Dear Parents and Carers, 

You’re Invited! 
We’re delighted to welcome you into school on Monday, 14th July to celebrate the amazing work our pupils have done this year! 
Infant pupils’ work will be displayed in the hall, and Junior pupils’ books will be available to view in their classrooms. We hope you can join us between 3:20 and 5:00 to share in their achievements! 

Breakfast Club News for Nursery Pupils 

Starting in September, Nursery children can attend Breakfast Club from 8:10 to 8:30am. 
Simply bring your child to the front door and sign them in—no booking required, as we currently have plenty of space. We hope this added flexibility helps with your morning routine! 

Pupil Achievements – We’re So Proud! 

A huge congratulations to our pupils who have achieved fantastic things outside of school: 

• Dougie Watkins – Represented Neath School Boys Rugby  
•  George Thomas – Selected for next season’s squad  
•  Lili Morgan – Selected for the Afan Nedd Girls’ Football Team  
•  Darcie Croucher – Continues to shine in horse riding  

Well done to all of you! We’re incredibly proud of your hard work and dedication. 

 Looking Ahead to September 

We’re pleased to confirm that all teaching staff will be in place for the start of the new school year in September 2025. 

On Wednesday, pupils will take part in a transition morning to spend time in their new classes. While not all teachers will be present, this is a great opportunity for pupils to get to know their new environment and classmates. 

Class Structure for 2025: 

• Class 1 – Nursery & Reception: Mrs. Thomas, Mrs. R. Williams, Mrs. Jones  
• Class 2 – Years 1 & 2: Mrs. A. Williams, Mrs. Morgan (Part-time), Mrs. Amos (Part-time)  
• Class 3 – Years 3 & 4: Mrs. Davies  
• Class 4 – Years 5 & 6: Mr. Allen, Mrs. Ashby  

Mrs. Judith Hawkes will continue her important work supporting ALN, wellbeing, and emotional support in Classes 3 and 4. 

Farewell and Thank You 

We’ll be saying goodbye to Miss. Glennon, Mr. Evans, and Mrs. Bevan. 
We are so grateful for their dedication and the positive impact they’ve had on our school.  

• Miss. Glennon and Mrs. Bevan will finish on Friday  
• Mr. Evans’ last day will be Monday  

They will be greatly missed by staff, pupils, and parents alike. We wish them all the very best in their next adventures! 

Never Miss a School Event Again! 

Our school calendar has been packed recently! 
Did you know you can link the school calendar to your phone? 
Just visit our website and follow the link to sync it with your device. You can even set alerts so you’re always in the loop! 

Thank You to Our Amazing PTA 

A massive thank you to our wonderful PTA for organising such a fantastic Summer Fete! 
Your hard work created a brilliant afternoon for pupils, parents, and the wider community. We truly appreciate how much hard work went into planning this event. Events like this help us reduce the cost of school trips—like this week’s visit to Ninja Warrior, which was supported by PTA donations. 

We are also looking forward to the support of the PTA with our water fun day on Thursday. After the final soaking that Mr. Allen, Mrs. Lewis and myself received on Friday, I’ve certainly got my water pistol ready!  

 If you’ve been inspired to get involved, we’d love to see you at the PTA AGM on Tuesday, 9th September. Come along and find out how you can help make a difference! 

Wishing you all a lovely weekend, enjoy the sunshine and we look forward to seeing the pupils on Monday for another busy week. 

Kind regards, 
Mrs. M. Teague 

 Summer Fete Fun – It’s Happening Tomorrow! ☀️

We’re excited for our Summer Fete tomorrow – and guess what? The sun is shining, the stalls are being prepared, and the fun is about to begin! A huge shoutout to our fabulous PTA for their incredible planning and hard work. You’re amazing!

Here’s everything you need to know to make the day smooth and joyful:

---

Fete Entry & Exit Plan

• Entrance: Come in through the main gate in the infant yard from 1:30
• Collection Point: Pupils will be waiting in the junior yard, ready to be picked up by parents/carers via the dividing gate between the two yards.

Children Staying for the Fete

• If your child isn’t being collected right away, no worries! Our lovely staff will be supervising them around the fete.
• If they’d like to join in the paid activities, please send in money clearly labelled with their name.
•  If possible, please send / bring coins rather than notes to help stalls give change more easily.

 Parking Reminder
Let’s be kind to our neighbours! Please avoid blocking driveways or access routes on School Rd. 

---

We can’t wait to see you here for a day full of laughter, games, and summer sunshine!

