:00:13. > :00:17.headlines: Bring back elements of the old grammar school system. The
:00:17. > :00:24.Welsh Conservatives say it would raise standards. But the Education
:00:24. > :00:34.Minister said he thought someone was Conservative Party Leader whether it
:00:34. > :00:37.
:00:37. > :00:42.is the way forward for schools or a Andrew Broderick measures out water
:00:42. > :00:45.to save money on bills. A new survey claims almost half of us are
:00:45. > :00:49.struggling to pay the rent or mortgage. Barry Town take their
:00:49. > :00:51.fight from the field to the High Court, taking on the FAW in a battle
:00:51. > :00:56.to be reinstated into the Welsh League.
:00:56. > :01:04.Statement apartment blocks at Swansea Marina. But there's concern
:01:04. > :01:07.too many could be built. And should the Eisteddfod settle in
:01:07. > :01:17.one place and end the tradition of travelling across the country? A
:01:17. > :01:21.taskforce reviewing the future of Good evening. A call tonight for a
:01:21. > :01:24.return to parts of the old grammar school system. The Welsh
:01:25. > :01:27.Conservatives are behind the idea. While they've ruled out
:01:28. > :01:32.re-introducing the 11+ test, they want to change our schools to
:01:32. > :01:37.separate children by ability at the age of 14. The plans have already
:01:37. > :01:46.attracted heavy criticism from other political parties. Over to our
:01:46. > :01:49.education correspondent Arwyn Jones. Arwyn. Grammar schools were
:01:49. > :01:57.introduced in the 1940s. They were synonymous with academic achievement
:01:57. > :02:00.and also elitism. If you got in, the sky was the limit, but lose out and
:02:00. > :02:07.life was more difficult. The last grammar school in Wales closed
:02:07. > :02:17.nearly three decades ago but it's still a divisive issue. Times have
:02:17. > :02:22.
:02:22. > :02:25.changed. They were loved and loathed in equal measures. Suit -- for
:02:25. > :02:31.supporters, they would a chance for those to excel in schools. For
:02:31. > :02:39.critics, for young children, fearing the exam meant your life chances to
:02:39. > :02:43.be big not at an early chain -- oh each. The Conservatives version will
:02:43. > :02:46.not include those exams. Rather, pupils will be separated out 14
:02:46. > :02:50.although the idea is they will still be in the same school. Some will
:02:50. > :02:55.then be put on vocational courses and others will follow a more
:02:55. > :03:01.academic route. A version of this already exists in Wales where some
:03:01. > :03:08.pupils can choose vocational courses at GCSE level. Details of how the
:03:08. > :03:12.new plan will work are still thin on the ground. David Cameron has ruled
:03:12. > :03:15.out this sort of selective schooling preparing to go with free schools
:03:15. > :03:19.and academies which we don't have in Wales. It might be the Conservatives
:03:19. > :03:24.in Wales are keen to appeal to become dish -- traditional
:03:24. > :03:31.conservative voter who sees this sort of selective education better
:03:31. > :03:34.than the contents of system Wales has at the moment. In the late 80s,
:03:34. > :03:38.this was the last grammar school to close in Wales. In Northern
:03:39. > :03:48.Ireland, they have kept them and nearly 70 remain. Last year, three
:03:49. > :03:58.
:03:58. > :04:02.quarters of the GCSE duple Scott system in Northern Ireland point two
:04:02. > :04:08.the learning outcomes, results in grammar schools are consistently
:04:08. > :04:13.higher and students consistently outperformed their counterparts.
