Cwmbran headteacher Jaci Bates dies after 23-year tenure, Wales 2026

Key Points

• Head teacher of Woodlands Community Primary School in Cwmbran, Jaci Bates, has passed away shortly after retiring from work.
• She worked with the school for 23 years and was seen as the “heart” of the community.
• According to acting head, Claire Gratton, she always made sure that children came first in everything she did.
• Richard Clark, Torfaen councillor, commended her mentoring role towards new head teachers and inclusion in education.
• She had earlier taught at Garnteg Primary School before serving as an executive head teacher at Nant Celyn and Millbrook Primary Schools.

Wales (Wales Times) September 18, 2026 – The school community at Woodlands Community Primary in Cwmbran has been left devastated by the death of long-serving headteacher Jaci Bates, who died just weeks after retiring at the end of the summer term. Tributes have described her as a “much-loved”, “exceptional” and “inspirational” leader who spent 23 years at the school and was widely regarded as its “beating heart”.

How did Woodlands Community Primary respond to Jaci Bates’ death?

In a letter sent to parents announcing her death with “great sadness”, the school confirmed that Mrs Bates had retired after more than two decades leading the primary. Claire Gratton, the acting headteacher at Woodlands, said:

“For 23 years Jaci Bates was the beating heart of Woodlands Community Primary School.”

She added that Bates “was an inspirational leader who placed children at the centre of every decision she made and always sought the very best for our pupils and community”.

Ms Gratton said the loss had left staff “extremely saddened”, but stressed that Bates’ legacy would endure through the values, relationships and aspirations she instilled. “We are committed to moving Woodlands forward with the same courage, compassion, and unwavering belief in the children that she demonstrated every single day,” she said. Ms Gratton also highlighted Bates’ ability to recognise and nurture potential in others, adding:

“The greatest way I can now honour her memory is to follow her example; to believe in others; to nurture potential and to invest in people as she so generously invested in me.”

What tributes were paid by Torfaen council and education leaders?

Torfaen council’s cabinet member for education, Councillor Richard Clark, paid tribute to Bates’ wider contribution across the borough and beyond. As reported by journalists covering the story for WalesOnline and the South Wales Argus, Cllr Clark said:

“Jaci first worked in Torfaen as a teacher at Garnteg Primary before becoming the headteacher of Woodlands Primary.”

He described her as “an exceptional leader and headteacher” who, in addition to her role at Woodlands, worked as executive headteacher of several schools across Torfaen and neighbouring local authorities.

Cllr Clark noted that most recently Bates completed executive headships at Nant Celyn Primary in Torfaen and Millbrook Primary in uk/local/newport/">Newport. He added: “Jaci also played a pivotal role in mentoring and inducting new headteachers to Torfaen and was always a passionate advocate for inclusive education and promoting the very best teaching and learning for all those children within her care.” “She will be greatly missed by all who knew her but will leave a lasting legacy in Torfaen,” he said.

What was Jaci Bates’ career and impact on schools in Torfaen?

Jaci Bates began her career in Torfaen as a teacher at Garnteg Primary before taking up the headship at Woodlands Community Primary in Cwmbran, where she remained for 23 years. Alongside leading Woodlands, she took on executive headteacher responsibilities at other schools, including Nant Celyn Primary in Torfaen and Millbrook Primary in Newport. Colleagues and council officials highlighted her role in mentoring and inducting new headteachers, describing her as a pivotal figure in developing leadership capacity across the area.

Those who worked with her said she was known for putting children at the centre of every decision and for working tirelessly to create opportunities for young people. Her influence was said to reach beyond Woodlands, shaping the lives of pupils, staff and colleagues throughout her career. Messages of condolence from colleagues and former pupils have emphasised her lasting impact on education and the many lives she touched.

Why is Jaci Bates remembered as an inspirational leader?

Jaci Bates is remembered as an inspirational leader because she combined high expectations with a strong focus on inclusivity and child-centred decision-making. Acting head Claire Gratton said Bates “always sought the very best” for pupils and the wider community, while Cllr Richard Clark described her as a passionate advocate for inclusive education and for “promoting the very best teaching and learning” for children in her care. Her approach to leadership, which emphasised nurturing potential in staff as well as pupils, has been cited as a key reason her legacy is expected to endure within the school and the wider Torfaen education community.

Background to the development

Jaci Bates’ death comes shortly after her retirement at the end of the summer term, marking the end of a 23-year tenure as headteacher of Woodlands Community Primary in Cwmbran. The timing has amplified the sense of loss within the school, as staff and families adjust to her absence at a point when many had expected her to begin a new phase of life after decades of service.

Her career trajectory, from classroom teacher at Garnteg Primary to long-standing headteacher and then executive head across multiple schools, reflects a period in which she became a central figure in Torfaen’s primary education landscape. The tributes from both school leadership and the council’s education cabinet member underline how her role extended beyond a single school, influencing hiring, mentoring and pedagogical priorities across the borough.

Prediction: how this development may affect the school community and local education

The death of Jaci Bates is likely to affect the Woodlands Community Primary community by intensifying efforts to preserve the values and practices she championed, particularly her child-centred and inclusive approach to schooling. In the short term, staff may experience heightened grief and a period of adjustment as they work under the acting headteacher while reinforcing the culture Bates established over more than two decades.

For pupils and families, the school’s explicit commitment to continuing her “courage, compassion, and unwavering belief in the children” suggests that day-to-day routines will be maintained, but with added emphasis on pastoral support and remembrance activities. Across Torfaen, her passing may prompt a wider reflection on leadership development, given her noted role in mentoring new headteachers; other schools could look to formalise or expand similar mentoring arrangements to sustain the standards she promoted.