Questions and Answers
What transition opportunities will there be?
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:
- Email Llangatwg School (Llangatwg@npt.school) to outline the concern
- 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.