:04:13. > :04:19.Secondly, there is the issue of social mobility. Supporters would
:04:19. > :04:23.argue it enhances mobility because grammar schools are open to anybody
:04:23. > :04:31.regardless of background. It enhances social mobility who allows
:04:31. > :04:39.anybody in who can pass the test. Well so they powerful tradition of
:04:39. > :04:42.educational excellence. -- Wales. Whether or not a form of grammar
:04:42. > :04:48.school will work remains to be seen. I'm joined in the studio by the
:04:48. > :04:54.leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies. Aren't these plans
:04:54. > :04:58.just grammar schools in name only? The pupils should all be in the same
:04:58. > :05:05.school as they are now. Your macro no, it is completely different. We
:05:05. > :05:09.are talking about completing phases. At the moment, the big transfer
:05:09. > :05:14.happens at the age of 11 and most educationalists will point to a
:05:14. > :05:19.significant tail off in many children's attainment level in the
:05:19. > :05:24.first two or three second -- years of education in secondary school. We
:05:24. > :05:28.will address the ability to push pupils at the age of 14 into the
:05:28. > :05:34.byte streams so alternately they will achieve the best results and be
:05:34. > :05:37.employed within the marketplace. 14, pupils can go down the
:05:37. > :05:43.vocational route, how does this differ from the Welsh government is
:05:43. > :05:49.already doing? What I would say is that you have a lot of coasting
:05:49. > :05:51.going on in our school system. The National benchmark identifies
:05:51. > :05:55.falling standards. We have just seen in the package about Northern
:05:55. > :06:00.Ireland, how babies rated achievement in academic subjects in
:06:00. > :06:04.Northern Ireland and ultimately, if you look at the Dutch model, the
:06:04. > :06:08.middle school phases, a critical part of a child of my life in
:06:08. > :06:14.education, and we leave by combining all the proposals together with the
:06:14. > :06:20.best in the grammar school system, we will achieve excellent results.
:06:20. > :06:26.The Welsh Gottman says they don't want to go back to the devices issue
:06:27. > :06:36.of Grammar School. -- the divisive issue. How do we stop the stigma and
:06:37. > :06:40.do not --? Most pointedly 11 bus as being a big hurdle. We're not
:06:40. > :06:46.talking about doing that exam. I believe that was wrong and we are
:06:46. > :06:52.getting rid of that. We are changing the system so you have 3-8 and
:06:52. > :06:54.8-16, that is a vital change because for boys, especially in the
:06:54. > :06:58.transition to secondary school. And we are not frightened to push
:06:58. > :07:02.children to achieve the best, whether academically of
:07:02. > :07:10.vocationally. Alternately, the Welsh Conservatives are ambitious and we
:07:10. > :07:16.want the best education system. UK level, the Conservative party is
:07:16. > :07:24.moving away from a grammar school system. We have evolution. Michael
:07:24. > :07:28.Gove is a soup herb secretary of education and we are looking at what
:07:28. > :07:36.Wales and the Wales education system and we cannot come to you with 14
:07:36. > :07:39.years of Labour failure. Almost half of people who pay rent
:07:39. > :07:45.or a mortgage are struggling to keep up with their commitments, according
:07:45. > :07:48.to research for Shelter Cymru and Citizens Advice Cymru. 48% of Welsh
:07:48. > :07:57.adults surveyed say they're struggling or falling behind with
:07:57. > :08:01.their payments. Jordan Davies has more. Andrew Broderick kept his last
:08:01. > :08:05.model helicopter for his grandson. After losing his job as a lorry
:08:05. > :08:10.driver, he had to sell the others and everything else he and his wife
:08:10. > :08:16.owned to pay the rent. Even with its, it wasn't enough and they were
:08:16. > :08:19.evicted. It makes you feel like a second-class citizen when you cannot
:08:19. > :08:25.afford to keep the house over your head. I am ex-military, I have
:08:25. > :08:32.always worked and dust the best I can to keep my family. -- on the
:08:32. > :08:38.best I can. And keep things moving. When that finally stops, you feel
:08:38. > :08:47.worthless, useless, you feel like you can't do it. There situation
:08:47. > :08:51.isn't unique. To Welsh charities asked over 1000 people how they were
:08:51. > :08:56.coping with their rent and mortgage payments. Around half said they were
:08:57. > :09:01.struggling to meet their commitments stop just over one in ten said a
:09:01. > :09:06.struggle to constantly. And who cares for his wife full-time but has
:09:06. > :09:09.had to cut back on essentials like water, food and heating to pay for
:09:09. > :09:13.the home they are in now. The charities are concerned because
:09:13. > :09:16.people are struggling to pay for their mortgages even though interest
:09:16. > :09:20.rates are relatively low. They say if they go up, even more would
:09:20. > :09:25.struggle. Today, the bad government offered a glimmer of hope by
