Notice is given to parents that NEU strike action will take place on 14th February and as a result school will be closed to pupils.

Letter to Parents :

The letter below gives further information about NEU Strike Action and the impact on school.

All Parents. Public Health Wales have shared information for parents regarding Scarlet Fever and other common infections.

World Cup 2022

As you know, the Wales football team has qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1958. Understandably, there is a lot of excitement about this and we will follow their journey closely when their campaign gets underway on Monday 21st November. One of their group games takes place next Friday at 10 a.m. and I know many pupils have asked if the school will be showing the game. We have decided to show the game during Lessons 2 & 3 and allow pupils if they choose to wear a red top. We will utilise some larger spaces like the Hall as well as individual classrooms as we do not have the capacity to cater for all the pupils in one area as you can imagine. We have however been advised that due to the number of schools who will be doing likewise, the demand on the bandwidth nationally may cause issues with screening the game. We hope this won’t be the case as we would like to get behind the team but in the event that it does happen we would have to return to normal timetabled lessons. Exact arrangements will be finalised early next week and communicated to pupils and parents.

Richard Rees

Headteacher/Prifathro

We have had a somewhat challenging week with the ongoing issues involving the gas supply to the kitchens. This has obviously had an impact on the selection of food available and I would like to thank the kitchen staff for their efforts in putting together and providing a menu to the best of their ability under the circumstances. Likewise, I would like to thank pupils and parents/carers for their patience as we work through this issue. Ultimately, it has been frustrating but we have endeavoured to keep the school open and avoid unnecessary disruption to families and pupils’ learning.

We have been assured that the issue will be resolved by the middle of next week. In the meantime, I have met with the Catering Team to discuss the temporary menu for next week which can be found below. There is a mixture of hot and cold food available. Once again, apologies for any inconvenience caused.

Throughout the week we have been marking Remembrance Day during lessons, registration time and assemblies culminating in a minute’s silence across the school today to show our respects.

Finally, I would like to wish Year 11 pupils the best of luck next week in their GCSE Maths Examinations.

We have had another busy couple of weeks in school and as pupils and staff break for a well-earned half-term, I wanted to thank parents and carers for their continued support this half-term. As always, please refer to the school’s website and social media channels for information, news and events as they are updated on a regular basis. Some recent highlights include:

• We were chosen as a school to launch an Active Travel Curriculum Resource for Wales. Lee Waters (MS) visited the school with Sustrans to mark the event and pupils ‘spooked-up’ their scooters, cycles, or boots for a parade which was tremendous. We also gave a presentation on the work which has been done in recent years to promote active travel.
• GCSE Drama students put on a performance for Year 6 pupils in the school theatre based around keeping safe on Halloween and Guy Fawkes night on Wednesday 26^th October.  The NPT Fire Safety Team also ran a quiz with prizes.  I would like to thank Year 10 GCSE students who worked extremely hard on this project which carries an important message about enjoying this time of the year and staying safe.
• A group of Year 11 pupils went to The New Theatre in Cardiff to see a production of “An Inspector Calls” which is one of the set texts on the English Literature syllabus. They had a lovely time and represented the school well.
• It has been a pleasure also to see the range of sporting activities on offer with matches for girls and boys taking place most days of the week.
• Enrichment club on a Wednesday night continues to be very popular and I would again encourage pupils to look at what is on offer after school as the opportunities are extensive.

Year 11 GCSE Examinations

Individual pupil timetables for November have already been distributed to pupils and all information regarding these examinations along with study guidance can be accessed here. Please avoid booking family holidays during the school term; absences naturally impact adversely on pupils’ learning. Unfortunately, we have had occasions when holidays have been booked during the school term that have also clashed with GCSE exams; they cannot be re-arranged for another date.  On 14^th and 16^th of November, Year 11 pupils will be sitting their GCSE Mathematics exams, and May/June 2023 both Year 10 and Year 11 will be sitting GCSE exams.

Uniform

As you aware we no longer have purple YBB hoodies as part of out optional outdoor PE uniform. We have now launched through Sportec a ¾ Zipped sports top that can be purchased to wear as part of our optional outdoor PE uniform. Can I also take this opportunity to thank you for your support in ensuring pupils are wearing the correct uniform.

It just remains for me to remind everybody that all pupils return to school on Monday 7^th November. For pupils in the secondary phase it will be week A timetable.

Have a great time over half-term and remember to stay safe.

 Richard Rees

Headteacher/Prifathro