending the Welsh School on Fridays.
"Everyone commended her work very highly and were surprised at the
standard of her written work. We found that she was in advance of the
standard of work produced by the children at the local school" her
mother, Helen, states " The truth is that there is such a high level of
care at the Welsh School, and the children learn at a very young age to
look out for each other and support each other's work, then I must say
that their work is excellent. Angharad's standard of work was not out
of the ordinary at the Welsh School but here she was definitely out in
front."
Does Angharad remember the experience of moving from one school to the
other? " Oh yes I remember being a little bit nervous on my first day
when I went to my local school. But it was my birthday, September 6th,
so everyone sang "Happy Birthday" and then I was OK. I settled down OK
but I still went to the Welsh School on Friday and I still saw my best
friend Nia".
Over the summer holidays Angharad sat tests in Mathematics, English and
spelling and won a scholarship to an independent school in Chiswick.
She loves it there - and the work is no problem at all for her. " We
get "special mentions" at schoolo and I've had "special mentions" and a
sport certificate and a "special mention" for reading and netball as
well"
Angharad's younger sister Sioned attends the Welsh School on Fridays
and Angharad now attends every other Friday. " I'm so pleased because
if I had never gone to the Welsh School then I never would have been
able to speak Welsh. I understood Welsh before going but I didn't speak
it. Now I can speak like Mum and Dad. Oh and if I hadn't gone to the
Welsh School I would never have met Nia"
Nia again? Who is Nia then? " Nia is my best friend and she now lives
in Rhuthun and over the half-term holidays we went on holiday with Nia
and her family as we are still friends"
Not only are they still friends. Angharad went to stay with Nia in
Rhuthun and visited Nia's class. " Mum said I was very lucky because if
I hadn't spoken Welsh then I wouldn't have been able to go with Nia and
join in with everything". And Angharad and Nia's "everything" happens
completely bi-lingually. " We still go to Llangrannog every year and we
have Welsh "sleep-overs" and we go skiing and swimming and sometimes I
speak Welsh and sometimes English with Nia and sometimes I forget and
speak Welsh with people who don't speak Welsh at all!"
So is she pleased to have spent half an hour getting to the Welsh
school every morning? " Oh yes. And I'm glad that I still go every
other Friday. Sometimes I miss things at my school but it makes me
different"
Daniel Nugent
Ger Caerfyrddin yw cartref Daniel Nugent a'i frawd Rhys
erbyn hyn ac er nad yw ei rhieni'n siarad Cymraeg, mae Daniel a Rhys
yn siarad fel pwll y môr yn y ddwy iaith!
'Ges i bach o drafferth i ddeall pobol Caerfyrddin i ddechre ar ôl
byw yn Llundain am flynyddoedd. Ro'dd yr acen mor wahanol ond fe ddethon
ni'n dau i arfer yn reit glou'. Mae Daniel, sydd erbyn hyn yn 12 oed, yn ddisgybl
yn ysgol Gymraeg. 'Mae'n rili, rili gret' meddai 'a pan welodd
Mam y neuadd fawr am y tro cynta, wedodd hi gallech chi ffitio deuddeg
Ysgol Gymraeg fewn fan hyn!' Ond diolch i Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain meddai
Rosie, ei fam, fe lwyddodd ei dau fab i setlo'n hapus iawn yng Nghymru.
'Roedd y dosbarthiade yn Llundain yn fach iawn' yw un o atgofion cliriaf
Daniel. 'Fi odd yr unig un o'n oedran i yn yr ysgol ond do'dd dim
ots achos ro'n i'n cael gwersi ac yn cael chwarae gyda'r plant yn
y flwyddyn hy'n na fi. Ro'n ni gyd fewn gyda'n gilydd ac ro'dd hynny'n
gweithio'n gret. Ro'n i jest yn gneud yr un peth â nhw yn y
stafell ddosbarth ac on i'n mynd atyn nhw amser chware ac amser cinio.
Dwi'n cofio bo fi'n cael croeso'r rhan fwya o'r amser!'
Er nad oedd Cymraeg i'w gael adre o gwbwl fe ddaeth Cymraeg Daniel
yn rhugl. Ac roedd yr addysg gafodd yn Llundain yn ddi-guro meddai
ei fam. Pan aeth i fyw yn Sir Gaerfyrddin, y neges ddaeth adre o'r
ysgol oedd ei fod e a'i frawd dipyn ar y blaen i'w gyd-ddisgyblion.