:09:25. > :09:32.unveiling a plan that would keep interest rates low for long. People
:09:32. > :09:35.have run out of options. They borrow off relatives and friends to pay off
:09:35. > :09:39.mortgages. Sometimes, they use credit cards and increasingly, they
:09:39. > :09:47.look like they are going to payday companies. A lot of people really
:09:47. > :09:52.very much on the edge here. And who doesn't have too rely on food banks
:09:52. > :09:55.and pay lenders but says he would not be where he is now without the
:09:55. > :10:02.generosity of friends and family and says losing your home is easier than
:10:03. > :10:05.you think for top --. The former head teacher of Howells
:10:05. > :10:08.girls' school in Denbighshire, closing amid financial uncertainty,
:10:08. > :10:11.has said he and another teacher are being made scapegoats for the
:10:11. > :10:14.closure. Bernie Routledge and Helen Price won an unfair dismissal case
:10:14. > :10:17.in March. School trustees told parents that the compensation was
:10:17. > :10:21.yet to be settled and could be unaffordable. So far, the school
:10:21. > :10:24.hasn't commented. Tributes have been paid to the
:10:24. > :10:27.former Bishop of Llandaff, Roy Davies, who's died following a short
:10:27. > :10:31.illness at the age of 79. The Archbishop of Wales, who succeeded
:10:31. > :10:36.Bishop Roy as Bishop of Llandaff in 1999, described him as a pastoral
:10:36. > :10:42.priest and a courageous bishop. Are you a regular visitor to the
:10:42. > :10:46.National Eisteddfod? And if not, what would tempt you to go? How best
:10:46. > :10:56.to attract new visitors has been teh topic of debate at the festival
:10:56. > :11:00.today. Tomos Dafydd is there. How can this festival attract more
:11:00. > :11:05.visitors through the door and how can it be modernised? That has been
:11:05. > :11:09.the focus of discussion all week. Today, visitors here have had their
:11:09. > :11:17.say on this vast Maes. A taskforce considering the event's future took
:11:17. > :11:20.questions from people on the Maes. One of the things it's looking at is
:11:20. > :11:26.whether the Eisteddfod should be held on the same site every year, as
:11:26. > :11:29.happens at the Royal Welsh Show. The taskforce was set up by the Welsh
:11:29. > :11:32.government. It said the event could get more public money if organisers
:11:32. > :11:39.introduced changes to widen its appeal and improve the experience
:11:39. > :11:42.for visitors. In a moment, I'll be speaking to the man leading the
:11:42. > :11:52.review, broadcaster Roy Noble. First, our arts and media
:11:52. > :12:04.
:12:05. > :12:11.contains the same ceremony and tradition that exists today at much
:12:11. > :12:16.of the modern Maes changes. How it continues to evolve is subject to a
:12:16. > :12:20.review. It is considering whether the Eisteddfod would be better
:12:20. > :12:28.served on a fixed site and how it can bring more non-Welsh speakers to
:12:28. > :12:33.the event. The children's literature event one of the things to help.
:12:34. > :12:38.need to knock down the barriers and welcome people into the Eisteddfod
:12:38. > :12:44.and maybe that their children be the mouthpiece and eyes to explain what
:12:44. > :12:49.is going out -- going on. Translation equipment and guided
:12:49. > :12:54.tours help visitors around the Maes but for some, the experience can be
:12:54. > :13:04.overwhelming. Yellow macro evenly literature is in Welsh so yes, we
:13:04. > :13:06.
:13:07. > :13:10.are it difficult. Being complicit in Welsh isolates people. Nobody was
:13:10. > :13:13.prepared to say whether the Eisteddfod should be on a permanent
:13:13. > :13:20.site but the organisers say they will reflect the ambition to
:13:20. > :13:26.modernise. We are looking at adopting a learner to our appeals
:13:27. > :13:31.committee across the county, we are approaching people, come on board,
:13:32. > :13:37.be part of the community. We're not too far from shoes three,
:13:37. > :13:40.Manchester, Birmingham, even London and I think we need to market at the
:13:40. > :13:45.Eisteddfod even better because we are here with open arms. When the
:13:45. > :13:55.review panel submits its recommendations next month, it only
:13:55. > :13:58.to suggest how to keep regular visitors coming back. Let's chat to
:13:58. > :14:03.the broadcaster Roy Noble, who is chairing the task force. You been
:14:03. > :14:08.hearing from the visitors. Are you any wiser about what needs to
:14:08. > :14:13.change? It was a two-way process. We made ourselves are available for
:14:13. > :14:15.questions about what we have been doing, and we want to give the
:14:15. > :14:19.impression we are still open to suggestions for stop I can
:14:19. > :14:23.understand from the early days they may have been suspicious of us, but
:14:23. > :14:29.it has gone well and has raised the spirit. They kind of things we were
:14:29. > :14:34.talking about, all of being -- all of us have its well-being at heart.
