Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank You for Attending Progress Meetings
We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who joined us for this week’s Progress Meetings. It was wonderful to see so many of you in school. This time, we trialled extended time slots to include afternoons, and we’d love to hear your thoughts on how this worked for you. Please take a moment to share your feedback via the Schoop form – your input helps us continue to improve.

Post-Inspection Action Plan Update
On Thursday we received a call from Estyn and are expecting a visit on May 22nd to discuss our Post-Inspection Action Plan, which we submitted last Friday. Once our plan is finalised, we will share our next steps with all stakeholders. Thank you for your continued support during this important process.

Family Engagement – Thank You!
A big thank you to all the families who have donated plants and soil to help us revitalise our gardening area. Special thanks go to our Family Engagement Officer, Gemma, and the fantastic group of enthusiastic parents who have already rolled up their sleeves to get things started. We truly appreciate your time, knowledge, and energy!

School Uniform Reminder
As the weather warms up, summer dresses and shorts are welcome; however, please note that Crocs are not suitable school footwear. They can pose a safety risk during playtimes and PE, so we kindly ask that children wear more secure shoes to school.

After School Clubs – Back This Week
Our after school clubs are back to their usual schedule this week:

• Monday: Soccer (Years 2–6)
• Tuesday: Sports Club (Years 2–6)
• Thursday: Pupil Groups

Upcoming Events
We’ve recently added several important dates to our school calendar, including the Year 6 Leavers’ Presentation and Nursery Graduation. Please check our website regularly for updates and further information.

Warm regards,
Mrs. M. Teague

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Take a look to see who was nominated in our Wellbeing Assembly.

Ollie nominated Ethan because he is a good friend.

Indigo nominated Colton because he is a good friend.

Elsie nominated Scottlyn because “She is nice to me.”

Zara nominated Olivia because “She is my friend.”

Solomon nominated Colton because “I like playing football with him.”

Willow nominated Eva because she is a good sister. 

Dear Parents,

The year has passed quickly, and we are beginning to make preparations for the transition of our Year 6 pupils to the next chapter in their schooling. As part of these celebrations, we are delighted to invite you to our Leavers’ Performance on Wednesday, 16th July.

The performance will take place from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM, followed by a party from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM for the pupils. Doors will be open from 4:15 for parents and extended family members.

On the day, pupils will remain at school after the usual school hours to prepare for the performance and the celebration. There is no requirement for pupils to dress up for the party; however, they are welcome to bring a change of clothes if they would like to.

We’re very much looking forward to celebrating this special milestone and acknowledging the hard work and achievements of our Year 6 pupils.

Warm regards,
Mrs. M. Teague and Mr. Allen 

Nursery Graduation Invitation

Dear Parents and Carers,

We are excited to invite you to our Nursery Graduation Ceremony to celebrate the achievements of our little learners! This special event will take place on:

Date: July 3rd
Time: 9:30 AM

Following the graduation, we will be holding a Transition Meeting for parents. This will be an opportunity to discuss the upcoming changes, support your child’s transition, and answer any questions you may have.

We look forward to celebrating this milestone with you and your child!

Warm regards,
Mrs. Teague and Mrs. Williams

Dear Parents/carers,

Learning to read is the most important thing your child will learn at our school. Everything else depends on it, so we do all we can to make sure every child learns to read quickly.

We want your child to love reading – and to want to read for themselves.

You can help.

Throughout the year we will run a series of meetings for parents to learn how we are teaching your children to read, and learn how you can help at home.

Join us for an information-sharing meeting on Monday, 30th June at 3:30 PM. We’ll have a crèche available, so you can relax and take part without any interruptions. The details of the meetings 2-6 will follow later.  

Meeting 1 – An Introduction to Read Write Inc. Phonics

An overview of how we teach children to read.

Meeting 2 – Set 1 Sounds

How we teach children to read their first sounds.

Meeting 3 – Fred Talk

Fred Talk is how we teach children to blend sounds into words.

Meeting 4 – Listen to your child read

How to listen to your child read their Read Write Inc. Phonics decodable storybook when they bring it home.

Meeting 5 – Reading stories to your child

How to read stories to your child at home.

Meeting 6 – Set 2 and 3 Sounds

How we teach children the next group of sounds.

Meeting 7 – Phonics Screening Check

The check children undertake in June to assess word reading progress.

You are warmly invited to attend. In the meantime, make sure you read to your child every day.

Visit https://www.ruthmiskin.com/en/find-out-more/parents/ for more information and helpful videos.

Kind regards,

Mrs. M. Teague

Monday, 5th May 2024

Dear Parents and Carers,

I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful long weekend! We are looking forward to welcoming the children back to school tomorrow.

Read Write Inc. Training and Support

Last Friday, our staff and Governors participated in training for Read Write Inc., a program designed to support children’s reading, spelling, and writing skills. We are excited to begin embedding these strategies into our teaching, and we’ll be supported by Helen Harris throughout the term.

To help you learn more about this program, we will be hosting a Read Write Inc. information session for parents on Monday, 30th June, at 3:30 PM. We hope you can join us!

Progress Meetings:

This week, we will be holding progress meetings with teachers. If you’ve already received your appointment through Schoop, we look forward to seeing you.

If you have not received an appointment, please contact the school office on Tuesday, where Mrs. Lewis will be happy to assist you in scheduling a meeting.

VE Day Celebration – Thursday

On Thursday, we will be celebrating VE Day. Children are invited to wear red, white, and blue in recognition of this special occasion.

Website Development – We Value Your Feedback

We are currently working on updating our school website and are aware of some viewing issues, especially on mobile devices. If there is anything you would like to see added or improved on the website, please let us know. We’d be grateful for your feedback so that we can make the necessary updates.

