Ysgol Llanfarian count their way to regional victory for Ceredigion in Let’s Count! census competition

Ysgol Llanfarian in Ceredigion has been crowned winner of the Let’s Count! education programme for the region, receiving a prize of £500 in school supplies.

Tasked with a Let’s Count! mission, Ysgol Llanfarian was among many to participate in the free educational programme set up by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). In a campaign to teach children all about the census, schools held a Let’s Count! day where pupils explored their local area and created school-centred maps and displays on what they found.

A panel of judges selected a winner for each of the census rehearsal areas, with the winning schools being awarded a prize of £500 in equipment. The judges were impressed with the school-centred map in the Ysgol Llanfarian school display and the range of data presented.

Runners up for each region were also chosen, winning £100 in school supplies. The runners-up in Ceredigion included: Ysgol Comins Coch and Ysgol Dyffryn Cledlyn.

Iain Bell, deputy national statistician and one of the Let’s Count! judges said: “The Let’s Count! campaign has been a roaring success and it was no easy task to decide a winner among so many amazing entries. We’re delighted at how eager the children have been to learn about the importance of the census which informs so many important issues like the number of school places or hospital beds. A big thank you to everyone who took part.”

Sharon Witherspoon MBE, Royal Statistical Society Vice President for Education and Statistical Literacy, was another of the judges and commented: “The Let’s Count! displays were very impressive and showed how important programmes like this are to mathematics, statistical and cross-curriculum skills.”

The ONS developed the free education programme for primary schools to teach children about the census whilst improving cross-curriculum skills. The Let’s Count! programme took place in the four census rehearsal areas; Carlisle, Ceredigion, Hackney and Tower Hamlets.

The census rehearsal enabled the ONS to test some of the systems and processes it has put in place ahead of the digital-first 2021 Census. The census happens once every ten years and provides a snapshot of households in England and Wales, helping to plan and fund public services.

Ysgol Llanfarian yn cyrraedd y brig drwy gyfrif yng nghystadleuaeth Gadewch i ni Gyfrif! y cyfrifiad yng Ngheredigion

Mae Ysgol Llanfarian yng Ngheredigion wedi cyrraedd y brig yn rhaglen addysg Gadewch i ni Gyfrif! yn y rhanbarth, gan ennill gwerth £500 o adnoddau ysgol.

Gyda chenhadaeth Gadewch i ni Gyfrif! i’w chyflawni, roedd Ysgol Llanfarian ymhlith llawer o ysgolion a gymerodd ran yn y rhaglen addysg am ddim a grëwyd gan y Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol (SYG). Mewn ymgyrch i addysgu plant am y cyfrifiad, cynhaliodd ysgolion ddiwrnod Gadewch i ni Gyfrif! lle bu disgyblion yn archwilio eu hardal leol ac yn creu mapiau ac arddangosfeydd o’r hyn y gwnaethant ei ganfod yn seiliedig ar eu hysgol.

Dewisodd panel o feirniaid enillydd ar gyfer pob un o ardaloedd ymarfer y cyfrifiad, gyda’r ysgolion buddugol yn ennill gwerth £500 o gyfarpar. Roedd y beirniaid yn edmygu’r map seiliedig ar yr ysgol yn arddangosfa Ysgol Llanfarian a’r ystod o ddata a gyflwynwyd.

Dewiswyd ail oreuon ar gyfer pob rhanbarth hefyd, sef Ysgol Comins Coch ac Ysgol Dyffryn Cledlyn, a chafodd yr ysgolion hynny werth £100 o adnoddau.

Dywedodd Iain Bell, dirprwy ystadegydd gwladol ac un o feirniaid Gadewch i ni Gyfrif!: “Mae ymgyrch Gadewch i ni Gyfrif! wedi bod yn llwyddiant ysgubol ac roedd yn anodd iawn dewis enillydd o blith cynifer o geisiadau ardderchog. Rydym yn hynod falch o weld pa mor awyddus mae’r plant wedi bod i ddysgu am bwysigrwydd y cyfrifiad sy’n dylanwadu ar gynifer o faterion pwysig, fel nifer y lleoedd mewn ysgolion neu welyau mewn ysbytai. Diolch yn fawr iawn i bawb a gymerodd ran.”

Roedd Sharon Witherspoon MBE, Is-lywydd Addysg a Llythrennedd Ystadegol y Gymdeithas Ystadegol Frenhinol yn un arall o’r beirniaid. Meddai: “Roedd arddangosfeydd Gadewch i ni Gyfrif! yn ardderchog ac yn dangos pa mor bwysig yw rhaglenni fel hyn i sgiliau mathemateg, ystadegol a thrawsgwricwlaidd.”

Datblygodd y Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol raglen addysg am ddim ar gyfer ysgolion cynradd er mwyn addysgu plant am y cyfrifiad, gan wella sgiliau trawsgwricwlaidd hefyd. Cafodd rhaglen Gadewch i ni Gyfrif! ei chynnal ym mhedair ardal ymarfer y cyfrifiad, sef Caerliwelydd, Ceredigion, Hackney a Tower Hamlets.

Roedd ymarfer y cyfrifiad yn gyfle i’r Swyddfa Ystadegau Gwladol brofi rhai o’r systemau a’r prosesau y mae wedi’u rhoi ar waith cyn Cyfrifiad digidol yn gyntaf 2021. Caiff y cyfrifiad ei gynnal unwaith bob deng mlynedd ac mae’n cynnig ciplun o gartrefi yng Nghymru a Lloegr sy’n helpu i gynllunio ac ariannu gwasanaethau cyhoeddus.