:14:34. > :14:40.The Eisteddfod wants to attract more people. Should we be taking --
:14:40. > :14:46.speaking to people beyond the Maes? Television is good. People who came
:14:46. > :14:50.here today understood that it is more than just competitions and
:14:50. > :14:54.concerts. It is a great festival and there is so much going on here, so
:14:54. > :15:00.much for young children, and it is a huge banner of heritage and
:15:00. > :15:04.tradition. From some e-mails we have received, there is clearly a
:15:04. > :15:09.perception from some people this festival is not for people who don't
:15:09. > :15:15.speak Welsh. How would you tackle that? There are a lot of people who
:15:15. > :15:20.do speak Welsh who don't feel part of it either. That has to be
:15:20. > :15:24.addressed in some way. It is this business of making it more open and
:15:24. > :15:29.welcoming in that way, with all these extra things going on, that
:15:29. > :15:33.people will appreciate it, because I have always had support from
:15:33. > :15:37.Eisteddfod with everything people have said, they don't know much
:15:37. > :15:43.about it but they will always support it, so if they can be drawn
:15:43. > :15:50.in to be part of it, and just visit, to have an awakening of what it is
:15:50. > :15:56.all about. Thank you, Roy Noble. There is plenty more from the Maes.
:15:56. > :16:01.We will go behind-the-scenes with the Gorsedd of the Bards. Also
:16:01. > :16:05.coming up, we go behind-the-scenes with the Gorsedd of the Bards and
:16:05. > :16:08.also Swansea Marina, transformed from industrial dockland by new
:16:08. > :16:15.apartments, so why is their new concern over plans for latest
:16:15. > :16:21.development? There was an unusual preseason
:16:21. > :16:25.football fixture today. Barry Town United versus the Football
:16:25. > :16:29.Association of Wales, all played out in the High Court in Cardiff. The
:16:29. > :16:34.supporters of the Welsh Premier champions are asking a judge to
:16:34. > :16:38.overturn a decision that stops them from playing in the Welsh league.
:16:38. > :16:40.Our sports reporter is here. What was said in court? The legal
:16:40. > :16:45.arguments centred around the identity of the football club in
:16:45. > :16:50.Barry. The supporters club, who called themselves Barry Town United,
:16:50. > :16:55.say it is them. They say they have been running the club for the last
:16:55. > :17:00.seven years, organising the team, and saving are in reality Barry
:17:00. > :17:05.Town, and they argue on that basis they qualified to be a member club
:17:05. > :17:12.of the FA W and should still be in the Welsh league. On the other
:17:12. > :17:18.hand, the FA W save your sympathetic but said that Barry Town was not the
:17:18. > :17:22.fans but was actually the limited company run by the controversial
:17:22. > :17:27.owner who withdrew Barry Town from the Welsh league in May. The argued
:17:27. > :17:30.in court that Barry Town United was a new club and therefore they could
:17:30. > :17:36.only expect to start at the bottom of a regional league and work their
:17:36. > :17:42.way up. There were also arguments about how the Football Association
:17:42. > :17:47.of Wales council made a decision. Barry Town said it had been a
:17:47. > :17:51.rational but in response to that, the FA W said the council were
:17:51. > :17:55.within their rights to make their decision, and the judge will now
:17:55. > :18:00.have to decide on that. When can we expect a decision? The judge was
:18:00. > :18:05.aware that the football season starts in a week, so it will have to
:18:05. > :18:09.be quick. He will deliver his judgement on Friday. The fans want
:18:09. > :18:13.to get this sorted. There were quite a view wearing their yellow shirts,
:18:13. > :18:20.and the next two days for them will be more nerve wracking than any
:18:20. > :18:25.relegation campaign. Thank you. Staying with football, Gareth Bale
:18:25. > :18:29.has been named in the Wales squad for next week's friendly against the
:18:29. > :18:34.Republic of Ireland. He is the subject of speculation over a
:18:34. > :18:38.possible transfer to Real Madrid. Craig Bellamy and Wayne Hennessey
:18:38. > :18:44.are also included in Chris Coleman's side.