After-School Sports Club and Pupil Groups

Sports Club will take place after school tomorrow; however, please note that pupil groups will not be meeting this week due to the progress meetings.

Thank you for your continued support, and we look forward to another exciting week ahead!

Kind regards,

Mrs. M. Teague

Dear Parent/Carer,

We are pleased to inform you that staff from Llangatwg Community School will be joining us on Monday, 12th May at 1:30 to discuss your child’s transition to their next school. This will be an informal meeting, providing you with the opportunity to ask any questions you may have. We are also delighted to share that the new Head of Llangatwg will be in attendance.

Feedback from parents who have attended these meetings in the past has been very positive, with many finding the sessions helpful in addressing any concerns they might have had.

We strongly encourage all parents to attend, if possible, to ensure you have the information and support needed during this transition period.

For more details, please refer to the attached letter from Llangatwg.

We look forward to seeing you here!

Kind regards,

Mrs. M. Teague

https://cdnfiles.j2bloggy.com/30479_b/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Letter-to-Parents-Coffee-Afternoons.pdf

https://cdnfiles.j2bloggy.com/30479_b/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Letter-to-Parents-Coffee-Afternoons.pdf

April 27th 2025

Dear Parent/Carer,

We’re so excited to welcome the children back to school tomorrow as we begin the summer term! With the warmer weather on the way, we’ll be encouraging the children to wear sun hats, bring water bottles, and come to school wearing sun cream. Some children who like to wear summer dresses also choose to wear shorts underneath for added comfort – feel free to do whatever works best for your child!

 What’s Coming Up This Term

• Appointment times for parent-teacher meetings will be sent out via Schoop later this week – keep an eye out!
• Sports Clubs begin this Tuesday! There’s still time to sign up via Schoop if you haven’t already.
• After-school pupil groups will continue as normal on Thursdays.
• We’ve added lots of exciting new dates to the school calendar – including Sports Day! You can find all the updates on our school website.
• Friday 2nd May and Monday 2nd June are INSET days, where staff will be revisiting Read Write Inc. training.
• The PTA will be holding a Summer Fête on Friday 11th July – more information to follow!
• Our wellbeing dog, Teddy, will continue his visits every other Wednesday.
• On Monday 30th June at 3:20, Helen Harris will be hosting an information sharing session for parents on Read, Write, Inc. This is a great opportunity for parents of pupils from Nursery, to Year 4 to learn more about how pupils learn to read, write and spell. Child care will be provided for pupils during the session. More information will follow nearer the event. 

Transition Meetings

This term we’ll also begin our transition activities:

• A meeting for Nursery parents whose children are moving up to full-time school in September (date to follow soon).
• A session for Year 6 parents whose children will be heading to Llangatwg Community School on 12th May in the afternoon (exact time to follow).
• Transition mornings for all pupils throughout the second half of the summer term, will give pupils the opportunity to spend time in their new classes with their new teachers.

Get Involved: Gardening with Gemma

We’re also excited to offer some lovely gardening sessions this term with our Family Engagement Officer, Gemma Addis-Fuller – a great way to get involved and enjoy the outdoors!

We’re looking forward to a fantastic term filled with sunshine, celebration, and new beginnings!

Warm wishes,
Mrs. M. Teague

Education Support Officer Mrs. Samantha Hopkins

Dear Parent / Carer,

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to our Education Support Officer, Mrs. Samantha Hopkins.

Mrs. Samantha Hopkins works for the Local Authority within the School Improvement team as our Education Support Officer (ESO) for our School. Members of the School Improvement team and I work in close partnership, alongside our governors and Inspectors from Estyn.  Mrs Hopkins arranges and delivers support and training to cater for the specific needs of our school.  Following our inspection, we are working closely behind the scenes with Inspectors from Estyn to prepare a Post Inspection Action Plan (PIAP).  Once the draft document has been shared and authorised by Estyn in May, Mrs. Hopkins, the governors and I will share the agreed plan with you in detail.  

Just to reassure you of the next steps the Local Authority, Governors and I are working towards in close partnership, which were shared with you on the 1st April:

Estyn will visit the school on regular intervals, judging the progress made against the four recommendations;

R1. Improve leadership at all levels

R2. Improve the quality of self-evaluation and improvement activities so that leaders identify, prioritise and address successfully the areas of the school’s work that are in most need of improvement

R3. Improve the quality and consistency of teaching and ensure that all staff have consistently high expectations of pupils

R4. Ensure that pupils develop their literacy, numeracy and digital skills progressively over time

As the school is in Special Measures, additional support will be needed in order to meet the recommendations, this process can take up to two years. This support will be agreed within the PIAP.

We will consider each aspect of the report and identify any areas of concern. We will celebrate the positive comments and observations noted in the report. We will work together to prioritise any urgent issues in relation to the recommendations and set realistic milestones to achieve improvement at an accelerated rate.

The school will engage with all stakeholders and partners to ensure transparency and improve communication.

Additional training will be made available, once identified through the PIAP in order to support the improvements needed in the recommendations.

We will work together to support the pupils, staff, senior leaders, headteacher, governing body and the local community in order for the school to be removed from Special Measures at the appropriate time by Estyn.

This is a difficult time for all but the staff are dedicated and united in their mission to improve the school. With everyone aligned with a common goal, we know that the impact will be transformative. The staffs dedication is already being reflected in the daily work at school. We have already begun making changes in response to parent feedback to Estyn, such as the after school sports clubs. Particular initiatives and changes which we are prioritizing to bring about positive outcomes will be shared once agreed and approved by Estyn.

I would like to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to both parents and staff for your unwavering support. As we continue moving forward together, your dedication plays a crucial role in helping us provide the very best for our pupils and the entire school community. Together, we can achieve great things, and I am truly thankful.

Kind regards

Mrs. M. Teague