Dear Parents and Carers,

As we approach the end of term, there’s a buzz of excitement in the air! We have a busy few weeks ahead, filled with fun activities, important updates, and opportunities to get involved. Please take a moment to read through the information below.

---

Ninja Warrior Trip – Important Informatio

We’re thrilled about our upcoming trip to Ninja Warrior! On Friday, I visited the venue to complete the risk assessment, and everything is set for a fantastic experience.

Key Details:

• Date: Thursday 10th July
• Departure: Bus leaves school at 9:15 AM. Please ensure pupils arrive on time.
• Clothing: Pupils should wear PE kit and trainers (no sandals, Crocs, or open-toe shoes)
• What to Bring: Just a water bottle – squash will be provided throughout the morning
• No bags or money needed
• Special Treat: Ice cream for all pupils on our return to school!

For the first hour, our pupils will have exclusive access to the venue. From 11:00 AM, another school will join us. A waiver will need to be completed by parents – we’ll share the link via Schoop as soon as it’s available.

Nursery Graduation – Thank You!

A heartfelt thank you to all the parents and carers who joined us this week to celebrate our amazing nursery pupils at their graduation. We hope you enjoyed the special occasion as much as we did – it was a joy to see the children shine!

Unfortunately, we’re currently experiencing some technical issues with uploading the graduation photos to our website. We’re working hard to resolve this and will get the photos to you as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Changes to Our Family Engagement Team

We’re saying a fond farewell to Gemma Addis-Fuller, who has secured a new role within the local authority. We’re incredibly grateful for her contributions and are pleased to share that she will still be involved in family engagement across the cluster – so you may still see her around!

We’re delighted to welcome Ceri-Marie Jones as our new Family Engagement Officer. Ceri will be with us on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and we’re already planning some exciting activities for September.

Advance Notice of Key Dates

As we begin to look ahead, here are a few important dates to keep in mind for the coming weeks and into the new term. We’ll continue to share reminders via Schoop, but we hope this helps with your planning:

• Inset Days – 1st September, 24th September, 29th June. (3 more dates to follow)
• First Day Back in September – Tuesday 2nd September
• Workshops for parents with Emma Jenkins from CAMHS-
  • Emotional Regulation – 16^th September 2.00-3.00
  • Managing Anger- 23rd September- 2.00-3.00
  • Managing Worries- 30^th September – 2.00-3.00
  • Building self-esteem – 14^th October- 2.00-3.00
• Open evening for parents and pupils – 15th September 3:30 – 5:00

More details will follow, but we wanted to give you a heads-up so you can mark your calendars!

Ospreys Rugby Camps – Summer Fun!

We’re pleased to share details of the Ospreys “On The Road” Rugby Camps happening this summer – a great opportunity for children aged 6–11 to enjoy a day of rugby, games, and friendship.

Camp Dates & Locations:

• August 19 – Ysgol Cwm Brombil
• August 26 – Cefn Saeson Comprehensive
• August 27 – Ysgol Bae Baglan

Booking links are available via Schoop 

 Reminders & Notices

• Summer Fête:
  If you haven’t already, please complete the Schoop form for the Summer Fête.
  • Children who will be supervised by a teacher can bring money to spend during the event.
  • Nursery children are welcome to attend the morning session and should be collected at 11:30 AM.
• After-School Clubs:
  All clubs have now finished for the term except football, which will continue as scheduled.

Thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm. Let’s make these final weeks of term memorable and full of joy!

Warm regards,
Mrs. M. Teague

Nursery News

Last week we read ‘Handa’s Surprise’ which is about a girl called Handa who fills a basket with fruit and goes on a journey (carrying the basket on her head) to visit her friend Akeyo.

Applications for School Essential Grant 2025/2026 will open on 01/07/2025  and will close on 31/05/2026. Applications will be available online.  

The School Essentials Grant is available to children and young people eligible for free school meals (eFSM), Looked After Children (LAC), and those who are classed as No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) in year groups Reception to Year 11.

Funding of £125 is available for each eligible learner with the exception of those in Year 7 who will be entitled to £200.

