07/08/2013 BBC Wales Today

headlines: Bring back elements of the old grammar school system. The

Welsh Conservatives say it would raise standards. But the Education

Minister said he thought someone was Conservative Party Leader whether it

is the way forward for schools or a Andrew Broderick measures out water

to save money on bills. A new survey claims almost half of us are

struggling to pay the rent or mortgage. Barry Town take their

fight from the field to the High Court, taking on the FAW in a battle

to be reinstated into the Welsh League.

Statement apartment blocks at Swansea Marina. But there's concern

too many could be built. And should the Eisteddfod settle in

one place and end the tradition of travelling across the country? A

taskforce reviewing the future of Good evening. A call tonight for a

return to parts of the old grammar school system. The Welsh

Conservatives are behind the idea. While they've ruled out

re-introducing the 11+ test, they want to change our schools to

separate children by ability at the age of 14. The plans have already

attracted heavy criticism from other political parties. Over to our

education correspondent Arwyn Jones. Arwyn. Grammar schools were

introduced in the 1940s. They were synonymous with academic achievement

and also elitism. If you got in, the sky was the limit, but lose out and

life was more difficult. The last grammar school in Wales closed

nearly three decades ago but it's still a divisive issue. Times have

changed. They were loved and loathed in equal measures. Suit -- for

supporters, they would a chance for those to excel in schools. For

critics, for young children, fearing the exam meant your life chances to

be big not at an early chain -- oh each. The Conservatives version will

not include those exams. Rather, pupils will be separated out 14

although the idea is they will still be in the same school. Some will

then be put on vocational courses and others will follow a more

academic route. A version of this already exists in Wales where some

pupils can choose vocational courses at GCSE level. Details of how the

new plan will work are still thin on the ground. David Cameron has ruled

out this sort of selective schooling preparing to go with free schools

and academies which we don't have in Wales. It might be the Conservatives

in Wales are keen to appeal to become dish -- traditional

conservative voter who sees this sort of selective education better

than the contents of system Wales has at the moment. In the late 80s,

this was the last grammar school to close in Wales. In Northern

Ireland, they have kept them and nearly 70 remain. Last year, three

quarters of the GCSE duple Scott system in Northern Ireland point two

the learning outcomes, results in grammar schools are consistently

higher and students consistently outperformed their counterparts.

Secondly, there is the issue of social mobility. Supporters would

argue it enhances mobility because grammar schools are open to anybody

regardless of background. It enhances social mobility who allows

anybody in who can pass the test. Well so they powerful tradition of

educational excellence. -- Wales. Whether or not a form of grammar

school will work remains to be seen. I'm joined in the studio by the

leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies. Aren't these plans

just grammar schools in name only? The pupils should all be in the same

school as they are now. Your macro no, it is completely different. We

are talking about completing phases. At the moment, the big transfer

happens at the age of 11 and most educationalists will point to a

significant tail off in many children's attainment level in the

first two or three second -- years of education in secondary school. We

will address the ability to push pupils at the age of 14 into the

byte streams so alternately they will achieve the best results and be

employed within the marketplace. 14, pupils can go down the

vocational route, how does this differ from the Welsh government is

already doing? What I would say is that you have a lot of coasting

going on in our school system. The National benchmark identifies

falling standards. We have just seen in the package about Northern

Ireland, how babies rated achievement in academic subjects in

Northern Ireland and ultimately, if you look at the Dutch model, the

middle school phases, a critical part of a child of my life in

education, and we leave by combining all the proposals together with the

best in the grammar school system, we will achieve excellent results.

