I would like to wish all our pupils, families and staff a relaxing half-term break. All pupils will return to school on Monday 27th February. It has been another busy half-term culminating in a non-uniform day yesterday in aid of the earthquake appeal for the people of Turkey and Syria. I am pleased to announce that as a school we managed to raise £1,460. Thank you to everybody for the kind donations.

You may have heard that the NEU have rejected the pay offer from the Welsh Government and as a result, strike action is planned for Thursday 2nd March. Due to the number of staff in the NEU, unfortunately school will be closed to all pupils on that day. I wanted to give you as much prior notice as possible. If the situation changes, I will obviously update you as soon as possible.

Richard Rees

Haedtaecher/Prifathro

We made you aware yesterday of the news that the National Executive of the NEU had agreed to postpone a planned day of action in Wales, which was scheduled for the 14th February 2023. This is obvioulsy very welcome news and all pupils are therefore expected to attend school next Tuesday. It is worth noting that no formal agreement has been made at this stage. As a result, the strike action origianlly planned for 14th February has been postponed until 2nd March. We will monitor developments in the coming weeks and inform parents through the school website, text service and social media channels.

I would like to remind parents and carers that Friday 17th February is a designated staff training day (INSET dates can be found on the the school website). Therefore, the final day for pupils this half-term will be Thursday 16th February. Term will resume on Monday 27th February for all pupils, whcih will be Week B for pupils in the secondary phase.

I am sure we have been saddened by events in Turkey and Syria after this week’s earthquake. In response, the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has launched an appeal to provide essential aid and support the wounded. Having spoken to  members of staff and pupils this week, we felt it would be appropriate to support this cause as a school. Therefore, we have decided to designate Thursday 16^th February a non-uniform day and ask kindly for a small donation which will be given to the campaign.

Richard Rees

Headteacher/Prifathro

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

This week has obviously been a shorter week due to the Bank Holiday for Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.

Cerdd Music Event

This week we had the opportunity to once again welcome the fantastic staff orchestra and band of the Cerdd NPT Music Service. In the morning, pupils from years 7 and 8 were entertained whilst the afternoon session welcomed year 6 pupils from our feeder schools.  We were lucky enough to hear music from Disney, The Avengers, The Incredibles and Titanic to name a few.  Several lucky pupils also had the chance to try out some of the instruments on show.  What a great way to start the term!

Satchel 1

In secondary phase we regularly use the Satchel 1 app to communicate with parents about what is going well with pupils and areas of concern.  You may have noticed a small change this year with our points system which now indicates zero points for both negative and positive points.  We feel it is important to continue to communicate positives and negatives to home and children, but that the points system was not necessarily the best way to build self-esteem and positive change.  We hope all pupils will benefit from this change.

Water

We are excited to launch our new water hydration stations in school on Monday 26th September. We have already installed two of three wall mounted refilling stations, which are connected to mains water supply dispensing fresh, filtered drinking water. These are located in main reception, technology corridor and expressive arts corridor (waiting to be fitted). We have also had installed a Hydra-Chill 2-in-1 chilled water and bottle unit. This is located in the small canteen and is also connected to mains water supply dispensing fresh, chilled and filtered drinking water. From this machine you can also purchase a YBB branded drinks bottle using a token from the canteen. Tokens can be purchased from all canteen area till points for £2 which must be in the pupil’s ParentPay lunch balance. These refillable bottles can be used time and time again, saving money and also contributing to reducing plastic waste within school.

Rugby Festival

Mr Gorvett and Mr Bramwell accompanied a group of pupils this week to the annual Disability Six Nations which was held in Ystrad Mynych. The pupils had a great time and thoroughly enjoyed all the activities on offer.

Social Media

As well as the main school website, many departments/classes have designated Twitter accounts which are useful to follow for example to find out about upcoming events/fixtures as well as pictures.

Richard Rees

Headteacher/Prifathro

Can I remind all parents and carers that due to the Bank Holiday, school will be closed to all pupils on Monday 19th September but will re-open to all pupils on Tuesday 20^th September.

This week the school has continued to pay tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth II through celebrations of her life in Primary Phase assemblies and activities in registration periods. On Sunday, September 12^th I was accompanied by two senior pupils to the Proclamation of his Majesty King Charles III on the steps of the Port Talbot Civic Centre.

After-school Clubs

It has been lovely to see a number of after-school activities start back across primary and secondary phase this week. These have included a variety of sports clubs as well as expressive arts disciplines and the school library. We publicise the days and times of the activities during registration and I would encourage pupils to take a look and if there is something they would like to try, to speak to a member of staff and give it a go!!

On-site Parking

I would like to reiterate the arrangements during the school day. The front car park is now open during the school day but is closed for safeguarding purposes during the following times:

• 8:15 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.
• 2:40 p.m. – 3:10 p.m.

This is to ensure that pupils can safely enter and leave the school site during the busiest times of the day. I would ask that the following procedures are adhered to if you do use the car park during these times:

• Ensure that you have parked in an appropriate space;
• Please turn off your engine and ensure that the car remains static;
• It can get especially busy in the afternoon so please wait until instructed by a senior member of staff before moving your car;
• Drive safely at all times whilst on site and adhere to the 5mph speed limit.

Could I also please ask parents and carers to stick to the pavements when entering and leaving the site with their children. I appreciate your co-operation in this matter as it is ultimately designed to keep everybody as safe as possible. The rear car park is designated for authorised vehicles only.

Looking ahead to next week

• Wednesday 21^st September –  the Cerdd NPT Music Service will be putting on a music roadshow in school where Years 6, 7 & 8 will have an opportunity to find out about and try a variety of musical instruments. This event has been excellent in previous years and we are delighted to be able to offer this opportunity once again.

Richard Rees

Headteacher/Prifathro

Final Letter to parents 2022