The School Essentials Grant can help cover the costs of:

• school uniform, including coats and shoes
• school activities, including learning a musical instrument, sports kit and other equipment for after school activities
• classroom essentials, including pens, pencils and school bags
• specialist equipment for new curriculum activities such as design and technology
• IT equipment: laptops and tablets only (School Essentials should only be used in limited situations where a school is unable to loan equipment to the family)
• equipment for out-of-school hours trips such as outdoor learning (for example, waterproofs)
• non-uniform essential items such as clothing to support access and involvement in residential outdoor education
• uniform for enrichment activities, including but not limited to: scouts, guides, cadets, martial arts, sports, performing arts, or dance

Eligibility

You can apply for the School Essentials Grant if you receive any of the following benefits:

• Income Support
• Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Employment and Support Allowance
• Child Tax Credit – As long as your annual income is £16,190 or less before tax and you don’t receive Working Tax Credit
• Pension Credit
• Universal Credit – Your household earnings must be less than £7,400 a year after tax. This does not include any income from benefits
• Help under Immigration and Asylum Seekers Act 1999

You may be eligible if you have no recourse to public funds (NRPF).

Pupils who receive free school meals due to transitional protection or Universal FSM do not qualify for this funding.

Link Below:-

Get help with school essentials – Neath Port Talbot Council

Dear Parents, Carers, and Students,

As we approach the final stretch of the academic year, it’s hard to believe there are just 15 school days left until the end of term! This is always a very busy and exciting time, filled with final projects, celebrations, and important transitions.

We know there’s a lot happening, so please remember that all key dates and event details can be found on our school website. Staying up to date will help ensure you don’t miss any of the wonderful activities planned as we wrap up the term.

Read Write Inc. – Change of Date

Please note that the Read Write Inc. Information Sharing Session for Parents has been rescheduled.
New Date: Wednesday 2^nd July @3:30
We encourage all parents to attend and learn more about how we support early reading and phonics development in school. A creche will be provided for the pupils.

Nursery Graduation – Reminder

A gentle reminder that our Nursery Graduation will take place next week!
Children will be having lunch in school, but they are also welcome to bring their own packed lunch if preferred.
Please look out for a Schoop message where we’ll ask for your lunch preference.
There is no limit to how many family members can attend the graduation.
However, we kindly ask that only one parent or carer attends the transition meeting due to limited space.

Multi Sports Festival – Years 3 & 4

We’re thrilled to share that Years 3 and 4 will be taking part in an exciting Multi Sports Festival at Llangatwg on 9th July from 9:30am to 11:45am!

This is a fantastic opportunity for pupils to get active, try out a variety of sports, and enjoy some friendly competition with other schools.

Please ensure your child comes to school wearing their PE kit, along with a coat in case of unpredictable weather, and brings a bottle of water to stay hydrated.

Let’s get ready for a fun and energetic morning!

Book Look – Monday 14th July

We’re delighted to invite all parents and carers to our Book Look on Monday, 14th July from 3:30 to 5:00pm. This is a wonderful opportunity to come into school, browse through your child’s work, and see the progress they’ve made this term. Class teachers will also be available for informal conversations, giving you a chance to discuss your child’s learning and achievements. We hope to see you there!

Transition Day to Llangatwg

Our Year 6 pupils will be attending their Transition Day at Llangatwg.
 Date:  8^th July
Pupils will need a packed lunch
Please ensure they wear their PE kit

Personalised Assessments in Wales

Next week, pupils will be completing their Personalised Assessments.
These assessments help teachers understand each child’s strengths and areas for development in Reading and Numeracy.
They are adaptive, meaning the questions adjust to the pupil’s responses, providing a more tailored experience.
More information is available on the Welsh Government’s website:

Crucial Crew Visit – Learning About Safety

Our Year 6 pupils recently attended the Crucial Crew event, where they learned vital safety skills from a range of organisations including:

• Building Site Safety
• Water Safety – RNLI
• Dog Safety
• Thrive – Keeping Themselves Safe
• Fire Safety
• Stop and Search – South Wales Police
• Railway Safety – Network Rail
• Gas Safety – Wales & West Utilities
• Road Safety – National Grid
• First Aid – St John’s Ambulance

As always, the children participated brilliantly and were a credit to the school. Well done, everyone!

Apollo Football Tournament

A big shout-out to our pupils who took part in the Apollo Football Tournament!
They showed fantastic teamwork, sportsmanship, and school spirit. We’re proud of you all!

---

Sports Day T-Shirts – Reminder

If you haven’t already done so, please return your child’s Sports Day T-shirt to school as soon as possible. Thank you!

Schoop Forms – Data Collection for September

A reminder to complete the data collection forms on Schoop in preparation for the new school year.
If you haven’t yet submitted your form, please do so at your earliest convenience to help us ensure a smooth start in September.

---

Ninja Warrior Trip

Please complete the Schoop form to let us know whether your child will be attending the trip.
This is essential so we can make appropriate provision for those not attending, including preparing school dinners.
Thank you for your cooperation!