Roedd Daniel eisoes wedi gwneud cryn dipyn o'r gwaith cwrs. 'Ro'dd
e'n gret i fi achos ro'n i'n gw'bod yr atebion. Wedodd Mam a Dad bo
fi'n lwcus iawn achos ro'dd pawb arall yn gorfod gweithio'n galed
ac ro'n i wedi gneud llawer iawn o'r gwaith caled yn Llundain yn barod.'
'Nes i'n dda yn y profion TASAU. Yr unig bwnc anodd oedd Mathemateg
a dim bai'r Ysgol Gymraeg oedd hynny chwaith. Fi sy ar fai am beidio
dysgu fy nhablau yn well!'
Fe ddaeth rhywbeth arall gyda byw yn Llundain hefyd. 'Dwi'n lico Addysg
Grefyddol achos fe wnes i ddysgu lot am grefydde gwahanol wrth fyw
yn Llundain. Dyniaethau yw un o'n hoff wersi i nawr yn ysgol'.
Mae e hefyd yn mwynhau Gwyddoniaeth, Saesneg a Drama. 'Mae'r athrawon
yn gweud bo fi'n gneud yn dda iawn yn y gwersi Saesneg a Drama. Dwi
wrth y modd yn actio. Ond dwi'n joio Cymraeg llawer mwy nawr nag on
i. Mae llawer o'r plant fan hyn yn dod o gartrefi lle maen nhw'n siarad
Cymraeg drwy'r amser felly ro'n i'n ffeindio fe lot caletach na nhw.
Nawr dwi'n dod mla'n yn ok'. Mae e hyd yn oed yn darllen nofelau T
Llew Jones fel ei ffrind gorau, Gweirydd ac yn aelod brwd o'r aelwyd.
'Dwi di setlo'n wych a fysen i byth di gallu ffito mewn fan hyn heblaw
am Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain'.
Daniel Nugent
Daniel
and Rhys, his brother, have recently made their home near Carmarthen
and even though neither of their parents speaks Welsh Daniel and Rhys
are fluent in both languages.
"I had a bit of a problem understanding Carmarthen people to start with
after living in London for years. The accent was very different but we
became used to it very quickly". "It's really really great" says Daniel
"and when my Mum saw the big hall for the first time, she said you
could fit in twelve London Welsh Schools there!" But thanks to the
Welsh School in London said Rosie, his mum, both her sons managed to
settle very happily in Wales.
"The classes in London were very small" is one of Daniel's clearest
memories. " I was the only pupil of my age at the school but I didn't
mind because I had lessons and played with children in the year above.
We were all in together and that worked out great. I just did the same
as them in the classroom and I played with them at playtime and at
lunchtime. I remember being made welcome most of the time!"
Even though Welsh was not spoken at home, Daniel became a fluent Welsh
speaker. The education he received at the school was second to none,
his mother states. When he went to live in Carmarthenshire, the message
came home from school that both he and his brother were quite in
advance of the other pupils. Daniel had already completed a lot of the
coursework. "It was great for me because I knew the answers. Mum and
Dad said I was very lucky because everyone else had to work very hard
but that I had already completed a lot of the hard work in London."
" I did very well in the SATS tests. The only difficult subject was
Mathematics and that was not the Welsh school's fault. I am to blame
for not learning my tables better."
There were other advantages to living in London as well. " I like
religious education because I learnt a lot about different religions by
living in London. Humanities is now one of my favourite subjects ". He
also enjoys Science, English and Drama. "The teachers tell me that I'm
doing very well in my English and Drama lessons. I love acting. But I
also enjoy Welsh a lot more than I used to. Many of the children come
from families where they speak Welsh the whole time so I found it a lot
harder than they do. Now I get on OK." He even reads novels by T. Llew
Jones like his best friend, Gweirydd, and is a keen member of the
"aelwyd" (Welsh youth club).
"I am settling in really well and I don't think I would have fitted in if it hadn't been for the Welsh School in London."
Rhys Nugent
Dim ond 6 oed oedd Rhys yn gadael Llundain ond gofynnwch iddo ydy
e'n cofio'i ddyddiau yn yr Ysgol Gymraeg ac ry'ch chi'n agor y fflodiart!
'O ydw! Dwi'n cofio gneud llunie a dwi'n cofio criw teledu'n dod i
ffilmio stori ar gyfer y newyddion pan on i'n fach ac ro'n i'n cysgu.'
Mae'n dychmygu Mamgu yn y Rhondda'n gwylio'r teledu ac yn gweld ei
hwyr yn cysgu'n sownd ar y sgr•n yng Nghymru!
