A SCHOOL which according to legend was founded by a man who killed someone in a duel to win the heart of his true love has proudly spoken of its big achievements.

In 2014, Caerleon Endowed Infants and Caerleon Endowed Juniors amalgamated to form a new primary school - Charles Williams Church in Wales Primary School in Caerleon.

Despite the recent amalgamation, some of the original school buildings have a long, deep-rooted history which can be traced back to the early 1700s.

Head teacher Rebecca Penn, who had previously been deputy head teacher, explained that legend speaks of the school's founder as having fought his cousin in a duel.

"It is named after Charles Williams who was a well-to-do gentleman of Caerleon," she said.

"The story goes that he and his cousin were both in love with the same lady and they had a duel to decide who would win her heart.

"He apparently killed his cousin and then sought sanctuary in St Cadoc's Church. After this he made his way to Turkey and then made his fortune in selling figs.

"He then came back and sought his pardon from the monarch. As part of his penance for his sins, he endowed this school. He also gave an endowment to St Cadoc's Church - its windows are a testament to him.

"He remained in London and died there."

And hundreds of years later, the school's many claims to fame are still wide-spread, especially through its achievements.

"In the last two to three years, there have been substantial achievements made in promoting the Welsh language," said Miss Penn.

"We needed to work on it and we have done so.

"The teachers have done a tremendous amount of work and as such we have been recognised. We have been seen as a school that can lead the way in teaching the Welsh language.

"We are now a learning network, meaning schools learn from us."

The head teacher, which oversees the site's nursery, infants and junior pupils, also said that a "substantial" investment had been made in technology, in a bid to teach pupils to become computer literate.

"We want to improve skills in IT," she said.

"Being computer literate is of great importance for pupils in their future. You need IT skills in a majority of jobs. And for our pupils to learn those vital IT skills at a young age would be hugely beneficial.

"We have made a substantial investment in technology at this school - from nursery all the way to Year Six.

"Pupils now have phone books and iPads.

"This, alongside the inroads made in Welsh, is our biggest achievement."

The head teacher also spoke of the importance of the school's Christian teachings. She said: "I think as a Church in Wales school Christianity is at the heart of what we do.

"Values are deeply important to us. We look at what the Bible tells us to do and look to how we portray that.

"We do not shy away from our Christian beliefs. For instance, we recently collected hundreds of cans of food for Harvest.

"As a Church in Wales school, we also have close links and have good relations with residents.

"We are at the heart of this community and are one big family."

Miss Penn added that she believes the school will continue to thrive into the future, saying: "We will continue to help our pupils become successful.

"I believe this school will thrive into the future.

"We need to continue serving the community as we are now. It is about how we help them and how they can help us.

"I believe we will continue to have a strong presence as we have now."

Age range: Three to 11.

Staff: 26

Languages: English and Welsh

Motto: Belong, Believe, Become

Chairwoman of Governors: Caroline Benavides

Pupils: 525