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.
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 2nd 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: 8th 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!
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.
Receiving the School Essentials Grant will not affect your tax or other benefits.
What the grant is for
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
For further information on eligibility or the application process, please contact the local authority where your child goes to school.
Sports Day Success! A heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make Sports Day such a wonderful occasion! This truly was a team effort from start to finish. We are incredibly grateful to:
The team who prepared the running track
Those who set up gazebos to keep our pupils shaded
Our fantastic PTA for keeping everyone refreshed
The staff for their superb organization
The pupils for their excellent behaviour
And of course, our amazing supporters for cheering everyone on!
For me this has to be my favourite picture of the day!
Seeing the children’s beaming smiles as they crossed the finish line — truly unforgettable! Photos from the day are now available on the school website. We’d love your feedback too!
Water Fun Afternoon – 17th July Get your water pistols ready! Thanks to the PTA, we’re excited to host a Water Fun Afternoon. Pupils are welcome to bring water pistols for some splashing fun. For those who prefer to stay dry, we’ll also have gentler water activities available, and separate fun activities will be held for morning nursery pupils. Fingers crossed for sunshine!
Nursery Teddy Bears Picnic The PTA will be hosting a Teddy Bears Picnic for our Nursery pupils. Date: 4th July Please bring: A favourite teddy and a small picnic on a paper plate. Afternoon nursery pupils are kindly asked to attend the morning session to join in the fun.
Year 6 – Crucial Crew Trip (Thursday) Year 6 will be visiting Crucial Crew in Margam — a fantastic opportunity to learn about emergency services. What to bring:
School uniform
Packed lunch
A coat
Pupils will return before the end of the school day.
Summer Fete Excitement! We can’t wait for the Summer Fete, and a big thank you to the PTA for their hard work putting it all together! Expect games like hook a duck and snail racing, stalls including bric-a-brac, face painting, lucky dips, refreshments, and more! A Schoop form will be shared soon to confirm if your child will be picked up or taken around by a staff member. Afternoon nursery pupils are invited to attend in the morning so they can join in the afternoon festivities.
End-of-Term Trip to Ninja Warrior – 10th July Classes 1 to 4 are heading to Ninja Warrior for a fun-filled end-of-year treat! Includes:
Full Ninja Warrior access (socks included)
Lunch (pizza, chips, and unlimited squash)
Ice cream or ice pops upon return to school
Cost: £9.50 per pupil Thanks to Cymru Coaches for providing free transport and the PTA for their generous £500 contribution.
Please complete the Schoop form by Monday 1st July to confirm your child’s attendance. We need to pay a deposit to secure the booking. No spending money needed. Further details on clothing will be shared soon.
After School Clubs Update Our after-school sports club continues next week. Please let us know in advance if your child will not be attending. All other after-school pupil groups have now ended for the term due to staffing. We’ll be reviewing our offerings over the summer and will share plans for September soon.
Thank you for your continued support and involvement. Here’s to a fun, sunny and successful end to the school year!
Sports Day is going ahead this Friday! For a change this year, we’re not facing rain — instead, the forecast is for a very warm and sunny day, so please make sure your child comes prepared with a hat, water bottle, and has sunscreen applied before arriving.
We’re getting ready for the warm weather by setting up gazebos on the field to provide shade, and we’ll have extra water available to refill bottles throughout the day. All essential medication, such as asthma pumps currently held at school, will be taken to the field for easy access.
If your child would like to borrow a spare T-shirt for the day, we have some available at school. Please let us know as soon as possible so we can check the sizes we have in stock.
Huge thanks to our amazing PTA, who will be opening the tea hut down on the field during both the morning and afternoon sessions. They’ll be serving hot and cold drinks, cake, and sweets. Please note that it will be cash only.
Sports Day Schedule:
Nursery Sports Day: Starts at 10:00 AM on the rugby field. Morning nursery children should arrive at the usual time and will walk together to the field. Afternoon nursery children should arrive at 8:50 AM this day to join in the activities, as there will be no afternoon nursery session.
All other pupils: Will start walking down to the rugby field at 1:00 PM.
At the end of the event, please can one parent or carer come down to the children’s area to collect their child / children.
Thank you for your support — we’re looking forward to a fantastic day!
Spread across the year we have 3 transition days for pupils, and 2 transition evenings for parents. 2 transition days and 1 parents’ evening have already taken place. The next will be:
Year 6 Transition Day – Tuesday 8th July
Year 6 Parents’/Carers’ Evening – Tuesday 8th July
There might also be some additional transition opportunities, and if this is the case then further information will be shared with you.
How are the form classes arranged in Llangatwg, and will my child be with their friends?