The Welsh Gottman says they don't want to go back to the devices issue

of Grammar School. -- the divisive issue. How do we stop the stigma and

do not --? Most pointedly 11 bus as being a big hurdle. We're not

talking about doing that exam. I believe that was wrong and we are

getting rid of that. We are changing the system so you have 3-8 and

8-16, that is a vital change because for boys, especially in the

transition to secondary school. And we are not frightened to push

children to achieve the best, whether academically of

vocationally. Alternately, the Welsh Conservatives are ambitious and we

want the best education system. UK level, the Conservative party is

moving away from a grammar school system. We have evolution. Michael

Gove is a soup herb secretary of education and we are looking at what

Wales and the Wales education system and we cannot come to you with 14

years of Labour failure. Almost half of people who pay rent

or a mortgage are struggling to keep up with their commitments, according

to research for Shelter Cymru and Citizens Advice Cymru. 48% of Welsh

adults surveyed say they're struggling or falling behind with

their payments. Jordan Davies has more. Andrew Broderick kept his last

model helicopter for his grandson. After losing his job as a lorry

driver, he had to sell the others and everything else he and his wife

owned to pay the rent. Even with its, it wasn't enough and they were

evicted. It makes you feel like a second-class citizen when you cannot

afford to keep the house over your head. I am ex-military, I have

always worked and dust the best I can to keep my family. -- on the

best I can. And keep things moving. When that finally stops, you feel

worthless, useless, you feel like you can't do it. There situation

isn't unique. To Welsh charities asked over 1000 people how they were

coping with their rent and mortgage payments. Around half said they were

struggling to meet their commitments stop just over one in ten said a

struggle to constantly. And who cares for his wife full-time but has

had to cut back on essentials like water, food and heating to pay for

the home they are in now. The charities are concerned because

people are struggling to pay for their mortgages even though interest

rates are relatively low. They say if they go up, even more would

struggle. Today, the bad government offered a glimmer of hope by

unveiling a plan that would keep interest rates low for long. People

have run out of options. They borrow off relatives and friends to pay off

mortgages. Sometimes, they use credit cards and increasingly, they

look like they are going to payday companies. A lot of people really

very much on the edge here. And who doesn't have too rely on food banks

and pay lenders but says he would not be where he is now without the

generosity of friends and family and says losing your home is easier than

you think for top --. The former head teacher of Howells

girls' school in Denbighshire, closing amid financial uncertainty,

has said he and another teacher are being made scapegoats for the

closure. Bernie Routledge and Helen Price won an unfair dismissal case

in March. School trustees told parents that the compensation was

yet to be settled and could be unaffordable. So far, the school

hasn't commented. Tributes have been paid to the

former Bishop of Llandaff, Roy Davies, who's died following a short

illness at the age of 79. The Archbishop of Wales, who succeeded

Bishop Roy as Bishop of Llandaff in 1999, described him as a pastoral

priest and a courageous bishop. Are you a regular visitor to the

National Eisteddfod? And if not, what would tempt you to go? How best

to attract new visitors has been teh topic of debate at the festival

today. Tomos Dafydd is there. How can this festival attract more

visitors through the door and how can it be modernised? That has been

the focus of discussion all week. Today, visitors here have had their

say on this vast Maes. A taskforce considering the event's future took

questions from people on the Maes. One of the things it's looking at is

whether the Eisteddfod should be held on the same site every year, as

happens at the Royal Welsh Show. The taskforce was set up by the Welsh

government. It said the event could get more public money if organisers

introduced changes to widen its appeal and improve the experience

for visitors. In a moment, I'll be speaking to the man leading the

review, broadcaster Roy Noble. First, our arts and media

contains the same ceremony and tradition that exists today at much

of the modern Maes changes. How it continues to evolve is subject to a

review. It is considering whether the Eisteddfod would be better

served on a fixed site and how it can bring more non-Welsh speakers to

the event. The children's literature event one of the things to help.

need to knock down the barriers and welcome people into the Eisteddfod

and maybe that their children be the mouthpiece and eyes to explain what

is going out -- going on. Translation equipment and guided

tours help visitors around the Maes but for some, the experience can be

overwhelming. Yellow macro evenly literature is in Welsh so yes, we

are it difficult. Being complicit in Welsh isolates people. Nobody was

prepared to say whether the Eisteddfod should be on a permanent

site but the organisers say they will reflect the ambition to

modernise. We are looking at adopting a learner to our appeals

committee across the county, we are approaching people, come on board,

be part of the community. We're not too far from shoes three,

Manchester, Birmingham, even London and I think we need to market at the

Eisteddfod even better because we are here with open arms. When the

review panel submits its recommendations next month, it only

to suggest how to keep regular visitors coming back. Let's chat to

the broadcaster Roy Noble, who is chairing the task force. You been

hearing from the visitors. Are you any wiser about what needs to

change? It was a two-way process. We made ourselves are available for

questions about what we have been doing, and we want to give the

impression we are still open to suggestions for stop I can

understand from the early days they may have been suspicious of us, but

it has gone well and has raised the spirit. They kind of things we were

talking about, all of being -- all of us have its well-being at heart.