INSET Days · Important Dates

Please make a note of the following INSET days, when school will be closed to all pupils:

• Monday, July 21st – Final INSET day of the current term
• Monday, September 1st – First INSET day of the new term
• Thursday, October 24th – Autumn term INSET day

We recommend checking the school website regularly for a full list of key dates and updates.

Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our school community. Let’s make these last few weeks both productive and memorable!

Warm regards,

Mrs. M. Teague

Nursery Newsletter

Last week we read ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ and we did lots of activities around this story including acting it out, maths activities, made bears out of playdough, moved small world people through the grass, mud, water, snow and twigs as well as going on our own bear hunt around our outdoor environment.

We also made Father’s Day cards using our footprints as the top of a hammer.

Rehearsals have started with the morning nursery for our graduation show. We have been doing a great job of singing the songs and we are starting to learn what we are going to be saying. 

On Welly Wednesday we visited our pond area and used big nets to scoop into the water to see what was living in there! We found newts, pond snails, pond skaters, water boatmen, a whirligig beetle, a bloodworm and dragonfly and damselfly nymphs! We had a lot of fun exploring! 

Sports day was so much fun! Well done to all of the children for doing their best in all of the races! We’re very proud of you!

Mrs Williams & Mrs Amos

Reception & Year 1 Newsletter 

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope this message finds you well and that you’re enjoying the lovely weather! 

Literacy
We are continuing with our Read Write Inc. (RWInc) phonics programme. The children are making fantastic progress with their sounds and blends, showing growing confidence and determination. It’s wonderful to see them applying their learning independently in the classroom.
We also enjoy daily story time, which helps the children expand their vocabulary, spark their imagination, and improve their listening and sitting skills.

Numeracy
Year 1: We’ve started exploring fractions. This week, we focused on recognising halves and finding half of objects and quantities. Next week, we’ll move on to learning about quarters.
Reception: Our focus has been on subtraction—taking away numbers up to 20 and recognising how many have been taken away. Next week, we’ll begin exploring sharing and grouping equally.

Concept: Journeys
Our current theme is ‘Journeys’. We’ve been learning about positional language—thinking about how we travel over, around, under, or through different environments.
We’ve also been role-playing a journey to Mecca, reflecting on someone we love and discussing the significance of the journey and the big walk involved in getting there.

Reading and Library Books
A gentle reminder to please return any library or reading books your child has borrowed. This helps us keep our collection fresh and exciting for everyone to enjoy.

Thank you for your continued support. We are incredibly proud of all the children and the progress they are making!

Warm regards,
Miss Glennon & Mrs. Morgan

Year 2 Newsletter

Maths 

In Maths, we have been exploring fractions – breaking numbers into different parts and dividing shapes into halves.  The children have really enjoyed hands-on activities to help them understand how things can be split equally. 

We have also been working on number bonds, choosing a number and finding how many more we need to make ten or twenty.  It has been fantastic to see the children building their confidence in mental arithmetic. 

We have introduced number fact families too – using three numbers to create four related number sentences.  This is helping the children develop a deeper understanding of addition and subtraction. 

To build their fluency further, we have been practising our 2, 5 and 10 times tables.  It has been lovely to see the children rise to the challenge of multiplication. 

Literacy 

In our literacy sessions, we have continued with Read Write Inc.  This week, we have been focussing on our “sound of the day”, linking it to spelling and handwriting practice.  The children are doing a fantastic job applying the strategies they have learnt in lessons in their writing throughout the day. 

Concept 

In our concept work, we have been investigating different materials, with a focus on plastic.  The children were amazed – and a bit shocked – to learn that plastic can take up to a thousand years to decompose!  We have explored how long other materials take to break down and discussed eco-friendly alternatives.  The children have come up with brilliant ideas for how we can reduce plastic use and reuse plastic items in creative ways. 

Mrs. Bevan and Ms. Evans

Class 3 Newsletter

I am so glad to finally be back in Class 3. I have had a lovely welcome, so thank you all very much. We have enjoyed catching up with each other. In PE we rotated activities, practising our football skills, tennis – bat and ball, egg and spoon, running & skipping races. We all enjoyed our Sports Day too, as I’m sure you all did!

In Maths, we have started multiplication. We have continued with our Read Write Inc. groups, learning new sounds, writing sentences, listening to stories and discussing content with our friends.

In Welsh we have been learning the pattern ‘Ble wyt ti’n byw? (Where do you live?). We played matching, dice and action games to help us learn this new vocabulary. We have continued with migration and have now all completed our PowerPoint presentations about birds with Mr Evans.  

Diolch yn fawr,                                                                                                                                              Mrs Davies.