There are 5 form classes in each year group – 7C, 7Y, 7D, 7R, and 7A. Each of the form classes is mixed ability. Mr. Barnes will contact all primary schools to collate friendship groups, and these friendship groups (of between 2 and 5 pupils) are kept together in a form classes. There may be occasions when larger friendship groups cannot all be kept together, as we feel that it is important for pupils to get to know others from different schools, but there will not be occasions where you child is not with a friend from their primary school.
Pupils will find out which form class they will be in from their primary school before the transition day on 8th July, and they will spend time in their forms and with their form tutor on this day. There is also an opportunity for parents/carers to meet their child’s form tutor in our Y6 parents/carer evening.
We also have an additional teaching class known as Dosbarth Tyfu, and this class is in place to support learners with their basic skills. This has been hugely successful for the past 2 years, and we are delighted to be able to offer this again. Learners in Dosbarth Tyfu will be in a form class with their friends, but will be in a different teaching group so that support can be put in place for them.
How do the school buses work?
School transport is organized by the Local Authority transport team. Parents/carers will receive a letter in the Summer Holidays confirming that the transport is in place, where the bus will collect their child and what time this will be. The bus will then bring learners directly down to the school. At the end of the day the pupils will return to the same bus which will bring them home. All buses are labelled with the bus route number, which is the same number that will be on the letter that parents/carers receive, as well as on the child’s bus pass. Pupils will not have their bus passes for the first day of term, and so the requirement to carry their bus pass is relaxed, however once these have been issued then bus passes will be required each day. The current timetable can be found at the back of this document, however this can change, and so parents/carers should check the school transport website.
What is the uniform for Llangatwg School, and where do I purchase this?
All of the Llangatwg School unform can be purchased from Sportec, and can be bought in person or online (https://www.sportec.co.uk/)
A range of uniform items can be purchased from Sportec, however the basic uniform will include a polo shirt, jumper, PE top black school trousers and plain black shoes.
Who can help if there is a problem in school?
All staff at Llangatwg School are committed to providing help and support to the learners at the school. The most common member of staff that you would contact if there was an issue at school would be your child’s form tutor and your child’s year leader. You are able to contact us via email or telephone, and the contact details can be found at the bottom of this page. Your child’s year leader will be Mrs. Collins.
How will pupils find their way around school?
Finding their way around a new school can be something that learners new to the school can find worrying. On the first day of term all new Year 7 learners will meet in the school hall, and this is something that will be showed to them in the run-through that takes place in the transition day on 8th July. Learners will follow the signage to their form classes, and their form tutors will meet them there. Pupils will be shown around the school and escorted to breaktime and lunchtime for the first few days until they get used to the layout of the school. We run a 2 week timetable at the school, however once pupils have done 1 week with us then they will have been to all areas and had all of the lessons, and so will quickly feel more comfortable with finding their way around.
How are school lunches paid for?
All parents/carers will have an information pack and forms to fill in and return to the school in readiness for their child starting in September. These will be circulated from primary schools. These forms are then returned to Llangatwg, who will set parents/carers up with a Parentpay account. All payments for school go through Parentpay, including paying for lunches. Included in the same information pack is the application form for free school meals. Pupils will have a unique pin code which they use for paying for school dinners, and using this pin number will mean that either funds will be taken from the Parentpay account, or the free school meal will be issued.
What do pupils need to bring to school?
Pupils will need to bring all of your equipment with them every day (pens, pencils, rubber, ruler, sharpener, protractor). They will also need to bring the books that they require for that day, as will as their PE kit.
How will I know if my child has homework?
Homework is an essential part of continued progress for learners. At Llangatwg School we use a system called ClassCharts, and this has a parent/carer and a pupil app. On this app parents/carer and pupil are able to access timetables, homework that has been set, attendance at school, any positive or negative points, etc. When homework is set then this will show on the ClassCharts app for parents/carer and pupils, along with the length of time that a pupil has to complete this set piece.
How does the school address Additional Learning Needs concerns?
Llangatwg School works hard to meet the needs of all learners, including those learners with ALN. The great majority of parents/carers of learners with ALN would have already met with Mr. Barnes in their child’s primary school. Mr. Barnes meets with all primary schools to ensure that we have all of the information that we require to put help and support in place for your child.
All learners are screened with their arrive at the school for Literacy, Numeracy and Speech and Language difficulties, and learners that require this additional support are offered intervention in these areas to help develop their skills. Parents/carer are kept updated with the progress that their child is making throughout the year.
Some learners require support over and above intervention, and these needs are discussed in Pupil-centred Review meetings, where we focus on what is working well, what is not working so well, and what additional provision is required to support your child. Parents/carers of learners with Additional Learning Needs are contacted by telephone to make an appointment (face-to-face or virtual), and the support package is then discussed. This is reviewed regularly in line with the ALNET Code of Practice.
What happens if my child is not able to come to school due to illness or appointment?