:18:44. > :18:50.Newport County's manager has deleted the team's 3-1 win to defender Byron
:18:50. > :18:55.Anthony. The captain suffered a fracture of his ankle in last
:18:55. > :19:02.night's match. Newport, who were playing in the League Cup for the
:19:02. > :19:05.first time in 25 years, won by three goals to one over Brighton.
:19:05. > :19:09.Swansea Council has called an auditors over a decision to give an
:19:09. > :19:15.engineering company a 250 year lease on land in Swansea Marina. The
:19:15. > :19:19.company, which has the pair boat on the site, now hopes to build flats
:19:19. > :19:26.there, which has led to concerns of developments there. Our reporter
:19:26. > :19:32.Cemlyn Davies is there. Lucy, this area was once a hive of industrial
:19:32. > :19:35.activity. There are still businesses here and a busy boat yard, that
:19:35. > :19:42.there is no getting away from the fact that Swansea Marina is now
:19:42. > :19:47.dominated by flats, and now there are plans to build more right here.
:19:47. > :19:51.These shots, film from the top of an apartment block give an idea of just
:19:51. > :19:57.how many flats and houses have been built in the area over the last 30
:19:57. > :20:04.years. Now, in light of plans to build a further 50 flats on this
:20:04. > :20:10.boat yard, many local residents are saying enough is enough. If you walk
:20:10. > :20:16.around Swansea port, there are many for sale and to let boards, and
:20:16. > :20:22.basically the need is a major question in terms of Swansea and the
:20:22. > :20:28.Maritime Quarter. This land is owned by the council but it is leased to
:20:28. > :20:34.Celtic instrumentation limited. In 2011, the company received a 250
:20:34. > :20:40.year lease. Since then, questions have been raised about the deal and
:20:40. > :20:43.now Swansea Council has called independent auditors to investigate.
:20:43. > :20:48.Celtic Instrumentation declined to comment on the plans, but as well as
:20:48. > :20:55.apartments, the development would include a retail unit and car park.
:20:55. > :21:00.The site is next to a fish wholesaler. In light of the latest
:21:00. > :21:07.evil month proposals, the owners are concerned for the future. For us,
:21:07. > :21:12.starting at 4:30am, I don't understand how anyone thinks we can
:21:12. > :21:16.carry on that close to a residential. I wouldn't blame people
:21:16. > :21:20.for complaining if there was noise at that time and smoke coming out,
:21:20. > :21:28.but this is a commercial property. This has always been a commercial
:21:28. > :21:33.site. This man, who compares boats, had hoped to take over the lease for
:21:33. > :21:38.the site and continue running it as a boat yard. We are still trying to
:21:38. > :21:43.expand elsewhere but there is nowhere left for us to go. This will
:21:43. > :21:47.mean ultimately we will leave Swansea Marina and will move,
:21:47. > :21:51.whether that be to SA one or somewhere else, which will be a
:21:51. > :21:55.detriment to Swansea Marina. This part of Swansea has a rich
:21:55. > :22:00.industrial heritage but there is a feeling locally that industry is now
:22:00. > :22:04.being squeezed out to make room for more homes.
:22:04. > :22:09.A spokesperson for Swansea Council said the planning application would
:22:09. > :22:16.be heard in due course and local residents would be given an
:22:16. > :22:24.opportunity to share their concerns as part of the planning process.
:22:24. > :22:25.Camden babies, thank you. The owners of oak-wood theme park in
:22:25. > :22:31.Pembrokeshire denied passengers were in danger after a roller-coaster
:22:31. > :22:37.book down. Several people were suspended 100 feet up before being
:22:37. > :22:45.rescued by engineers. The park said none of them have complained.
