Dear Parents and Relatives,

It seems a long time since May 2013, when we were informed of the proposal to build on a new site for both schools on the other side of town. Yet here we are, five years later, on the threshold of that move, with the school community bracing itself with a mixture of sadness and excitement at leaving the old behind while embracing the new.

This school is steeped in its history, with the old traditional and distinctive building being a wonderful home to over 170 years of education. Thousands of pupils and hundreds of staff have all collaborated in a positive educational environment over many generations. This longevity, is a testament to the importance of this school to the town of Ruthin over recent centuries.

The Farewell Event this week was just perfect, because it gave all our current pupils the chance to look back and look forward to the future. They sang their song with pride and it was wonderful to welcome current and old friends who made the effort to attend. It was very special to see a packed hall as a fitting finale.

While we may be moving buildings, we are and will remain the same school, with the same values, principles and aims. We have the same mission to provide opportunity, realise potential and enrich learners together and this vision will prevail and drive us forward. We will have the same pupils, same staff and same community around us, who will ensure that this is the case and the name synonymous with education in Ruthin: “Rhos Street School,” will rightly go with us. It is a brand of which we are proud and the retention of our name, reflects our wish to hold on to as much as we can from our current incarnation, while we also strive to take advantage of fantastic new facilities and resources to drive us forward into the future of an ever changing world.

Our old building will remain a cherished landmark in this town. While we acknowledge that we have to leave it behind, I cannot overstate how important it is to us, that this building is left standing long into the future and that its distinctive and historic external features, remain untouched.

As an old Chinese proverb says:
“The wise man and the tortoise travel but never leave their home.”
We may be travelling to the other side of town, but we live on and our home is Rhos Street School.

Yours sincerely,

Bryn D. Jones
Headteacher, Pennaeth