The Eisteddfod wants to attract more people. Should we be taking --

speaking to people beyond the Maes? Television is good. People who came

here today understood that it is more than just competitions and

concerts. It is a great festival and there is so much going on here, so

much for young children, and it is a huge banner of heritage and

tradition. From some e-mails we have received, there is clearly a

perception from some people this festival is not for people who don't

speak Welsh. How would you tackle that? There are a lot of people who

do speak Welsh who don't feel part of it either. That has to be

addressed in some way. It is this business of making it more open and

welcoming in that way, with all these extra things going on, that

people will appreciate it, because I have always had support from

Eisteddfod with everything people have said, they don't know much

about it but they will always support it, so if they can be drawn

in to be part of it, and just visit, to have an awakening of what it is

all about. Thank you, Roy Noble. There is plenty more from the Maes.

We will go behind-the-scenes with the Gorsedd of the Bards. Also

coming up, we go behind-the-scenes with the Gorsedd of the Bards and

also Swansea Marina, transformed from industrial dockland by new

apartments, so why is their new concern over plans for latest

development? There was an unusual preseason

football fixture today. Barry Town United versus the Football

Association of Wales, all played out in the High Court in Cardiff. The

supporters of the Welsh Premier champions are asking a judge to

overturn a decision that stops them from playing in the Welsh league.

Our sports reporter is here. What was said in court? The legal

arguments centred around the identity of the football club in

Barry. The supporters club, who called themselves Barry Town United,

say it is them. They say they have been running the club for the last

seven years, organising the team, and saving are in reality Barry

Town, and they argue on that basis they qualified to be a member club

of the FA W and should still be in the Welsh league. On the other

hand, the FA W save your sympathetic but said that Barry Town was not the

fans but was actually the limited company run by the controversial

owner who withdrew Barry Town from the Welsh league in May. The argued

in court that Barry Town United was a new club and therefore they could

only expect to start at the bottom of a regional league and work their

way up. There were also arguments about how the Football Association

of Wales council made a decision. Barry Town said it had been a

rational but in response to that, the FA W said the council were

within their rights to make their decision, and the judge will now

have to decide on that. When can we expect a decision? The judge was

aware that the football season starts in a week, so it will have to

be quick. He will deliver his judgement on Friday. The fans want

to get this sorted. There were quite a view wearing their yellow shirts,

and the next two days for them will be more nerve wracking than any

relegation campaign. Thank you. Staying with football, Gareth Bale

has been named in the Wales squad for next week's friendly against the

Republic of Ireland. He is the subject of speculation over a

possible transfer to Real Madrid. Craig Bellamy and Wayne Hennessey

are also included in Chris Coleman's side.

Newport County's manager has deleted the team's 3-1 win to defender Byron

Anthony. The captain suffered a fracture of his ankle in last

night's match. Newport, who were playing in the League Cup for the

first time in 25 years, won by three goals to one over Brighton.

Swansea Council has called an auditors over a decision to give an

engineering company a 250 year lease on land in Swansea Marina. The

company, which has the pair boat on the site, now hopes to build flats

there, which has led to concerns of developments there. Our reporter

Cemlyn Davies is there. Lucy, this area was once a hive of industrial

activity. There are still businesses here and a busy boat yard, that

there is no getting away from the fact that Swansea Marina is now

dominated by flats, and now there are plans to build more right here.

These shots, film from the top of an apartment block give an idea of just

how many flats and houses have been built in the area over the last 30

years. Now, in light of plans to build a further 50 flats on this

boat yard, many local residents are saying enough is enough. If you walk

around Swansea port, there are many for sale and to let boards, and

basically the need is a major question in terms of Swansea and the

Maritime Quarter. This land is owned by the council but it is leased to

Celtic instrumentation limited. In 2011, the company received a 250

year lease. Since then, questions have been raised about the deal and

now Swansea Council has called independent auditors to investigate.

Celtic Instrumentation declined to comment on the plans, but as well as

apartments, the development would include a retail unit and car park.