:22:45. > :22:50.Back to the National Eisteddfod now. Within the last couple of hours, we
:22:50. > :22:56.have had the main ceremony of the day was that picking up the Prose
:22:56. > :22:59.Medal this year was Jane Jones Owen from Llanuwchllyn near Bala. She won
:22:59. > :23:07.for her volume of creative prose of no more than 40,000 words on the
:23:07. > :23:12.theme of Cwlwm - Welsh for "knot" . And dressing Jane in those robes was
:23:12. > :23:19.one of the busiest woman on the Maes, she is Meistres y Gwisgoedd,
:23:19. > :23:27.responsible for the robes. She ensures everyone from the archdruid
:23:27. > :23:30.to the girls on stage -- look pristine.
:23:30. > :23:34.Getting the Gorsedd of the Bards ready is a busy job and there is no
:23:34. > :23:39.rest for the mistress of the robes. Ela Jones is responsible for what
:23:39. > :23:45.every member wears, from new dresses for the flower girls to the finery
:23:45. > :23:51.of the archdruid. The work, the embroidery, has all been done by
:23:51. > :24:00.hand by a team of embroiderers who have been named inside the robe to
:24:00. > :24:06.know exactly who has done the work. She is the first to admit she
:24:06. > :24:11.couldn't do the job without a lot of help. They come up about a week in
:24:11. > :24:17.advance, so there is a local team of about 12 who have been busy since
:24:17. > :24:23.Monday are earning over 300 robes, ready for Friday's ceremony.
:24:23. > :24:27.Once arid, the low -- the robes are labelled and hung out to be
:24:27. > :24:33.dressed. Some need more help than others, with a few finishing touches
:24:33. > :24:38.added depending on their role. a front row Ford, it involves
:24:38. > :24:44.carrying the sword, so I have this to help with the weight. It is a
:24:44. > :24:48.huge operation, and fair play, everybody here is a volunteer.
:24:48. > :24:55.At the end of the afternoon, there is just time for a quick rehearsal.
:24:55. > :25:02.The final flourishes to the robes and the procession begins and the
:25:02. > :25:09.crowds can admire its traditions, and a lot of hard work.
:25:09. > :25:16.Now, we have Abe birds were -- a birds eye view of the Maes.
:25:16. > :25:21.I am actually 17 feet above the ground this evening, on a hydraulic
:25:21. > :25:26.platform, hence the harness. Up here I can keep an eye on the clouds and
:25:26. > :25:32.the view is fantastic. You can see across the whole Maes, all the
:25:32. > :25:36.caravans, if you tense as well, and look at that view. The hills look
:25:36. > :25:42.magnificent this evening, bade in summer sunshine. Some lovely weather
:25:42. > :25:47.here today but it hasn't been dry everywhere. We have seen some heavy
:25:47. > :25:54.showers in parts of the South and West, even reports of an all clouds
:25:54. > :25:58.in Bracken and Cross hands. It is looking to write tomorrow, some more
:25:58. > :26:04.sunshine and pleasantly warm with a light breeze. Tonight, scattered
:26:04. > :26:09.showers will die away, so the whole country becomes dry, if you missed
:26:09. > :26:15.and fog patches by Dawn, it will turn quite cool. Temperatures
:26:15. > :26:23.dropped to 11 Celsius, as low as seven Celsius in some rural spots.
:26:23. > :26:28.Tomorrow shows a ridge of high pressure over Britain, some nice
:26:28. > :26:34.weather, a few clouds building up, maybe a shower but most places dry,
:26:34. > :26:39.cloudy late in the afternoon, temperatures reaching up to 22
:26:39. > :26:44.Celsius with a light south-westerly breeze. Tomorrow night, clouding
:26:44. > :26:50.over, in it'll rain and a few showers, with the cloud cover milder
:26:50. > :26:54.than tonight with a south-westerly breeze. Friday will start out cloudy
:26:54. > :26:59.but brightening up through the day, sunshine in the afternoon, feeling
:26:59. > :27:06.fresher with a breeze. Some right weather and sunshine on Saturday
:27:06. > :27:11.that plenty of cloud, a risk of rain look -- later in the day. Clearing
:27:11. > :27:15.for sunshine in the afternoon. There will be more from the Eisteddfod
:27:15. > :27:21.tomorrow. From Denbighshire, it is back to Lucy.
:27:21. > :27:25.The main news again, the new governor of the Bank of England has
:27:25. > :27:29.signalled that record low interest rates could stay for years to come.