Dear Parent / Carer
There has been a great deal to celebrate this term. The examination season went very well for all year groups. Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 pupils have been collecting their results from their school examinations; Year 10 pupils will receive the results from their school examinations at the beginning of September as part of their induction into their final year of GCSE. The older year groups await the results from their summer external GCSE and A level examinations later in the summer holidays.
Other recent school events have included: a wonderful Presentation Evening in which we celebrated the many achievements of students from across the school; the Year 11 Prom at The Vale Hotel and Spa which was a fantastic event; and transition for Year 6 pupils which has been very successful. There have been a wealth of opportunities for our students to demonstrate their community spirit and their leadership skills. I would urge you to look at the school website where so many of these opportunities are celebrated.
In readiness for the new autumn term, please note
Start of term arrangements
Monday 2 September 2019 is an INSET day for staff. Years 7, 11 and 12 will return on Tuesday 3 September 2019 with all years in school from Wednesday 4 September 2019.
The 2019/2020 School Calendar will be available on our website at the beginning of the new term, with Parent Information Evenings for each year group taking place in the first few weeks.
A copy of the School Development Plan 2019-2022 summary will be available on our website in September.
Attendance and punctuality
Whole school attendance has further improved this year and our end of term attendance prizes have been well received. All children should aim for 100% attendance as every day that they are absent from school means that five hours of their learning have been missed.
Please note that all students are expected to be in school in good time for the start of the school day. There are some children who arrive by bus early and go to the local shops. This, of course is permissible by you, as supervision by school staff is in place from 8.25am. However, the first bell rings at 8.30am and all students should be on site in readiness for assemblies and form time at 8.30am without fail.
Uniform
As the summer term progresses, it is understandable that parents do not wish to replace school uniform items until the summer holidays. As such, uniform standards across the school in the past few weeks have not been as high as usual. As you will expect, we will be returning to our high standards and expectations for all pupils in September.
Please ensure that school uniform comply with our policy (which is on our school website). TSS (Total Sporting Solutions) in Caerphilly is our school uniform supplier for the compulsory school blazer and compulsory tie, as well as the optional school jumper, cardigan and tank top. Shirts, skirts, trousers and shoes can be purchased from any shop. However, please take note of our uniform expectations regarding these as some shops label items such as leggings as school uniform which they are not.
For current Year 9 pupils (who will be in Year 10 in September) and who are eligible for free school meals, there is a new £125 Pupil Access Grant from Welsh Government for uniform and school equipment. Application forms are available from school reception. This grant is also available for current Year 6 pupils (who will be in Year 7 in September) and the grant for these pupils is worth £200.
If you have any unwanted good quality uniform items, we would very much welcome these as donations to the school for us to share with those in need. Please deliver any items to school reception. Thank you.
Equipment, mobile phones and headphones
All pupils need black ink pens for their written work, as well as the usual school equipment (pencils, ruler, protractor, compass, scientific calculator, colouring pencils, etc). These are available to purchase from the school if required.
The Pupil Senedd will be reviewing our policy with regard to mobile phones and headphones next year. However, as a rule of thumb, neither should be seen nor heard on school site.
Staff News
At the end of this term, Miss Samantha Jarrett Head of Welsh is leaving to take up a new lectureship post. We wish our three members of staff who are retiring a long and happy retirement – Mrs Deb Williams (Teaching Assistant), Mrs Sandy Evans (Head of Sixth Form) and Mrs Karen Davies (Assistant Headteacher). We thank them all for their long and dedicated service at St Cenydd. They will be very much missed by students and staff.
In September, the following staff will take up promoted posts: Miss Angharad Thomas (MAT Coordinator), Mr Jonny Craig (Digital Lead), Mrs Gemma Evans (Head of Welsh), Mr Alex Jones (Head of Years 12 and 13), and Mr Andy Harrison (Assistant Headteacher).
We will also welcome new members of staff – Mrs Laura Barton (Head of Year), Mr Tim Marshall (Head of MFL), Mr Jacob Mills (Teacher of English), Mr Rhodri Owen (Teacher of PE), Mrs Delyth Rummings (Teacher of Welsh), Mr Anthony Slade (Teacher of A level Physics), Miss Emily Edwards (Teacher of Science and Skills) and Mrs Sam Lippiett (Examinations Officer).
Thank you again for your continued support. I wish you an enjoyable, happy and safe summer holiday break.
Yours faithfully
Miss Rebecca V. Collins
Headteacher