If your child is not able to come into school then we ask that you contact us by telephone or report this through the ClassCharts app. When the automated options are given to you then there is an option to report a child’s absence, and this will take you through to an answerphone to leave a message with us to report the absence.
What should I do if I have medical concerns about my child?
The great majority of medical concerns can be handled with reasonable adjustments and a good understanding of the learner’s health condition. In other cases a learner might needs a healthcare plan. It is important to made Llangatwg School aware of the health concern early on, and this can be done in one of two ways:
Liaise with your child’s primary school to ensure that they are going to discuss with Mr. Barnes at information exchange
Is vaping an issue, and what are the school doing to tackle this?
As you are aware, vaping amongst young people has become a national issue, inside and outside of schools. To combat this, we have regular assemblies raising the health issues, along with bespoke lessons in health and wellbeing lessons which address a range of issues.
We have invested in vape alarms in our toilets which have been highly successful in deters and reducing issues. We have also separated our toilets to older and younger pupils to combat any issues in the toilets. A high staff presence at break and lunchtimes on our duty rotas also adds to our presence around the school.
How are bullying concerns addressed at Llangatwg School?
Bullying will not be tolerated. Our fundamental school rules are Ready, Respectful, Safe and these are taught through the school. Any issues will be dealt with in an open manner, with nothing brushed under the carpet.
Our form tutors will take their pupils through the 5 years, building a strong, trusting relationship, one in which will be the first port of call for pupils and parents if any issues. Likewise with the Year leaders. senior staff are always on duty, along with the buddy system of senior prefects.
Are the toilets locked throughout the school day?
Some of the toilets are locked throughout the school day, however there are always toilets that are open. The toilets in the New Block (this is by the canteen) are always open, and so it is always possible for learners to use the toilet throughout the school day. We always encourage learners to use the toilets during breaktime and lunchtime, however we understand that there are occasions where this is not always possible, and so there are always open toilets.
Sports Day ☀️ We’re excited that the sun looks set to shine next week, and Sports Day is likely to go ahead as planned! Nursery Sports Day will start at 10:00 AM on the rugby field. The rest of the school will begin walking down to the rugby field at 1:00 PM. Please bring morning nursery children to school at the usual time; they will walk to the field together. For children attending the afternoon nursery session, please note that they should come to school at 8:50 AM on this day for them to join in Sports Day, as there will be no afternoon nursery. We are currently waiting for confirmation from the PTA about whether the refreshment hut will be open. Thank you to everyone who has already requested Sports Day T-Shirts. The order form will close tomorrow to ensure we have enough T-Shirts in the correct sizes for all pupils.
Please can pupils come to school wearing their PE kit on Tuesday to get some extra Sports Day practice in.
School Trips I’m delighted to announce that Classes 1, 2, 3, and 4 will be visiting Ninja Warrior on July 10th for a fun end-of-year trip! The outing will include two hours of playtime at Ninja Warrior plus lunch at the venue, at a cost of just £9.50 per pupil. We are very grateful to Cymru Coaches for providing a free bus and to the PTA for their generous £500 contribution. Payment details will soon be available on ParentPay, and a consent form will be sent via Schoop.
Events for Parents
Monday 16th June, 1:30 PM – Staff from Llangatwg will be visiting to meet Year 6 parents. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about the transition to Comprehensive School and ask any questions you may have.
Thursday 3rd July, 9:30 AM – Nursery Graduation. We look forward to welcoming morning Nursery parents to celebrate this special occasion. Following the graduation, there will be a transition meeting to explain the changes involved in starting full-time education and to answer any questions.
Updates on the Post Inspection Action Plan
Thursday 19th June – Our Governors and members of the Local Authority will be visiting us to look at Higher Order Reading skills and to talk to pupils about their reading.
Monday 30th June, 3:30 PM – Post Inspection Plan update and Read, Write, Inc information session. Join us to meet the school governors and hear about our next steps following the inspection. Helen Harris will also share how Read, Write, Inc supports our literacy targets within the Post Inspection Action Plan.
Staff Updates We are very grateful to Mrs. Rachel Bevan for kindly covering Class 2 this week while Mrs. Williams is unwell. We wish Mrs. Williams a swift and smooth recovery and look forward to welcoming her back soon.
PTA Summer Fete A huge thank you to our amazing PTA for all their hard work planning our Summer Fete! The event will kick off at 1:30 PM on Friday, 11th July. The list of stalls and activities is extensive, featuring a bouncy castle , hook-a-duck , and even splat-the-teacher! The Bee Hive will be transformed into a “Cozy Café” for those looking for a quieter moment. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for good weather.
We hope you all have a wonderful weekend. For those attending the Neath Steam and Vintage Show, we hope the sun shines for you at this fantastic local event!
