Rydal Penrhos
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Rydal Penrhos is the only private co-ed boarding school in Colwyn Bay, North Wales. It is located on multiple sites around the town including a site in the neighbouring village of Rhos on Sea where it keeps its watersports equipment for easy access to the beach.
The current school started life as two separate institutions. Rydal (incorporating the then Rydal Preparatory School situated on the Erskine House campus and surrounds) has occupied the current school site as, firstly, a boys-only school and later, from the 1960's, a co-educational school. Penrhos College was a girls only boarding school located near Rhos-on-Sea. The schools were merged in the mid-1990's and became known as Rydal Penrhos, initially being run as three separate 'divisions', 'preparatory', 'girls' and 'co-educational', reflecting the three formerly separate incarnations. The Penrhos College campus was eventually closed down (and sold for re-development) and its pupils moved to the main Rydal campus, with the 'divisions' being amalgamated into a single entity. As with any major institutional reform, the merger and integration project was not without its controversy, not least over the sale of the former Penrhos site and the restructuring of the staff.
Rydal Penrhos has a strong tradition in sports and the arts. The school 1st teams in both hockey and rugby have in recent years been a strong selling point for the school, which thrives on their successes. The 1st XI hockey team, along with the U16 team, have been exceptionally successful in the Welsh Nationals, claiming several titles in the past 5 years.
The current headmaster at Rydal Penrhos is Mr. Michael James.