'Dyw Mam a Dad ddim yn siarad Cymraeg ond ro'dd Mam moyn i Daniel
a fi siarad Cymraeg. Dyna pam ethon ni i Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain. Mae
Mam yn dysgu Cymraeg nawr ond dwi'n siarad Cymraeg drwy'r amser yn
ysgol'.
Fel ei frawd mae'n cofio ffrindiau wnaeth e ar yr iard ac yn yr ystafell
ddosbarth yn Llundain. Mae e'n dal i'w gweld nhw'n y Steddfod bob
blwyddyn ac yn holi'n daer am bawb. Ond mae ganddo lond lle o ffrindiau
newydd erbyn hyn a doedd setlo i fyw yng Ngorllewin Cymru ddim yn
anodd o gwbwl meddai. 'Dwi'n hoffi gneud Cymraeg yn y dosbarth yn
ysgol. Mae'n OK ac mae'r athrawon yn helpu bob amser. Ni'n
neud popeth yn Gymraeg. Os oes gwers Wyddoniaeth neu Hanes yna ni'n
gneud nhw yn Gymraeg' mae'n egluro. 'Dyw Daniel a fi ddim yn siarad
Cymraeg gyda'n gilydd yn y ty' bob amser ond weithiau ni'n gneud.
Ond Cymraeg dwi wastad yn siarad yn yr ysgol'.
Mae'n cofio'r tripiau i Langrannog hefyd. Beth oedd y sbort mwyaf?
'Nofio, ceffylau, sgio, sglefrolio a'r peth gorau i gyd odd y tobogans.
Odd y tobogans yn ffantastic!'
Newydd wneud ei brofion Saesneg, Cymraeg a Gwyddoniaeth mae Rhys.
Mae'r gwaith caled drosodd ond fe fydd raid aros am ychydig cyn daw'r
marciau. 'Wi'n meddwl bo fi di gneud yn ok yn y prawf Cymraeg a Saesneg
ond ... sai'n rhy siwr am y gwyddoniaeth. Bydd raid i fi weld shwt
aeth hi.'
Ac mae yna un neges bwysig arall ganddo cyn mynd. 'Tymor d'wetha fe
wedon nhw'n yr ysgol bod ymwelydd yn dod i siarad â ni, a chi'n
gw'bod pwy oedd e? Mr Davies. Fe yw'r athro newydd yn yr ysgol yn
Llundain. Fe ddaeth e i roi gwers Gymraeg ac i sôn am yr ysgol
yn Llundain a rhoi hanes yr ysgol i blant Caerfyrddin'. Ac mae Rhys
wrth ei fodd fod criw Ysgol y Dderwen i gyd wedi cael clywed am ei
ysgol gyntaf e - Ysgol Gymraeg Llundain.
Rhys Nugent
Rhys was only six when he left London but when you ask him to recall his days at the Welsh School the floodgates open!
" Oh yes! I remember drawing pictures and I remember a TV crew coming
to film an item for the news and I was sleeping" He imagines his
grandmother watching him on TV in the Rhondda and seeing her grandson
fast asleep on the small screen in Wales!"
" Mum and Dad don't speak Welsh but Mum wanted Daniel and I to speak
Welsh. That's why we went to the Welsh School in London. Mum is
learning Welsh now but I speak Welsh the whole time at school."
Like his brother he remembers the friends he made on the yard and in
the classroom in London. He still sees them at the Eisteddfod every
year and asks fervently about everyone. But now he has a whole load of
new friends and settling in West Wales was not difficult at all, he
says. " I like doing Welsh in the class at school. It's OK and the
teacher helps the whole time. We do everything in Welsh. If there is a
Science or History lesson then we do it in Welsh" he explains. "Daniel
and I don't always speak to each other in Welsh at home although
sometimes we do. But I always speak Welsh at school."
He remembers the trips to Llangrannog as well. What was the greatest
fun?" Swimming, ponies, skiing, roller-skating and the best thing were
the toboggans. The toboggans were fantastic!"
Rhys has just completed his English, Welsh and Science tests. The hard
work is over but he will have to wait a while for the marks. " I think
I've done OK in the Welsh and English tests but…. I'm not too sure
about the Science. I'll have to wait and see how it went."
And he has another important message before leaving. "Last term they
said that a visitor was coming to talk to us, and do you know who it
was? Mr Davies. He is the new teacher at the school in London. He came
to give a Welsh lesson and to talk about the school in London and to
give the history of the school to Carmarthen children." And Rhys was
very pleased that the crew from school heard about his first school -
the Welsh School in London.
2005 © YSGOL GYMRAEG LLUNDAIN