The site is next to a fish wholesaler. In light of the latest

evil month proposals, the owners are concerned for the future. For us,

starting at 4:30am, I don't understand how anyone thinks we can

carry on that close to a residential. I wouldn't blame people

for complaining if there was noise at that time and smoke coming out,

but this is a commercial property. This has always been a commercial

site. This man, who compares boats, had hoped to take over the lease for

the site and continue running it as a boat yard. We are still trying to

expand elsewhere but there is nowhere left for us to go. This will

mean ultimately we will leave Swansea Marina and will move,

whether that be to SA one or somewhere else, which will be a

detriment to Swansea Marina. This part of Swansea has a rich

industrial heritage but there is a feeling locally that industry is now

being squeezed out to make room for more homes.

A spokesperson for Swansea Council said the planning application would

be heard in due course and local residents would be given an

opportunity to share their concerns as part of the planning process.

Camden babies, thank you. The owners of oak-wood theme park in

Pembrokeshire denied passengers were in danger after a roller-coaster

book down. Several people were suspended 100 feet up before being

rescued by engineers. The park said none of them have complained.

Back to the National Eisteddfod now. Within the last couple of hours, we

have had the main ceremony of the day was that picking up the Prose

Medal this year was Jane Jones Owen from Llanuwchllyn near Bala. She won

for her volume of creative prose of no more than 40,000 words on the

theme of Cwlwm - Welsh for "knot" . And dressing Jane in those robes was

one of the busiest woman on the Maes, she is Meistres y Gwisgoedd,

responsible for the robes. She ensures everyone from the archdruid

to the girls on stage -- look pristine.

Getting the Gorsedd of the Bards ready is a busy job and there is no

rest for the mistress of the robes. Ela Jones is responsible for what

every member wears, from new dresses for the flower girls to the finery

of the archdruid. The work, the embroidery, has all been done by

hand by a team of embroiderers who have been named inside the robe to

know exactly who has done the work. She is the first to admit she

couldn't do the job without a lot of help. They come up about a week in

advance, so there is a local team of about 12 who have been busy since

Monday are earning over 300 robes, ready for Friday's ceremony.

Once arid, the low -- the robes are labelled and hung out to be

dressed. Some need more help than others, with a few finishing touches

added depending on their role. a front row Ford, it involves

carrying the sword, so I have this to help with the weight. It is a

huge operation, and fair play, everybody here is a volunteer.

At the end of the afternoon, there is just time for a quick rehearsal.

The final flourishes to the robes and the procession begins and the

crowds can admire its traditions, and a lot of hard work.

Now, we have Abe birds were -- a birds eye view of the Maes.

I am actually 17 feet above the ground this evening, on a hydraulic

platform, hence the harness. Up here I can keep an eye on the clouds and

the view is fantastic. You can see across the whole Maes, all the

caravans, if you tense as well, and look at that view. The hills look

magnificent this evening, bade in summer sunshine. Some lovely weather

here today but it hasn't been dry everywhere. We have seen some heavy

showers in parts of the South and West, even reports of an all clouds

in Bracken and Cross hands. It is looking to write tomorrow, some more

sunshine and pleasantly warm with a light breeze. Tonight, scattered

showers will die away, so the whole country becomes dry, if you missed

and fog patches by Dawn, it will turn quite cool. Temperatures

dropped to 11 Celsius, as low as seven Celsius in some rural spots.

Tomorrow shows a ridge of high pressure over Britain, some nice

weather, a few clouds building up, maybe a shower but most places dry,

cloudy late in the afternoon, temperatures reaching up to 22

Celsius with a light south-westerly breeze. Tomorrow night, clouding

over, in it'll rain and a few showers, with the cloud cover milder

than tonight with a south-westerly breeze. Friday will start out cloudy

but brightening up through the day, sunshine in the afternoon, feeling

fresher with a breeze. Some right weather and sunshine on Saturday

that plenty of cloud, a risk of rain look -- later in the day. Clearing

for sunshine in the afternoon. There will be more from the Eisteddfod

tomorrow. From Denbighshire, it is back to Lucy.

The main news again, the new governor of the Bank of England has

signalled that record low interest rates could stay for years to come.