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Headteacher’s Update – 27th February 2026

Dear Parents, Carers, and Secondary Pupils,

I would like to extend my sincere thanks to you all for your support in introducing our new mobile phone policy this week.

The vast majority of pupils have responded exceptionally well. Phones have been kept away throughout the school day, and they have not been seen or heard. This positive start has already helped us maintain a calmer, more focused learning environment, and we are grateful for your cooperation in making this possible.

Having listened to the views of pupils, parents, staff, and governors, we have also introduced secure phone pouches. If a phone has to be confiscated, it is now placed into one of these secure pouches and retained by the pupil until the end of the school day, when it is unlocked by a senior member of staff. This approach ensures devices remain secure while still reinforcing the expectations of our policy.

For a small minority of pupils who are still adjusting to the change, we will continue to work closely with them to help them understand why this policy has been introduced and to ensure they are able to follow it successfully. Our aim is always to support every pupil to meet expectations and feel confident in our school routines.

Thank you again for your continued partnership and support.

Upstream Cymru

Upstream Cymru is a project which aims to overall reduce youth homelessness across Wales. As
part of this project, NPTCBC Youth Service and Llamau – Wales’s leading homelessness charity –
work to implement preventative support services to children and families in a school setting.
As part of the project, children in year 10 will be invited to complete a Wellbeing Assessment
questionnaire. This aims to identify early indicators or factors that could affect their present or
future risk of homelessness and other wellbeing indicators. Questions will cover some aspects of
home life, how they feel about life at school and other areas of interest.

If you do not wish your child to take part in this survey, you must let us know.

Mobile Phones at Ysgol Bae Baglan

We are writing to all parents to notify them of a change to our mobile phone policy. As part of our ongoing work to improve learning, wellbeing and safety across the school, the Headteacher and Governing Body have agreed a significant change to our approach to mobile phones and personal digital devices. From our return to school after February Half Term, pupils will no longer be permitted to use mobile phones or personal digital devices at any point during the school day. This includes from the moment pupils arrive on site until they leave the site at the end of the day, and it applies to all supervised school activities. Pupils can bring phones to school, but they should not be seen, heard or used at any time during the school day.

Full letter below.

Parent feedback : https://forms.office.com/e/GEm5ZUQKTe

Christmas Greetings

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we approach the end of the autumn term and look forward to the festive season, I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support throughout the year. Your encouragement and partnership play a vital role in helping us provide the best possible experiences for our students.

This term has been filled with hard work, achievements, and memorable moments. We are incredibly proud of how our pupils have embraced challenges and demonstrated resilience and enthusiasm in their learning. None of this would be possible without the strong home-school collaboration that we value so highly.

As we head into the Christmas break, we hope you enjoy a well-deserved rest and time with family and friends. On behalf of all the staff, I wish you a joyful Christmas and a happy, healthy New Year. We look forward to welcoming everyone back in January for another exciting term.

A Few Reminders

Monday 5th January 2026 is a staff INSET Day, therefore all pupils will return to school on Tuesday 6th January 2026

Uniform
Please ensure that pupils return in full school uniform in January. Maintaining high standards of uniform helps promote a sense of pride and belonging within our school community.

Attendance
Regular attendance is essential for every child’s progress and success. We kindly ask that all pupils attend school every day unless there is a genuine reason for absence, such as illness. If your child is unable to attend, please inform the school promptly. Good attendance ensures continuity in learning and helps pupils achieve their full potential.

Thank you once again for your ongoing support.

Nadolig Llawen

R. E Rees

Headteacher/Prifathro

Bus Strike

Update – Bus driver strikes involving the First Cymru 87 bus. On strike days

Leaving Lodge Cross at 7:28 arriving at YBB 7:42

Leaving Lodge Cross at 8:30 arriving at YBB 8:43

Leaving YBB at 14:40 arriving ay Lodge Cross 14:55

Bus pupils will leave school early catching the 14:40

Student Health and Well-being Survey 2025

Every secondary school in Wales have signed up for Years 7-11 pupils to complete the Student Health and Wellbeing Survey this year. We have been completing this survey with pupils for many years and it gives us valuable insights and supports us providing support and resources in the areas it is needed most. It is made clear to learners that this is voluntary, and they do not have to take part if they do not want to. More information below.

Summer School Uniform

Dear Parents and Carer,

Each year, depending on the weather we review the wearing of PE kit as a summer uniform. In response to weather reports we will be allowing all pupils to wear PE kit to school after the Easter Holiday.

I would like to be clear that pupils in have two options only.  To wear normal school uniform or to wear normal PE kit. Inappropriate garments such as Crocs, hotpants and normal sportswear will not be permitted, and my team will be contacting home where pupils do not respect our policy.  Our full uniform requirements are set out in full here: https://bit.ly/YBBUniform

If pupils do not have the correct PE kit, then they must wear their normal school uniform.

I would ask that Year 11 continue to wear uniform to their formal examinations which begin in May.  The examination hall has air conditioning.

We hope this compromise to our uniform policy will support pupils to be more comfortable in class without compromising our expectations for high standards.

Yours faithfully.

R. Rees

Headteacher.

Letter_Uniform_April25.pdf